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@M_V
My experiences of using an Alfine 8,
I found a hub on ebay that was pretty cheap, can't remember how cheap but too cheap to go by anyway.
Hub came with the trigger shifter and a cable (also a rotor attached and spokes had been cut so needed to clamp rotor in a vice to remove it, destroyed the rotor in the process but also reckon it was half the reason it was so cheap). I fitted a new cable straight away and have been happy with shifting since. I have done precisely zero servicing on the hub .
I check the yellow marks whenever I remove and refit the wheel (always be sure to do a few shift cycles first to 'seat' the cable, I have adjusted it to only have to adjust it back as soon as I start riding it) and when I do things like checking tyre pressures and crank bolts. Usually when I check it, it is where it should be.
The "indirect" or "disconnected" feel that some people complain about is, in my opinion, such a minor thing that if I notice it at all it's only for the first mile or 2 and it's certainly not something that affects my enjoyment of the ride or anything like that. I can jump from a fixed or a singlespeed cassette type drivetrain to my Alfine without feeling like it is an alien thing. The only thing I notice when riding the hub is that there is a small amount of slack I suppose you could call it? When pulling away the pedals will turn for maybe 1/8 of a rev very lightly, like being in a very low gear, then I presume the hub engages properly and it feels like the gear that it should.
There's chatter on a lot of forums of 1.6:1 being the lowest input ratio you should use and I have stuck to that but there are also plenty of examples online (even within this thread) of people going for lower input ratios and having no problems, recently I noticed some of the KTM electric bikes are Alfine equipped and running larger rear cogs than front so I think the minimum input ratio is perhaps an urban myth.
I started off using my hub for mostly on road and smooth off road (fire track etc) riding but recently rode it at a trail centre where it coped well, shifting under load while climbing etc and I even found that I was unhindered by the weight when descending and going over some jumps. I think if you balance the weight out with maybe a suspension fork upfront (or a rack as on my bike) you'll really not notice any effect on your riding. I have been thinking about making a '1 bike to do it all' type thing with discs and the Alfine on a hardtail frame with a sus fork with a lockout and to this end have been googling things like "aggressive hardtail alfine" or "freeride alfine" and have found a lot of reports of people really thrashing on Alfine 8 hubs without issue.
FYI I have also used an old (50s or 60s era) Sturmey 3 speed dynohub, a new Sturmey 3 speed coaster and a Sachs T3 coaster. Old Sturmey worked alright, new Sturmey was utterly gash and the Sachs T3 puts both of the Sturmeys, and tbh the Alfine, to shame. It cost me buttons and despite being ridden hard through 3 winters (by me, god knows how many by previous owner) with zero maintenance the brake actually works (unlike the Sturmey version) and shifting is fast and crisp (the cable is also 3 winters old, never oiled or anything).