I ended up getting the 8 speed Alfine model in 2015. At the time that model was the step up from the models with roller brakes and when riding the two back to back the discs were just so much better. Looks like it's not that big of a bump in price to go from the 3 to 8 speed. Although the town where I use mine is primarily flat the 8 gears are still nice have. I've been riding mine pretty regularly for couple of years and it's been a great bike for commuting or farmers market or grocery shopping.