My derailleur touring bikes have a range of 630 percent. Thus, I was a bit hesitant to buy the Nomad MkII which did not have a derailleur hanger, since a Rohloff by itself has a range of 526 percent.
It seems to me that we become used to what we have and use. When I rode on 308% Shimano 8-speed hub gearboxes, they worked well enough for me (and I still admire them as very good value for money) because I chose my roads accordingly, avoiding the steeper countryside this side of town. Then I moved across town and used the hill in front of my house to justify buying a Rohloff, and generally to spend about 4x as much on my everyday bike as on the perfectly good bikes I rode before, and I'm damned glad I did, because ten years later it is doubtful whether I would enjoy even the lower hills the original side of town on anything less than a Rohloff.
Also, even if the Rohloff were to have a 630% spread, there would still be someone for whom it isn't enough. Hell, it probably wouldn't be enough for me, which is how come I now have motor assistance for the last few meters of the steepest hills. There is always something you can do, if you put your mind in gear (I know, I know, a pun is...), or know who to ask, which with the net is relatively easy if you take your time to evaluate the quality of advice on the available fora.
