• Yep β€”Β in this case the mudguard strut would still be mounted to the eyelet, albeit through the fixing plate (which is fixed in place via the mudguard / rack mounts). Point taken though.

    @PepOne really nice idea but the deralleur hanger also has a protrusion for the dropout slot / axle (as apposed to skinnier QR skewer) which are both important to keep the derailleur in position and orientated. Also stacking these on the dropout would mean moving the hanger too far outboard for the derailleur to work properly.

    Keen to try @Hulsroy 's sliding dropouts via Simba and see if it's what I'm looking for. If not then Plan B above (fixing plate) is an afternoon of work and seems feasible, at least to my bird brain.