Originally Posted by
frankenmike
Besides just being fun, I got tired of replacing derailers every couple years on my winter commuter. Salted roads…
And - when you lay the bike down on that ice, you know the drive train still works and will get you home just fine! Edit: Plus salted and frozen chain links? Just slide the wheel forward to get the slack back! Third link and the chain got oiled. I didn't own a car, there was no outside running water in winter and I wasn't welcome to do filthy bike cleaning indoors. That bike was my car. Ran lots of grease in the bearings. Chains led harsh lives. The derailleur bikes hibernated.