On 1/30/2018 11:32 AM, Emanuel Berg wrote:
sms wrote:

Deore are better than most in longevity,
about as tough a changer as there
is nowadays.

I had a Deore front shifter fail after only
twelve years. Sounds like a long time, but
it's on a mountain bike that I probably rode
not more than 500 miles.

Well, when you speak of how long something will
last on a bike, do you typically refer to time,
distance, riding style, weather conditions, all
of the above, or something else?

I'd say all of the above, which makes the concept of average life pretty
meaningless. I'd expect the low end of the scale - except for mountain
bikes - would be Jay Beattie's everyday commuting including steep hills
and some forest paths in all kinds of weather. I'd expect the high end
would be, well, a guy who rode only on level trails in nice dry Southern
California.

Also, the number of speeds makes a difference. I've got one bike whose
derailleur pivots are really sloppy. But it's used mostly for utility
trips, and it shifts a mere five-speed freewheel. As long as the chain
gets vaguely near the proper cog, all is well. Add four to six extra
cogs to the pile and things get fussier back there.

--
- Frank Krygowski