Originally Posted by
ravettb
two or three front cogs
1 rear internal Alfine 8 or 11
with the three front cogs, you have as much range as you want. I'm trying to go *down* as far as I can (to 14 or 15 on the Alfine), so that I can go *fast* on hills using the large front cogwheel. The small front cogwheel lets me go up walls, if I want.
24 speeds. No chain angle problems. Why isn't this done more often? It works *really well*.
Just my own view here: For me, benefits of IGH include a clean chainline and no derailleurs. In fact a trend is towards eliminating the chain altogether, in favor of belt drive.
If you add a front derailleur, then you need a rear one as well, or at least a chain tensioner. At that point, the benefit of an IGH becomes a wash, and you might as well go to an all-derailleur system, which is also cheaper.