how can you go head-to-head with two completely different products?

i'll set out my stall first, i've never ridden a rohloff but have read alot about them and they do seem very attractive and i shall have a test ride first chance i get.

now i like the idea of them because they give the same spread of gearing that i get with my 3×9 and i use the whole range. in the write up it says that the alfine compares to a 2×9! how is that? it might have the same spread but with a 2×9 you've got 11 or maybe 12 ratios, that's 50% more, hardly comparable! and they say it's fine for 90% of riding, well so is a 3×9, that's why 90% of the time we're on the middle ring but for 10% of the time you're glad you've got extra.

then there's the price, the writer would not spend the extra grand on the sterling over the duster, well of course he wouldn't because from their own figures the difference is only £900, that's saved 10% already! but then the head-to-head is for the drive train not the bikes and the difference there is £765, so he'd be giving £265 away for nowt.

the real head-to-head should have been rohloff versus a 3×9 set-up in identical frames as that is what the rohloff was designed to compete against. as for the alfine, i don't know, it seems to have invented it's own niche market!

just wanted to get that off my chest!