I was perusing this Fairweather CX frameset, built by Toyo (cool frame, by the way), and I'm puzzled by the dropouts. It's basically a track end with a derailleur hanger. At first I thought -- cool idea, run it geared or single speed. But now I can't wrap my head around it. How do remove the rear wheel?



Here's the frame in question:

Just slide it backwards. It would suck if you had fenders, but other than that...

My On One Inbred mountain bike has these drop outs. For me, it's the most versatile arrangement and I really like it. I've found it's best to drop the chain off the crank before removing the wheel. You won't set any wheel change records in the pits but if you're considering this frame racing is probably not a high priority.

^+1. Putting it in high gear would make removal easier. Re difficulty with fenders, hence the name Fairweather?

No different than a lot of TT bikes where the rear facing dropouts allow you to adjust the wheel spacing behind a aero seat tube.

On this bike, it is totally a poser move.

Note that with the V brakes, you'd have to adjust your brake pads every time you moved the wheel fore/aft in the dropout.

And it is a bit of a pain to take the wheel out of my Cervelo.

It's easiest if you take the chain off of the crank ring first to create lots of slack. Then, slide the rear wheel out. That's no different than any bike with track ends.

^Crossed my mind, too, but then I noticed the chain catcher. Having never used a chain catcher, I wasn't sure if that might prevent easy removal of the chain from the ring.

Fine - I'll present the dissenting opinion. Rear-opening dropouts with derailleur gears are a pain in the @$$! They make sense on a track bike where a wheel slipping out of the dropout would be a hazard for everyone on the track. On a geared road bike - WHY??


SP
OC, OR

Alternatively: why not?

Shifting can degrade with variations in wheel placement.
Brakes may not line up if the wheel is not properly placed.
The wheel is difficult to remove if fenders are installed.
It's ugly.

The Pugsley has the same set up (but completely different).



I pull the skewer when I remove the rear wheel, then I can drop it out. Not fun, and really don't want to change a flat on the trail.

You find where it shifts the best and set your threaded axle stop screw there and forget it. Unlike a normal horizontal dropout your wheels can't slide forward with a track style dropout. No worry about adjusting your pads every wheel change. Not to mention run it single speed/fixed if you wanted. I think it's a more versatile style dropout. Mind you if you run fenders it's a little more of a hassle but hey what's not a hassle in life?

I think I've seen some Litespeed aero frames with that design too.

I've used long horizontal dropouts. One of the first things one learns is to always TIGHTEN down the rear wheel.

As far as brakes, just get some kind of position adjuster, so the the position is always the same, and it gives something for the wheel to torque against.

The fender argument would depend on how long the fenders are. One could catch most of the mud by an extended bike rack that goes out straight behind a rider.

Something like these track dropouts might be reasonable on a touring bike. I could imagine a situation where one would get a trashed rear derailleur, and require dropping the derailleur, picking one gear, shortening the chain and limping back to town.

The first 2 things on your list could be spun as positives: more adjustment to accommodate different setups, just like old school horizontal drops. The 3rd one doesn't really matter, nobody is going to put fenders on this bike, and the last is subjective.

BTW - for this type of set up, Surly has Tugnuts and Monkey Nuts; I got the Monkey Nuts for my Pugsley. Helps keep the rear axle in the same place every time you remove the rear wheel and stops slipping when you really mash the pedals. The mechanic at my LBS said other Surly bikes have the track drop-outs and rear derailleurs (Troll for one), some of them come with the Monkey Nuts. I'm sure other companies have similar products too.

Can you just remove the skewer?

Those are a little extreme but they are generally not that horrible to deal with. My Mongoose MTB has rear entry dropouts and fenders and I just let some air out the tire. Usually I can even do it without touching the chain.

Because there alternatives that are a lot easier to live with.

SP
OC, OR

Primus Mootry made a frameset like that, track dropouts and an RD hangar. Versatility. put the chain in the smallest gear, relax it with the RD, and pull the wheel. If you have an SRAM RD that is WiFli or one of the clutched ones, watch your fingers. Those things really snap.