James- most of your reasons for going SS could apply to the internal hubs as well. That is why I ditched the derailleur is for most of those reasons. The Nexus is incredibly quiet and it doesn't clunk, no false engagements, it shifts smoothly, etc. I especially like the fact that no derailleur to get knocked out of alignment OR collect all the crap from the road. I wish I didn't have any hills to deal with too!