I have an Alfine 11 and 8 still mount in wheelsets for my folding bike and I think I have another Alfine 11 in parts. The Alfine 8 is bomb proof; the 11 much less so. If you religiously keep them in alignment they will last. If you ride on them while misaligned, you will wear down the pawls and start loosing gears. After that you need to do a rebuild and very few places do that.
Also, avoid using them in 29"wheels. It is too much torque for them, and the pawls will wear down within a year or two.
They are stupid fast for up shifting as you can do it under some load and the shifting is instant. The other nice perk is that you can downshift while stopped. No need to lift the back wheel and let it spin.
Winter commuting is where they shine. I have to replace my whole drivetrain every winter on my cassette bikes. The IGHs are completely unaffected by the abuse. The grease/oil lubricant used inside does start to thicken up and add some resistance starting out, but that only happens below about -7c.
If you need the gear range of the Alfine 11 I would suggest considering a Rohloff speedhub instead, but they are 3 times the price.
