Originally Posted by
yankeefan
A low end derailleur that is properly maintained will never miss a shift (unless under severe load), and a high end derailleur that is poorly maintained will behave finicky. I love the minimalist look of a SS/FG, but all the hype about ease of maintenance is nothing more than hype.
Well if you ride in a lot of rain or slop the brifters can get gunked up, the chain can get gunked up, the pulleys can get gunked up, and the cables can get gunked up. A FG works fine even when everything's gunked up... so it's not that they're easier to maintain, but they work better when they're NOT maintained. And yeah, I love mine but I wouldn't want it to be my only ride.