I'd want to research that. I asked the guy who makes the "Travel Agent" adapters, and he said that shifters for shimano derailleurs actually pull a different amount of cable depending on what gear your shifting to, but that internal hubs pulled the same amount of cable for every gear. Obviously there's some wiggle room for dirty cables, etc, and so Hiawatha could make it work, but I'd love an in-depth examination before using a setup that could prematurely wear out the hub.
Anyone here use the i-9 yet? can you comment on it vs. Alfine?