I haven't been able to find a lot of info on this, but I'm flirting with the idea of IGH, and I really don't want to pay for a rohloff, so I'm trying to figure out if an alfine 11 is suitable for touring. I think the alfine is mainly targeting commuters who want gearing in their bikes, so I have a few questions about alfine compared to the holy grail of IGH (Rohloff). I figure maybe after a few years after its release, there would be more people with feedback on this thing. Here are my questions:
Reliability/maintenance: can the alfine handle prolonged use in the mountains? the alfine 11 uses an enclosed oil bath, like the rohloff, so does that mean the same maintenance of changing oil every so often, and it's pretty much trouble free?
Drop out options: Apparently, a regular fixie horizontal drop out will not work on a rohloff (I've seen pictures where the torque actually bent the horizontal dropout). Does the alfine have the same requirement in the frame drop out?
General wear: the rohloff supposedly lasts longer than humans, the derailleur drive train consumables supposedly last about 3-5000 miles before needing to be replaced. Does the alfine have an average lifespan?
Efficiency: According to this
abstract, alfine's effciency is between 90-96%, whereas the rohloff is on par with the derailleur system at 94-99%. That's a significant difference. Has this been verified by any other source?
I'm also open to discussion for the sram or sturmey archer igh's.