Originally Posted by Pompiere
Everybody talks about internal hubs being heavy, and that may be true when you are looking at just the hub, but the bike lost a pound by removing the deraileurs, and a couple more by switching to alloy wheels.
Everybody talks about the weight distribution, too. Since my wheels never leave the tarmac, I don't think weight distribution matters at all. But the weight distribution DOES make the bike feel heavier when you pick it up. Most people grab the seatpost and the bars to lift it up. Since the more weight is located in the hub I think this makes the bike feel heavier to the hands than it really is.
Before I realized that Shimano was making an 8 speed I was trying to figure out how to make a 9-speed out of two SA hubs using a countershaft with a primary and secondary drive chain (like you might find on an older motorcycle) but I couldn't see how to do it without making the bike impossibly wide and heavy. I'm sure glad the internally geared hubs are becoming more popular.
Here's an idea for a continuously variable hub. I'd like to see one up close!
http://gizmodo.com/gadgets/gadgets/b...nci-247436.php