I do all my commuting on IGH bikes, and almost all my riding on IGH's. The worst thing about them is that you very quickly forget how to use a derailleur. I mean, I still know how to shift a derailleur, that's something I'll never forget, of course. But the need to downshift before stopping, well, I forgot that within a week and never really got it back. I don't mean to rant against derailleurs; they're great, everyone knows that. I just kinda get to hate them, that's all.

The most surprising thing I've found about IGH's is that the number of gears doesn't really matter. I've done numerous centuries on a bike with an ancient Sturmey Archer hub and had no trouble keeping up with the other riders in the pack. For sure, there are times when you seem to be pedaling too fast, or too slow, but you get used to this in no time.