Direct comparison : hub speed vs derailer

I've been running an 8 speed Alfine-hubbed bike a for a few years now as my commuting bike.

I love it, it's fast and bullet-proof. Servicing is as simple as cleaning and lubricating the chain and replacing the disc pads every now and then.

I have replaced the rear sprocket and chain a few times and they're so cheap I always keep a complete spare in stock. I've also worn out and replaced the chainring and used the opportunity to fine-tune the gearing a bit to allow me to keep in a better gearing window for most of my ride. It was too low geared when I bought it.

For longer, day rides the best bike is a 30 speed audax bike. It's definitely the better bike for that purpose, but it's amazing how bad it is as a commuter. With 8 speeds I really only use 4 ratios most of the time.

Finding those same effective ratios on the audax bike requires loads more gear changes, so I find myself changing gear constantly which is not much fun in traffic. Out on the open road, being able to fine-tune the gear ratio to match the road conditions (to cope with headwinds, slow uphills, tiredness etc.) means that having 30 speeds with relatively small differences in gear ratios definitely makes sense.

I would never opt for 1x11 for the long distance bike, but 8 speed hub gears really hit the sweet spot for city commuting.

Just enjoying my new Rohloff build, it's very good.  The benefits will become more relevant as the weather gets worse.  The shifting will not be as affected by the filth and the chain is much less flexible hopefully allowing in less grit, maybe, so perhaps less of the nasty grinding sound at the end of a long and filthy ride.

The chain is much higher off the ground too, I am convinced that that bottom jockey was sometimes being dragged through the mire.

The cleaning process is so much easier, 2 single cogs and a chain, rather than chain, 2 jockeys, 3 front cogs and 8 or 9 rear, lots of flossing and repeated wiping with proper cleanliness only coming with a full strip down.

Hopefully part replacement will be eventually less costly, that no option single cog has one price and no options apart from number of teeth.  No £80-£130 8 or 9 speed cassettes for me on this one and those are relatively cheap compared to the quality 11 or 12 speeds out there.

These are some of the reasons why I dipped my toe into the hub gear thing, I hope the advantages are really there and I'm not just imagining them.

There is somewhat less engagement as some of the best rear hubs, it is a little bit noisy in some gears at the moment, though this may become quieter and it is a bit heavy with all the weight being at the back.  And the gripshift style shifter takes a bit of getting used to.