Hybrid Bicycles - Internal Gearing , Any Good?

I'm looking to buy a hybrid. It will be my first bike in years. Most have multigears. I've seen several 3 speed internal gears and Schwinn makes an internal 7 and 8 gear. Does anybody have any experience with these? especially the 7/8 gear? I think the 3 gear might be novel but a little light. The 7 or 8 internal gear may be a sufficient for most street riding situations. Thanks

Where do you live and what are the terrain and wind conditions?

3 speed hubs have a quite limited overall gear range compared to the higher gear count hubs. If you live in a flat and seldom very windy area the 3 speed can be adequate but a 7 or 8 speed hub is more versatile and better for handling a wider range of riding conditions. The 8 speed Shimano hubs are supposed to be more efficient and better shifting than the 7 speed versions.

As you can see from my signature block below I have quite a range of gear hub bikes, from 3 to 14 speeds. I like them. The design is older than derailleurs as the first 2 speed hubs date back to about 1898 or so. The original Sturmey Archer 3 speed dates from 1902.

I'm in Pensacola FL. Its mostly flat with some hilly areas that can be avoided or sought out. Its not reallt windy but at times you can get breezy if you choose to ride along the beach. Based upon your response I think I'd be safest to look for the 7 or preferably 8 gear speed hubs. I'll try out the schwinn and any other barand I can find. Thanks for the link!

the Schwinn Searcher comes with a nice 8 sp. internal.

Take a look at the Giant Seek 1. Beautiful bike with hydraulic disc brakes and a Shimano 8 speed hub.

Take a look at the Giant Seek 1. Beautiful bike with hydraulic disc brakes and a Shimano 8 speed hub.

+1 on the Giant Seek 1. I love mine. I added fenders and rack and it is my main commuter. The 8 spd Shimano hub shifts great, much better than the SRAM 7 I have on another bike.

I think however, that Giant changed the Seek 1 for 2010 and that it no longer has an internal gear hub.

Virtually every manufacturer these days has at least one model using a version of the Shimano 8 speed hub including Trek, Specialized, Novara, Swobo, Civia, Bianchi, Kona, etc. Even Bikes Direct offers one so there is a wide choice of makes, models, features and price ranges available.