I have a Kona Dew FS which I use to commute 18 miles a day.
My commute is pretty flat and half the ride is on C & O canal and I am constantly cleaning the drive train.

I was thinking of converting to a Shimano Alfine system.

I can do this for about $350 buying parts through ChainReaction cycles.

I know I can buy a Kona Dr. Fine for about 3X but I would like comments on this subject and also those who have dealt with ChainReaction cycles

Thanks

The wheel

I'd wait a bit if your considering a Shimano Alfine hub, the 11 speed hub is about to be introduced and it not only has more gears but should be lighter and better.

if it's a flat commute I dunno if the 11-speed hub is worth waiting for...you might even be OK with a 3-speed hub.

I converted a Bianchi San Jose last year pretty much exactly as the late Sheldon Brown did with his "San Jos8". It turned out really well for my 10 mile rt commute and the 8 speeds work perfectly for me. I have no experience with Chain Reaction, though. I bought the hub through Bikeman, wheels from Niagara and had a local bike shop build the hub into the wheel. The total was around $360 for two wheels, labor and the hub.

Without having any experience with them, I'd be leery of using a 3-speed on a general-use bike, especially if I don't have a nice stable of bikes. Unless the area is really flat, it'll still be too easy to get into situations where you really wish you had more gear. Besides, it's better to have a few extra gears you don't need than find yourself short when you need them.

yeah that's a good point arcanum. was just thinking if $ is a nobject it might be a way to save a few $

One thing to consider on converting a Kona Dew to any internal gear hub - the Dew has vertical drop outs for the rear axle. That means you can't slide the hub back to tension the chain after putting the hub into the drop out. You will need to add a rear chain tensioner, which is sort of like a derailleur jockey wheel on a pivot below the drop out. Something like a Surly Singleator (sp??).

Don't feel bad, nearly all derailleur geared bikes have vertical drop outs. I bought a Surly Cross Check frame a few years ago, specifically because it has nearly horizontal drop outs that allow an IGH to be used, or a regular derailleur to be used. I built a Shimano Nexus 8 IGH wheel using Sun CR18 rims for about $200. I like it, and it's wonderful in wet, rainy weather because the chain cleaning is minimal (assuming you will also use full coverage fenders like PB Cascadia). I've put about 3500 trouble free miles on it. I just changed out the shift cable and cable housing a few days ago, and it's the only "maintenance" I've done related to the IGH. The shift cable is one thing you don't want to fail and it only takes a few minutes to change, so every 2 years sounds about right. Good Luck!

I have 2 bikes with 3 speed Nexus IGHs. One is a Dahon Boardwalk folding bike that a bike shop coverted for me for a total cost of $150. I ride in 3 most of the time -- 1 and 2 are for hills. Works fine. My other 3 speed bike is an Electra Townie 3 700c, which is (of course) much nicer than the Dahon. Neither bike has a chain tensioner. I think 3 speed IGHs are under-rated for general cycling use.

To build on what zephyr said, if you're going to have to run a tensioner anyway, running a second chain ring and a front derailleur to give you 16 speeds might be something to consider.

I like the relative simplicity of the Sturmey Archer 3 speed hubs and old school shifters. I have been using one of the new hubs for a few years now, it seems adequate for riding in somewhat hilly, fairly windy terrain. I ride in a dense urban environment where there are a lot of traffic lights, I might want more ratios if I were riding at a consistent speed for most of the trip. It's a safer bet to go with more ratios.

You can run an IGH on a bike with vertical dropouts without having to use a chain tensioner. Eccentric bottom brackets can be purchased by companies such as Tr!ckstuff, Forward Components, and Niner Bikes. There is also a bottom bracket chain tensioner by Yess Labs that offers a different solution. If you don't mind using a traditional chain tensioner then I second the above suggestion of running a front derailleur and double chainring to give you the extra gears; just like the Jamis Commuter 4. Personally, I like the clean look of no derailleur and I am very intrigued by the new 11-speed Alfine hub. At a third the cost of a Rohloff and with over 400% gear range it should be a winner.

+1.

If you're going to have to run a tensioner, and if you decide to run two front gears, there isn't much of a difference after that point between IGH and derailer gears. I honestly think that I'd just go with friction shifting on the gears and call it good. Then you don't have to clean out as much. I've had the gears stuffed with so much snow you can barely see the cogs and still haven't had chattery shifting with friction.