Shiman Nexus 8 speed - running in period?

[mikep]

I've just bought my wife a Raleigh Dover with the Nexus 8 speed hub gear (SG-8R36) as she's decided that we should go out together for cycle rides.

I took the bike out for an 8 mile run to check it out prior to letting her loose on it and then I used it again this morning (total mileage now only 12). I've noticed that the hub is a little hesitant at times to change gear when the twist shift is moved. Either the gear does not change or is delayed by a couple of seconds, the problem seems to be in the upper gear range 5-8.

Checks to date confirm:

1. The handle bar control / cable / hub cassette joint pulley are moving freely.
2. With the sellector set for 4th gear, the yellow lines in the window of the cassette joint pulley are perfectly aligned - so adjustment is correct

I'm left with the question of :

1. Does the hub need a running in period?
2. As its decades since I used a Sturmey Archer hub, am I using it correctly? The Shimano data indicates that you peddle through a change down, but no mention regarding changing up - peddle / no peddle / back peddle?

As an aside I am impressed with the build quality of the Raleigh and once this irritation is sorted I'm sure it will be a very enjoyable bike to ride.

 

[Artstu]

Mine has those moments, I take it you're easing off when changing gear?

 

[mikep]

Hi Artsu, yes, I ease off slightly (not totally), the same as on my derailleur geared bike to ease stress on the components.

 

[Artstu]

Mine can be really slick at times and never miss a beat, and then at other times have the delayed change now and again, the later Alfine hub is supposed to be better, however my friends Alfine hub seems to be very similar to my Nexus and misbehave now and again.

 

[Kudoscycles]

I spoke to the Shimano rep at a recent Dutch show-he advised that all the Nexus 8 hubs have the same internals,they have all been upgraded to the Alfine spec-the only difference is the current Alfine model has the ability to accept a rear disc brake.
Dave
KudosCycles

 

[mikep]

Dave

You have confirmed my suspicions. I could not understand why Shimano would offer a basic Nexus 8 speed / a premium Nexus 8 speed / the Alfine 8 speed - albeit that the Alfine had a different changer on the handlebars.

 

[yselmike]

I noticed the problem when I test rode a few bikes its around gear 7 i believe,I read somewhere else that its a know glitch.

 

[flecc]

These 8 speed hubs had a three stage history. The first issue suffered some failures so an upgrade was launched and the original which remained as an alternative for a short while was later discontinued. Later that upgraded hub became an Alfine component, Alfine in fact being a system rather than any specific component.

The advice to keep pedalling through changes is as much a marketing thing as anything else, one over the the very slow changing competition from SRAM. It's best to have no pressure whatsoever on a pedal during any change, by all means keep turning the pedals, but more as a free spin. That allows the greatest freedom for the engagement points to slide freely against each other.

They can get easier over time with use, but some variability will always be present.
.

 

[JamesC]

I find that the change is much easier with a significant pause.

Remember that there is an additional freewheel arrangement in the Panasonic drive, and that the drive continues to maintain pressure on the chain for a second or two after you pause your pedalling.

Certainly the hub becomes slicker during the first 200 miles or so, but a pause will still help for a smooth change.

James

 

[mikep]

Thanks all

I will now change my pedalling style and continue riding the Raleigh for the next week or two to put some miles on it.

If there's still a problem then it can be reported at the first (free!!!!!) service in a month or so's time.

Regards

Mike

 

[lemmy]

I have one these gear hubs (with the red stripe) on my Kalkhoff. You are using yours in the same way as I use mine, easing off the pedal pressure slightly while changing. My example has no such hesitation, however and neither did it when brand new. They do 'run in' a bit over time but it only affects the feel of the change, not the operation.

I have experienced an occasional period of glitching like yours - this was due to the cable sheath slipping out of the housing where it enters the body of the change - see below,

 

[mikep]

Thanks Lemmy, I'll check that over.

By the way really enjoyed your video of the ride along the Thames towpath.

Regards

Mike

 

[BrianSmithers]

Same experience here folks with the hub gears. Ease off a bit as you change and it's dead smooth. I've ridden both types of gear and I'm pleased I chose the Nexus 8 speed for my Kudos Tourer. What I really like is that I can change gear while stationary. Just occasionally I wished I had a "9th gear" as at 25 mph my legs are going rather faster than I wished - but otherwise the bike is just right for the daily commute that I bought it for.

- Brian

 

[Biged]

I found on both my Kalkhoff and my wife's Dover that they don't like being even a bit out of adjustment.
You check them in fourth gear and the white marks have to line up perfectly, (adjust on the gear change on the handle bars), in fact my kalkhoff still had occasional problems of slipping and sticking even though the marks were perfectly in line, so i checked the other marks (there are a duplicate set on the underside of the hub) these for some strange reason were not perfectly in line.
I set the hub to these marks (using a mirror) and the hub has worked perfectly since, strange but true!

 

[mikep]

Biged#

You may have just won tonights' star accolade! Will confirm tomorrow.

Just like your Aguttu, the top lines were lined up, the ones underneath were not! Adjusted according to lower marks which put upper ones out, flicked between gears, checked the lower marks and they had gone out of alignment. Adjusted again, turned upright, flicked through gears, now both upper and lower aligned.
Will test ride tomorrow morning!

I wonder how many other riders of the 8 speed Nexus will be turning their bikes upside down this weekend?

Regards and thanks

Mike

 

[lemmy]

I wonder how many other riders of the 8 speed Nexus will be turning their bikes upside down this weekend?

I won't because lining up the top ones on mine gets it working properly. If I do end upside down it will be inadvertently

Funny how even modern high precision production still produces differences in feel and setup. It's heartening in a way, leaves us all room for a bit of art and black magic!

Hope it works for you, mikep. I'm one of the people who, when they have something new wants it work perfectly for a while, then, luckily, becomes less exacting a sit wears.

 

[mikep]

Accolades to Biged!

By aligning the underside marks, gear changing has improved dramatically. Theres still a bit of fine tuning to do, I'm amazed how sensitive the adjustment is to just one "click" either way on the adjuster, but its working reliably enough now for my wife to go for a ride.

I can see I'll be riding the Raleigh quite a bit over the next month just to get it all bedded in before the first service.

Thanks everyone for your input.

Mike