The chain and cassette were usually worn out to the point where 8/7/6 got dicey. Then again I barely ever left the big ring and those 3 gears anyway. Yes... spinning is good but I'm not good at it. Working on it this winter on the stationary bike. Actually managed to move my comfort zone a few gears down at a faster cadence. Hopefully that spreads out the load and makes things last longer. Installing a 48t at the front has also helped a lot. With 44t I was stuck using the highest gear I could to get the speed I wanted. Thus the 11t always wore out fast. Figures given how small it is.

Hopefully my training and modifications will make things last longer.