^ No, but you've got to start somewhere, and there are bound to be zombies in your home town, which you'll need to escape fairly quickly. And then there are probably always going to be times when you end up in zombie country when you didn't mean to. Speed is always at least some factor when you're being hunted. And I imagine it's tough to climb a hill on a fully loaded 3 speed.

The chain/derailleur issue is why I went with the internally geared hub. More resistant to weather, less prone to failing when I need it most, won't jump off of a chain ring when you have to hit a big bump hard in a hurry.