Originally Posted by
mobilemail
.... LBS guy said that hub motors have a more noticeable and always present drag....
Not always present. Direct-drive hubs drag, geared hubs are different.
Originally Posted by
mobilemail
.... it doesn't take a rocket scientist to see that you have a LOT of rotating weight with the hub motor.....
A rotating weight is called a flywheel. Internal combustion engines won't idle without rotating weight. On a bicycle, the rotating weight of an electric hub creates inertia which is a good thing.
The major disadvantage of hubs on 'steep' climbs is that they lack the gear reduction range of a mid-drive working through the bike's rear cluster.