The appeal of converting to SS is substantial but, given all the variables (hills, limited warm up time, wind, etc) I've chosen to stay geared all these years. In addition, I've only recently started taking better care of my drivetrain. I used to do the bare minimum as on a year round commuter bike, cleaning seemed futile. Instead I'd replace the entire drive train every Spring. This year, as a means to improve performance more than anything else, I decided to start using a chain scrubber with an organic degreaser-big difference. Pedalling efficiancy is improved and I hope to lower wear and tear and extend the life of those parts. I know that SS would leave me wishing for more. More top end, more climbing gears, more choices to spin into a wind, etc. My 29er MTB is SS and I love it for all the right reasons but, for my daily, all-season commuter? I think that ship has sailed.