Why aren't we all using internal hub gears?

[icklenick]

I was flicking through my copy of the Audax magazine and came across an advert for bikes with internal hub gears. I looked at it and thought:

There's a perfect chain line with no derailleur so that must be more efficient at transferring power than a conventional gear system.

Am I missing something? Is it a weight or cost issue?

[doug]

They tend to be heavy, expensive and less efficient (there are losses in the internal orbital gears that outweigh any gains trhough not having jockey wheels and sub optimal chainline)

However they are robust and require little maintenance - this makes them good for commuting and touring, but not racing.

[icklenick]

Thanks Doug. I knew there had to be a flaw somewhere

[flyingelephant]

I've seen them on xc MTB races.
They are very good for reliability.
You are talking about the Rolhoff hubs?
They don#t quite have the spread of gears, but are top notch for commuters, winter riding, longevity etc.

[andygates]

They're no heavier than a derailleur rig - the ad for a Rohloff pictures it on one side of a scale and a mech, block, etc on the other.

But they are a touch less efficient, and given how queeny we are about aero carbon brake levers, a "touch less" is enough to make racing people cry.