Originally Posted by
wearyourtruth
well they give their answers to that question right on the site...
http://www.carbondrivesystems.com/whycds.php?lang=us
i think they could be a big plus on a winter ice/snow bike. that reeks havoc on my chain. i think the bigger reason is to diversify. in order to make something that will sell, it either needs to be a) better, b) cheaper, or c) different... preferably 2 of those.
I know their marketing spiel and none of those are compelling reasons to make the switch IMO.
Maybe on a townie because of the clean factor, but then again I just use a dry wax lube on my townie and it's just as clean.
One of the big places they are trying to market these is to the MTB world and feedback seems to be that if your set up isn't spot on you'll have issues (dig around MTBR.com for reports). The other thing I've heard is the noise when riding in dry, dusty conditions. Solution: "lube" with a squirt from your water bottle. I prefer to save my water for drinking when I'm out on the trail.
All that said, I haven't ridden one so take my opinions for what they are worth. If people want to buy into it, great, but I'm not convinced there's a need for me to make the switch and I suspect many others will feel the same.
BTW, I ride in snow and ice all the time and have no problems with my chain. A KMC Rustbuster runs about $12 and is great for those conditions