Why do you prefer a derailleur vs IGH (Internally Geared Hub)?

[Comfortably Numb]

I felt the the same way until I surrendered to the fact that with a Rohloff and belt, Riese & Muller bikes really do check almost all the boxes except two, price and weight. After that first R&M bike, a Homage Rolhloff HS, arrived my riding became a daily occurrence, weather permitting. I was looking for every opportunity ride, it was such a pleasure. Every ride put a big stupid smile on my face. The pleasure of riding such a steady, well equipped, comfortable, unique and well thought out bike made the pain of having paid so much fade very quickly. It put me on a track of loosing 30 lbs and resulted in an amazed cardiologist when after two years of riding, my ejection fraction climbed from 35 after my heart attack to 45. he tagged me with the nickname "miracle man" How do you put a price on that?

I am not saying that a Riese & Muller bike is the best choice for you. But I would urge you to start at the top of your budget range and even if it hurts, when the final decision is made and you have to go beyond that number to get what your really want, do it. Any misgivings, will be quickly put in the rear view mirror as you ride and you will have a bike more likely to keep a big smile on your face too.

Thanks. Great analogy and I know exactly where you're coming from. I have used that same logic my entire life. I have always bought the best stuff....usually well over my original budget. That way the ONLY complaint that ever arises, is that one could have paid less. When one goes cheap, any number of things begin to nag at you. It sucks. CN

 

[Comfortably Numb]

One other note.....My local R&M dealer said if I were to go with an R&M, go only
Rohloff.
As of right now, the Bulls Lacuba Evo Lite I decided on is out of stock. They have a few with the Diamond frame but I'm getting to the point of not being able to swing a leg over them and I see that as something that, in the long run getting worse, not better. I am 66. CN

 

[Alaskan]

One other note.....My local R&M dealer said if I were to go with an R&M, go only
Rohloff.
As of right now, the Bulls Lacuba Evo Lite I decided on is out of stock. They have a few with the Diamond frame but I'm getting to the point of not being able to swing a leg over them and I see that as something that, in the long run getting worse, not better. I am 66. CN

I love my much modified R&M Mountain with a 1/11 Shimano XT derailleur and have actually sold my Homage Rohloff HS Last year I bought the Trek Allant+9.9S with a 1x12 and two weeks ago I bought a Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3 with a Shimano GRX 1x11 as well. My wife still rides her 2018 Homage Rohloff HS with E-14 retrofitted. Takeaway...don't let the dealer talk you into something that cost another $2,000 that may just not be the right choice for you, how your ride, etc.

Keep in mind my recommendations come from a retired boat owner and professional mariner that did much of his own maintenance on a 90 foot boat who still loves to tinker and make all things work just a little better. I have a nice workshop for my bikes in the basement with an Efficient Velo Tools work stand, a reasonably complete set of bike tools, good lighting and a nice sound system. I commonly spend up to an hour down there after a ride cleaning, adjusting or installing something that arrived while I was out riding before I come upstairs. It this does not sound like fun to you, get an IGH with a belt that you won't have to fuss with so much and can just enjoy riding.

 

[PedalUma]

I love my much modified R&M Mountain with a 1/11 Shimano XT derailleur and have actually sold my Homage Rohloff HS Last year I bought the Trek Allant+9.9S with a 1x12 and two weeks ago I bought a Cannondale Topstone Neo Carbon 3 with a Shimano GRX 1x11 as well. My wife still rides her 2018 Homage Rohloff HS with E-14 retrofitted. Takeaway...don't let the dealer talk you into something that cost another $2,000 that may just not be the right choice for you, how your ride, etc.

Keep in mind my recommendations come from a retired boat owner and professional mariner that did much of his own maintenance on a 90 foot boat who still loves to tinker and make all things work just a little better. I have a nice workshop for my bikes in the basement with an Efficient Velo Tools work stand, a reasonably complete set of bike tools, good lighting and a nice sound system. I commonly spend up to an hour down there after a ride cleaning, adjusting or installing something that arrived while I was out riding before I come upstairs. It this does not sound like fun to you, get an IGH with a belt that you won't have to fuss with so much and can just enjoy riding.

