Originally Posted by
KonAaron Snake
I personally hate IGH and think their multiple disadvantages far out weigh the minor advantages.
Tons of weight on the wheel. No QR is a major inconvenience. Indicator chains are a PITA and I find often break. Weird rhythms - they don't shift well while pedaling. Chunky shifting. All that for shifting while stopped and a slight maintenance advantage? No thanks.
The weight of an IGH is at the hub so does not affect the rollout that much , commuters often opt for nutted axles and this works with a singular drive and chain tension, and I have yet to break an indicator chain. The primary cause of this stems from crashes or dropping the bike on the drive side.
An indicator spindle costs very little compared to having to replace a derailleur or straighten out or replace a bent hangar.
As for shifting, it is like driving a car with a clutch and the technique is to back off the pedals or coast for a split second while you are shifting... an SA shifts well on the upshifts under lighter accelleration but downshifts poorly under load as it is not synchronized for this.