Originally Posted by
Doug5150
Salt water will corrode both steel and aluminum.
Internal-gear hubs are much much much much much much much much much much nicer for casual riding, and US people are too dumb to pay for them, so in most US bike shops you will never ever see a new bike with an internal-gear hub sitting on the sales floor. You have to order the hub and have them build a wheel on it.
If you go to any bike shop in any resort town up and down the east coast you'll see cruiser's with internal hub on the sales floor. Not a a hypothesis, but a fact. I would guess the same would be said for the rest of the country's resort areas, but I haven't seen them myself.
The reason you probably don't see them elsewhere as much is because they're an inferior product for the majority of road bikes due to their weight and general incompatibility with road oriented group sets.
It's not an issue of intelligence. I assure you.