Originally Posted by PeteHski

So how do you propose solving this fundamental problem? Hub gearing is an elegant solution because it totally avoids the problem of chainring size differentials.

Whenever I've dropped a chain [ever], it's always been the result of a FD shift. Even pros drop their chain on occasion when front shifting. It was a real issue on mountain bikes and probably one of the 2 main drivers for them to move almost exclusively to 1x. The other being 11 and 12-speed super wide-range cassettes and less need for a high top speed. All my mountain bikes since 2014 have been 1x and there's certainly no going back there!

I still tolerate a 2x drivetrain on my road bikes, but don't consider it an ideal solution having to switch between two overlapping gear ranges. To be fair I've only had 2 or 3 chain drops in the last couple of years over many thousands of miles, but still it's annoying and nobody really enjoys the awkward step change between front rings. We accept it for what it is.