Interesting. I'm getting an IGH for reduced winter time maintenance, but the "hobby" factor makes it more fun for me. My thought is that once it's installed there would be less "mechanical screwing around" than with a derailleur. I suppose it's like an automatic vs. manual in a car. The automatic is way easier to use and the maintenance is pretty low, but when it breaks, - ouch. It's going to cost you.

I think an IGH would be great for my wife. Even though she's ridden with a fair amount of frequency in the past, she really doesn't get how front and rear shifting work together. Just one shifter labeled from 1 to 8 (or whatever) would be much more straight forward.