| > On the other hand, what seems to sell in North America is crappy bikes with full suspension and maximum number of gears. Part of that problem is there's a certain cost floor to Derailleur based drivetrains versus Internally geared hubs, and when you're an ODM mass producing you're at a whole different level of price structure. > Actually IGH can’t shift smoothly under load Ehhhhh..... So The Nexus 8 speed will upshift under load OK, but downshift you typically will have to pause pedaling for at least a moment for the shift to complete. I had one on a tandem at one point and even with two experienced riders it could do the upshifts fine. I think? some other IGH manufacturers have/had models that could shift in both directions fine, but they were very expensive models. From my time slinging bikes (which was around when Shimano kicked off their 'Coasting' program,) where Shimano missed the boat was they didn't offer a 5 or 7 speed with shifting capabilities close enough to the Nexus 8. That would have been enough for everyone to be happy. As an aside, It's fun to see all the different kinds of shifters Shimano cooked up for their IGHs over the years to sell people on them... I'm still not sold on Drum brakes, in any case, but I'm also a Mechancial Disc zealot FWIW. |