Replacement hub shell for Shimano Alfine 8-speed IGH?

Hi all,

A friend here has offered to give me a trashed Shimano Alfine wheel, which could be an interesting winter option for the singlespeed that I've not used for a few years now. An IGH system is a good idea for the Belgian winter mud, I think.

The wheel is the 24-spoke version with the proprietary Shimano straight pull spokes, and it got trashed in a traffic accident. He chose to take the regular 36-hole wheel with J-bend spokes as the replacement. The Shimano spokes are about 5€ here so rebuilding it into a 26" wheel would run dear.

Does anyone know if it's possible to buy replacement hub shells for the Alfine? If practical, I could get eg a 36H standard shell and drop the existing internals into it. Then build into a 26" wheel that should last a long time. I don't see the shell listed with a part number on the tech sheet, though.

Alternatively, are there any alternatives to the Shimano spokes? I've read a fair bit about them being prone to breaking and I'm not sure it's worth considering for a rebuild as-is.

Or is it generally not worth it and I'd be better off looking for a new wheel?

Many thanks,
Gareth.

There's no part number for hub shells so you can't order them. Only way to get one is from a hub that has trashed internals - which often leaves the hub shell itself in a bad state.