I ride and maintain both. By the third time you service an Alfine it is easy. My favorite builds are Public Bikes with internal gears. I rode my Nexus three-speed coaster brake town bike today. When guys in spandex passed me I drafted them for a mile then blew past. This electric bike does not look electric to most people. The beefy half-link wide chains last as long as a belt.
I will beef up components and go down market on derailleur bikes by removing expensive 11 and 12 speeds and installing mid-market 9-speed cassettes with KMC X-8 chains. That way I can swap out chains and cassettes with fresh ones regularly. It is sort of like using more of the cheep face masks every two-hours instead of trying to make a better one last all day.

 

[indianajo]

I love my much modified R&M Mountain with a 1/11 Shimano XT derailleur and have actually sold my Homage Rohloff HS Last year
Keep in mind my recommendations come from a retired boat owner and professional mariner that did much of his own maintenance on a 90 foot boat who still loves to tinker and make all things work just a little better. .. . I commonly spend up to an hour down there after a ride cleaning, adjusting or installing something that arrived while I was out riding before I come upstairs. It this does not sound like fun to you, get an IGH with a belt that you won't have to fuss with so much and can just enjoy riding.

I have an 8 speed cassette, 3 front sprockets. In 3 years & 6000 miles I adjusted a stop screw once. I changed a worn out shifter cable once, 4000 miles, sun twist shift. I changed a worn out chain once, 5000 miles. Chain was a non-electric KMC. The SRAM shifters with real steel cables instead of scrap metal that stretches, are not a problem. I have a hub motor that doesn't pull on the chain. I do oil the chain cables and shifters biweekly.
Changing chain took 2 afternoons & 2 special tools made, since my industrial 1/8" x 1/2" phelps-dodge chain stretcher wouldn't work. 8 speed chain is 3/32" and looking through several hundred bike tools on modernbike site, didn't see a chain stretcher. Bike websites don't show dimensions, not even SRAM, shimano, & sun. Most tools are 11 speed now anyway. Will take less time next time now that I've done it once. Derailleur is nothing like an industrial conveyor drive I've changed dozens of.

 

[Art Deco]

Since the OP asked for personal opinions...

I like derailleurs. High end ones. I like the aesthetic and the fact I can do all the work to clean and maintain them, and then go use them. It is a fun "chore" and you get the reward of usage. I can check them for wear, or potential problems before they happen. I can see how they are operating to gauge the performance. I can go into any LBS and get parts or replacements. I like the way they shift and the feel of the wheels from the cranks. A little bit different depending upon the gears and the front-rear offset with a 2x front.

I put 1700 miles on mine (GRX 810) with simple cleaning-lube and just did a through clean up. I got a nice silent purr again by my own hands. Minimum wear also. I ride gravel dirt too. And the whole system got better at about 300 and then 800 miles.

BTW if you are talking about top of the line IGH, like Rolhoff, then one should compare it to a top of the line derailleur system, like a Campagnolo Record. Hand assembled and tuned. Talk about a fine bit of machinery. If you have not used a top of the line derailleur system, then one should, at least once. All that excellent engineering and you can maintain it and then go use it. That is what I like.

I agree actually. If you aren't doing much off road, mud, and snow a modern derailleur is pretty great. Even my mid range Alivio ? is much better at it's job then I am at mine. But my comparison is an old 10 speed with shifters on the downtube that would drop the chain anytime I didn't get it perfect. Trigger shifters seem wonderful .

 

[Comfortably Numb]

I just went and configured an R&M Charger Mixte with both the Rohloff and Enviolo hubs.
Geez....they want $2200 CDN more for the Rohloff. Wow.
That's $3000 and $5000 more than the Bulls Lacuba EVO Lite I was considering....never mind the additional taxes on top. I've got some pondering to do. It isn't the $$$, it's justifying the expenditure.