i disagree with people disagreeing with my #3 this is the c&v not the commuting forum after all.

obviously the best solution is to get a proper derailleur to take up the slack, but it isn't the only solution. if the guy really loves riding in small/small, he can just shorten the chain and know to never go up to big/big. he could ride the bike for 30 years and never blow the RD. i think people probably ride in small/small a lot more than big/big (i don't think i've ever run big/big).