I just got a new ride this year with an Alfine 8 and I love it. I average around 20mph on most commute rides. I find the low end quite adequate for the hills around my area (VT) when moderately loaded. The jumps between gears are more than you'd get on an 8 speed cluster but it never really bothers me. I've ridden primarily on single-speed bikes for many years so just having the 7 other gears available seems like quite a luxury to me.