Just curious, but how do people ride up hills with SS/FG?
I seriously considered getting a bike with a Alfine 8 when I was bike shopping earlier this year but soon realized it would not go low enough as they came from the store. I figured that I could change the chainring and/or rear cog but if I did that, the top end would be about 70 gear inches maximum according to Sheldon Brown's Gear Calculator. If it went up to 80 or 85 that would be perfect. The Alfine 11 seems to have a much more usable range as it can be geared to have a range from about 23 to 90 gear inches.
My daily commute is quite a workout even with 28T ring 34T cog combination or about 22 gear inches.
Last edited by jsdavis; 10-28-11 at 01:54 AM.