Hub gears have in the past also been used on motorcycles, although this is now rare.

* Hub gears are sealed within the hub, which protects them from water, grit, and impacts.

* Hub gears completely avoid the danger of collision with the spokes and wheel-collapse that derailleur systems can suffer.

* Hub gears can change gear ratios when the rear wheel is not rotating.

* Hub gears can be simpler to use for inexperienced riders, because there is generally only a single shifter to operate and there are no overlapping gear ratios.

* Hub gears provide a means for shifting gear ratios on drivetrains incompatible with external deraileurs such as belt drives and shaft drives.

* Hub gears are typically more expensive than derailleur systems.

* Hub gears tend to be heavier than derailleur systems with equivalent gearing characteristics, and the additional weight is concentrated at the back wheel.

* Hub gears are more complex and usually more difficult for the rider to repair, especially at the roadside.

* Hub gears are generally incompatible with quick release mechanisms / skewer axles.

Hub gears use epicyclic gearing and are enclosed within the axle of the rear wheel.

Category: Hub gears

Hub gears by design are indexed, but for derailleur systems, indexing was an innovation.