Joined: Dec 2004
Posts: 12,537
Likes: 791
From: Middle of da Mitten
Bikes: Trek 7500, RANS V-Rex, Optima Baron, Velokraft NoCom, M-5 Carbon Highracer, Catrike Speed
I'm probably like a lot of riders. If a geared hub were at least as good in ALL of these categories and better in several:
1. weight
2. efficiency
3. durability
4. ease of maintenance
5. ease of repair
6. gear range available
7. ease/quality of operation
...then I might consider it an improvement; otherwise there's little reason for me to switch. And from what I've seen, they're just not there yet. As things stand now, they're best suited for commuter bikes, for which the all-weather operation of a hub gear, which would fall under #7 above, is more important than all the other categories.