Originally Posted by
Daytriker
This wasn't supposed to be a Derailleur vs Internal Gear Hub debate but after 11 years of West Coast Recumbent Cycling, Touring & taking people out on Fat Trikes for Day Trips, I know what causes the least headaches, adjustments, mis-shifts, stuck shifts, derailed chains & repairs because I'm the guy that usually has to find a solution. I can tell you without any doubt whatsoever that if your primary goal is a headache & problem free cycling experience go with a decent IGH. After living with both I will never, ever put one of those 100 year old French designed shifting methods on ANY bike or trike I own. That's how much of a difference the Internal Hubs make. Unfortunately for the 190 mm rear drop outs on my Fat Trikes the Rohloff is the only off the shelf option so I am doing like the E bike builders do & figuring out my own less expensive solution. The Sturmey Archer SX-RK3 is the closest hub I can find that I am trying to make adapters for & other users have had satisfactory results feeding 3000 watts through that hub. Try feeding that much torque through a derailleur. Add in the fixed chain line with an IGH & chain wear is just another headache practically eliminated. If you are happy always fiddling with your shifting, that's your choice but I prefer to be actually riding.
I've seen the posts about cold temp issues - It appears you are not riding cold, but possible sandy conditions. My first fatbike experience was on the beaches of the North Shore of Oahu with an Origin8 Crawler using a
NuVinci IGH (pillbox-lean pic below). The sandy ride was addictive, and we picked up his & hers Pugsleys when we got home to Minnesota.
I've see the posts about IGH being heavy, and this is true, but this doesn't seem to be your goal if your looking for a fat trike.
The
NuVinci is a continuous variable IGH - might not be exactly what you're looking for. I found the range limiting, but I'm an strong/fast rider (and I like the 100-year old French stuff
)
