Horizontal dropouts with derailleur hanger

[cribbit]

Why are some bikes designed this way? Modern bikes with sliding/horizontal drops instead of vertical drops are normally single speed in my mind, but I've seen a couple examples of them with a rear derailleur. Is it just to give the frame the option of being either?

[ColonelJLloyd]

Is it just to give the frame the option of being either?

Options, yes. Any drivetrain that doesn't utilize a tensioner (such as a derailleur) will require some adjustment at the hub end or the BB.

[Clean39T]

Nothing to add other than that your question triggered some serious Klein nostalgia from my adolescent years..

http://chuck.kichline.com/bikes/Klein/P1030350.JPG

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

[bicycletricycle]

I think klein did it because it is stronger.

[hokoman]

I think klein did it because it is stronger.

I think it is also a faster wheel change.

[ergott]

I think it is also a faster wheel change.

No, way slower. You have the chain wrapped around wheel and you have to get past the derailleur. Rear facing dropouts are a pain in the arse.

[mt2u77]

I know some aero bikes (Cervelo P4 for example) use a track end to allow the rear wheel to be tucked in behind a faired seat tube.

[hokoman]

No, way slower. You have the chain wrapped around wheel and you have to get past the derailleur. Rear facing dropouts are a pain in the arse.

That's what I used to think, but if you pull the chain straight back from the bike, the wheel slips out super easy compared to going down and forward.

[FlashUNC]

Storck's marketing line on their bikes is a horizontal rear facing dropout ensures the wheel will never slip in a hard effort like a sprint.

[bikinchris]

I always wanted a Klein Quantum Pro with one of those paint jobs. And yeah, it took an exact technique to mount and dismount the wheel. You could never pull one of those crooked when jumping no matter how strong you were.

[ergott]

That's what I used to think, but if you pull the chain straight back from the bike, the wheel slips out super easy compared to going down and forward.

The goal for just about any non pro that works on their own bike is to not grab the chain for a wheel removal.

[avalonracing]

That's what I used to think, but if you pull the chain straight back from the bike, the wheel slips out super easy compared to going down and forward.

As I guy who has been riding a Klein Quantum Race for the last 18 years (including sprinting on it at 40mph at 6:15 this morning) these dropouts are the fastest wheel change you'll get if you don't mind getting your index finger oily. And yes, they are also designed for no slipping. Klein did some great things until Trek came along and ruined them before shuttering them. My Klein was raced hard, ridden a lot and still performs like a champ after 50K miles.

[Mark McM]

I can't recall seeing a wheel slip in a vertical dropout (and I can generate nearly as much wheel dislodging force as a top road sprinter*). Wheel changes with vertical dropouts are pretty quick too, and would be faster if you wanted to grab the chain with your hand.



*But not on my road bike. Chain tension (which is what causes wheel slippage) is inversely proportional to chainring size. I've got a 20 tooth chainring on my MTB, so my 700 Watt effort generates as much wheel dislodging chain force as a 1855 Watt effort with a 53 tooth chainring. MTBs often have very small chainrings. Some of the early MTBs had horizontal dropouts, and wheel slippage was a very common problem. This is one of the reasons MTBs soon adopted vertical dropouts.

[speedevil]

On older steel frames, with early Gran Sport and Nuovo Record RDs (straight-cage) the adjustment screws that positioned the axle in the dropouts allowed fine-tuning the shifting. Straight-cage RDs were more sensitive to the fore-aft position of the axle.