I also have an Alfine 8 on my all-weather bike, and am running a 46T chain ring and 18T sprocket with 26" wheels. The gear range is wider than I need - I haven't encountered a hill where I needed to be in 1st, and I don't think I've ever been able to go fast enough to use 8th (and in fact, I rarely use 7, and generally only use 6 on downhills or with a tailwind). Most of the time I'm in 5th. For my purposes, I would have liked the gears to be closer together. There are times where I wished for a gear between 5 and 6 so that I could pedal at an optimal cadence. I didn't find the IGH hard to get used to, though. It's not optimal, but it's good enough for a commuter bike.