Originally Posted by
WMBIGS
Why do you say they are a PITA? I have that type on an old Bianchi. I plan to run single speed in winter and add gears for non-winter use. The Cross Check seems to be made for that. Also like the ability to run wide tires.
Because the wheel comes into the dropout from the direction of the front of the bike, I have to deflate my 40mm tire to get the wheel far enough forward to get into the dropouts. Also, stretching the stays to get the wheel in is a pain. Neither is a huge deal, just a couple of extra steps over using vertical dropouts. If you plan to swap from from SS to geared then those extra steps would be a fair trade-off for that capability. If you already own a bike with this type of dropout then it's likely a non-issue for you.