After three years, I've decided to remove Alfine 11 and go back to derailleurs. The Alfine 11 has generally served me well, but overall some of its negative points - as far as I am concerned - outway its advantages. I thought you'd like my feedback?
'For' Alfine 11:
*No front derailleur to bother with.
*Simple, uncluttered appearance
*Ability to change gears whilst stationery
*No rear derailleur to get broken
*Fewer parts to wear out and maintain
'Against' Alfine 11:
*Limited gear range - you have to decide to bias your setup (chainring) towards higher or lower gears - there's no one answer for someone who cycles in mixed terrain.
*You have to 'back off' with pedalling pressure when climbing to enable a gear change to be made. Not always desirable as you lose even more momentum.
*Spurious mis-shifts even when the system is set up properly.
*Idiosyncrasies between how (well) different gears change.
*Unless you have horizontal dropouts, you need some kind of chain tensioning device, either a rear chain tensioner, or an eccentric BB. In the case of the former, I was trying to move away from such 'clutter' and the case of the latter I found that it just keeps coming loose even when set up using manufacturer torques etc. (I am an experienced bike mechanic).
*Weight, that hub is a heavy beast.
*Ease of repairing a rear wheel puncture is much more troublesome than with a Q/R derailleur system. You need to carry a large spanner for the wheel nuts and you have to remove/unhook the greasy cable etc. It's a messy, balls aching job.
*Servicing the rear hub is not for the faint hearted. It's quite a long and complicated job that has to be undertaken with precision and care and the use of special tools.
*Replacement oil is VERY expensive.
My conclusion? If you are using Alfine 11 for fairly undemanding touring or 'around town' use where you're unlikely to get a puncture, it's fine.
I'm not the sort of person to rigidly stick with a product or system having changed to it if I'm not, overall, happy with it. If Shimano could increase it to 14 gears - as is Rohloff, reduce weight from that hub, and make removing the wheel and operating cable easier, that would be a great improvement, though by no means a total 'cure' for my 'against' list above. BTW, I won't go into it now, but Rohloff would not be for me for various reasons, ONE of which is twist grip.