Originally Posted by
50PlusCycling
My Moulton came originally with a 1x8 driveline, which I converted to a 2x8, and then recently upgraded it to a 2x11. I added more gears as I began planning tours to more mountainous places. But even the cheap Alivio derailleur which originally came on the bike managed to get through more than a decade of regular use without any issues.
That sounds right.
Moultons are lovely bikes. My Jetstream is kind of Moulton inspired -- small wheels and full suspension. It works great.
I've been riding bicycles for nearly 60 years and have used a great variety of derailleurs. Although I keep my bikes for a long time I don't recall ever having problems with any derailleurs other than needing to lube and adjust them on occasion. I bend them from time to time (especially when I kept the folding bike on the boat) but I've always been able to bend them back and get them working well again.
That being said, I like hub gears and am in the market for an electric cargo bike (I have been carless since 2014) with hub gears and belt drive.