A few Nuvinci hubs were available at my local co-op so I considered grabbing one to build up in a wheel. As soon as I hefted the hub, I dropped it back into the storage drawer. Man, those things are heavy. Their gearing range is a bit wider than the Alfine 8, but that Shimano hub is about 2 lbs lighter. Nevertheless, I'd be interested in your impressions if you choose to move forward with your project.