Hey folks, just joined and am minutes away from ordering a Swift. Thanks for all the posts in the past, here's my $0.02 about Shimano Nexus. Day in and day out, 50 miles a week for years, they last less than 10K miles. N=3. Haven't found anyone in town who will take them apart for repairs, so when they die, you deal with it. We swapped out one hub for another on my wife's commuter (Wheeler, purchased from American Cyclery in SF). I went with a Nexave silent clutch hub designed for a cassette. I used a single cog and spacers to convert the hub into a ss for my commuter (Bianchi Milano with changed drivetrain, front and rear) (Thanks to Sheldon for the help on the Nexave conversion). The reason to go with the Nexave is it works with the Nexus Roller Brake. About the brake: Excellent thing. add grease every now and then, and it'll last for a LONG time. Good braking, good control, works in the rain as well as it does in the dry. I like it alot. The hub is HEAVY, the brake is not really. And last, I just got a Nexus front dynamo hub/wheel and really like it also. Don't have to carry a light or batteries and it's always there. I don't find the drag to be that noticeable, I'm still traveling at 14-15 mph on my ride to work, lugging a Timbuktu pack on my back.
Cheers to all, this is my first post, hope it provides some info. John Hess in cloudy Davis, CA