Yeah the additional bits always add up to more than you ever imagined. Good luck with the wheel build. I'm thinking about it myself for a front dyno hub set up to match my IGH rear.

I'm interested in this wet weather cassette joint? I've never heard of it. I'm riding my Alfine IGH year round on my Crosscheck and it's handled our winter weather quite nicely. Im going to look into it though.

I love the Jtek shirfter - it was expensive, but yes local company and they were responsive to my questions when I first got it. It's a great/simple piece of machined beauty. I move it from my drops in the summer to albatross bars for winter. Each set up has it's own brake levers and stems and cables. I switch it in about 15 minutes. I also have a nexus grip shifter for flat bars, barely used, which I'll never use anymore. PM me if you want to buy it cheap.