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I just have a couple powerlinks in my bag when riding, which take very little space. It is also unlikely to have a chain break while riding, however having a chain breaker tool and spare links comes in handy if your rear derailleur gives up the ghost (due to a fall etc), as in that case you can bypass it entirely with a shortened chain.

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Mountain biker chiming in: have broken chains, friends have broken chains. It’s not a common occurrence, but basically ever has a chain breaker and spare links in their bags. MTB also admittedly puts a lot of components under far more wear and tear than other disciplines.

For MTB especially, it’s not the fact that there’s probably better drivetrain options, but the fact that the current options will happily take a beating, and still let you ride back out. I’m sure the string is real nice and quiet, and has a nice internal hub, but my chain, mech and cassette will get whipped into trees and rocks, will have sand, water, grit ground through it for ~20kms, sustain impacts from going off drops and jumps and they’ll continue to work. I’ve bent mechs, hangers, dinged cassettes, ground chainrings, and they’ll put up with an astounding amount and still get you home.

Once home the ease of access make maintenance a lot simpler, everything gets a clean and lube and it’s happy to go again.

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