I'm seeing USA advertised prices around $600 for the still unavailable Alfine 11, although it's unclear if this is for everything or if the cassette, non-turn washers, cog, shifter, etc. are not included and will be at additional cost. The advertised price out of New Zealand, where it is claimed the Alfine 11 is available, was around $720USD.

The Rohloff is available for around $1000 off German web sites.

And yet the initial release of Shimano's 3-, 7- and 8-speed hubs were all problematic.

When Shimano introduced the Alfine 8, they had a huge marketing push @ Interbike with show bikes built around the hub by America's top custom bike artists. The Alfine 11 @ Interbike 2010? Shimano practically hid it. What's up with that?