I’m running the BBS02 750W on my Townie and love it! However, If I'm not paying attention I can have issues shifting due to the “bang.” For example, the other day I was going up a very steep hill, and decided to shift into lower gear under load, stupid I know. Anyway, the chain came off (7 speed with a derailleur) and I got all greasy putting it back on, not fun.

I’m wondering if an internal hub would have prevented this? I have no experience with internal hubs. The little bit of research I’ve done is they are EXPENSIVE. I can find one for $250 with wheel Shimano Nexus 7 Speed Wheel Set with Shifter

My other avenue has been looking at donor bikes on CL, but people that have internal hubs know what the value is so used is pretty expensive as well, and I don’t know what the condition of the hub would be.

My question is would going from a derailleur to internal hub be worth it?

If so why do so many new ebikes come out with derailleur's, cost?