Nexus 8-speed internal gears: slow? suitable for touring?

[arthur_pappas]

I've gotten the touring bug & will be in the UK next month to tour around Scotland/Ireland for 3 weeks. Anyway, I really like the flatbar bikes & narrowed my choice down to either a Giant FCR3 or a Jamis Coda Comp. However, today I stumbled across this new Flatbar "City" bike from Giant:

http://www.giant-bicycles.com/au/030.000.000/030.000.000.asp?year=2007&model=10087

I'm extremely new to bike components, but immediately noticed this bike has specs unlike many others I've looked at. What's the deal with the 8-speeds & sealed hub, etc? If you were to go on a 2 - 3 week tour, would a bike with these components be suitable, or would more "standard" components make more sense? I guess I'm really asking is would this bike be "slow"?

The "City" is not yet available in Canada. However, if many of you think it would be great for my needs then I would be ok with not buying either the FCR3 or Coda & just taking my current bike on this trip. Then I would buy the "City" when it is available.

 

[lujabe]

I've got a CRX3 which is a couple of years old, and a bit worn out - so I'm starting to look for a replacement. The hub gearing of the CRX City got my attention, so I took one for a spin at the LBS. I was very impressed with the way the hub gearing operates - especially being able to change gears while stationary. But, I think the overall gearing is simply too low. It has the obligatory 'granny' gearing at the low end, but at the high end it's a long way off being able to match the rest of the CRX range. It'd be a good weekend bike for a leisure rider, but I think the gearing would make it a terrible tourer. Realistically, I'd estimate 25-30% slower, all else being equal. If you're used to using the higher ratios on your current bike, you probably wont like the CRX City. It's a shame, because the simplicity of this bike really appealed to me. If you're set on the idea of hub gearing, look into the Rohloff Speedhub. It's a 14 gear internal hub which reportedly has ratios that span the full range of your typical 27 speed bike. It is pricey though, You could probably buy 2 CRX City's for what the Rohloff hub costs...