Hi Gary,
So far found the Rohloff to be great if a little noisy. However, I was expecting the noise issue having read other people's posts on these hubs.
I had the bike geared as low as possible (within the Rohloff warranty restrictions) as I have a particular passion for mountinous terrain but even so it seems adequately geared at the top so as not to be a real issue.
I'm looking forward to getting her out on a decent tour soon.
Chris