Originally Posted by
providencebikes
ok so in the north east where it snows rains and they put salt on the roads and the bike gets really nasty and beat up- the internal gears would be better , or just another option that we could all support and maybe in the future it would surpass the traditional systems **********?!!!!!!!
Depends on your goal.
If your goal is a bike that requires the least maintenance in dirty conditions, an internal gear hub (IGH) and either a belt drive or a fully enclosed chain (chain case) would be good. But IGH are heavy and most don't offer a wide gearing range with small steps between gears. Belt drives have higher mechanical drag. Chain cases are heavy and make it difficult to repair a flat tire. These negatives are significant.