I was riding yesterday and started thinking about internally geared hubs (AKA gear hubs). I’m a huge advocate of the gear hub and run a Shimano Alfine 8 speed as my daily rider. There are however clear ups and downs for the gear hub. Here is my list of pros and cons:

Pros:

• Chainline - perfect chainline no matter your gear choice
• Chainguards - ability to use chainguards and even better, chaincases like the Hebie Chainguard
• Ease of Maintenance/Tuning - easy to maintain, turn barrel adjust until yellow marks line up, couldn’t be easier. And once the shifter cable stretches to its max, no further adjustment is needed
• Shifting from a stop - incredibly useful feature for commuting in traffic (stop and go). I got into the habit of coming to a stop and just shifting all the way down and its great, saves my knees from a lot of unneeded stress.
• Reliable - no exposed parts to damage unlike the ubiquitous problem with derailleurs. The internals of the hub gear are damn near indestructable too; just look at Sturmey Archer 3 speeds still on the road today after 50 years of service.
• Instant, crisp shifts - shifts feel responsive and crisp without noise or mechanical hesitation
• Water and grime resistant - fully enclosed gears means water and gunk doesn’t get in

Cons:

• Limited shifter options - you have greatly reduced shifter options when using a gear hub. You basically are forced into using what the manufacturer tells you; no aftermarket solutions. The limited shifter options then also limit your choice of handlebars.
• Weight - gear hubs have some pretty hefty weight
• Cost - cost is generally higher but of course it depends

I can deal with weight and cost but the limited shifter options really gets to me. I would prefer to ride drop bars but because no shifter exists to facilitate mounting on drops, I am forced to use a MTB style bar.
At the end of the day though I still love the internally geared hub. It is the most elegant drivetrain solution for bicycles and the best solution for the common cyclist especially those simply lookig to get from point A to point B.