I consider Co-Motion to be an independent frame builder, but they obviously are a larger scale than most. But they sell some Pinion bikes.

I shift my Rohloff bike a bit more than a derailleur bike, I suspect that Pinion and Rohloff would be about the same for shifting. I mostly notice it when stopping at a red light. I stop, if on my Rohloff I down shift to 7 or 8, derailleur bike I obviously do not shift while stopped and start out in too high a gear. Rohloff bike, when I start I pedal about three or four crank revolutions, upshift, pedal about four or five crank revolutions, up shift again, and a bit further will likely upshift one more time.

An off the wall question for you, do pinion bikes only come as belt or is a chain system available to? Just curious. When I tour on my Rohloff bike, I carry a few spare chain links, but not a full chain. I met a couple in Iceland where both had Rohloffs, one had a belt and one a chain. They said they carried a spare belt because you could not buy one in the entire country. But a chain, no big deal.