>>962625Speaking on my experience with the Alfine 11.
>They're heavyHeavier, but not super heavy. I gained around 700g going from a 2x9 to an Alfine 11 with the same range.
>they slipIf they're poorly adjusted.
>they shift poorly under loadIt actually shifts quite well. If you put too much load on it then it simply won't shift at all until you ease up for less than a second. Not a huge deal and you don't need to pedal to shift any way.
>they never sun as smoothly as a derailleur setupIn what way? Shifting is much smoother and quicker, actually pedalling the thing is similar to a derailer setup.
>gear order is inverted on rapidfire shiftersNow you're just grasping at straws. The Alfine 11 fixed this compared to the 8 (I'm guessing that's what you're basing all these points off of) and there are probably other hubs that do it "correctly", not that it's an issue at all to have it inverted.
>they have torque limitsIndeed. I have this issue with my mountain bike (the gearing was so low that the torque would pull the axle out of the drop outs) but it's more than enough for road use. I actually ran a little lower than Shimano's recommended lower limit with no issues so it's conservative.
>Go with 1x9. Cheaper, lighter, smoother, sturdier, wider and better spaced ratios.Yes, yes, no, depends, no, depends. An Alfine 11 has a wider range than any 9 speed cassette and evenly spaced gaps from 2-11.
>>962561Here's some real, honest drawbacks. They're a bit heavier (dependant on hub choice), can be expensive (ditto), can have a smaller range than a derailer setup (ditto), and most you'll have to lace to a rim yourself or pay someone to do it (i.e. you won't find many complete wheels for sale). For me personally the Alfine 11's drawbacks are completely outweighed by its advantages and I wouldn't go back.
