Originally Posted by
John E
The Rohloff's gears are about twice as far apart as my preferred 6 to 7 percent ratiometric progression, but one could solve that with a derailleur and either two cogs in back (if a longer axle is available or if two cogs will fit the stock axle) or two chainrings up front. Yes, I like hybrid transmissions, which some folks say have the worst of both worlds, but others claim they offer the best of both worlds.
The Rohloff offers rather tighter ratios at the bottom end than a typical derailleur setup where people are using big cassettes to give themselves climbing gears. i agree that the steps are rather bigger than the ideal in the middle range.
Historically, weather had everything to do with IGH development, with IGH having been immensely popular in the UK, versus derailleurs on the continent.
I'm not sure this true, actually. SA 3-speeds were indeed hugely popular in the UK, partly I suspect because it was a British company spawned by Raleigh, which was easily the biggest bicycle maker at the time. I don't think weather had much to do with it, though. Winter riding conditions in the UK are far less demanding than in central and northern continental Europe.