Rusty Valiant

Hello- I've got a question about running a single chainring and any problems it might present. I thought the cross forum would be a good place to start, as I've seen similar setups on some cx bikes in the past.

I would like (for reasons of aesthetics and simplicity) to run a single chainring with an 8 speed cassette on my road bike. When I mentioned this intention to the guys at my LBS, the mechanic (whose judgement I tend to trust) said that such a set up would result inevitably in chain failure. Now, the guy knows bikes, but I've seen enough of this setup to assume that it can't be all bad.

Can anyone with experience or input in regards to this sort of drivetrain please let me know what they think?

Thanks in advance.