# Is this a problem?



## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

Guys -- I just got a new Shimano Alfine S7000-8 installed on my Surly KM from my LBS. I had an issue where it would only shift into the top 6 gears after my first 2 rides and brought it back in to be adjusted. It appeared that I had some slack in the cable when in gear 8. When they got done adjusting it I noticed that the yellow lines only align when I shift it into 5th gear and not 4th gear as the user manual states. I asked the shop about it and they said that was the only way they could get all 8 gears to work.

I've not had a chance to give it a good ride yet to see if things are working as I would like, but am a bit concerned. I've only rode it around the block with no hills.

The real test will be tonight on my regular "Thursday Night Beer Ride"

Should I be concerned?


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

Start from zero.

I'm assuming you know how to remove the wheel, since you are going out with it. Turn the small lockring to the left (looks like a teardrop shaped washer) so you can remove the cassette joint. Align the red marks on the joint with the red marks on the hub, and place it back on. Reattach the lockring. Let as much cable out of the shifter as you can, and turn the barrel adjuster out a couple of turns. Using two 10mm combo wrenches, loosen the cable anchor, measure that it is 145mm from the end of the housing, and tighten it back down. Reassemble everything, and see if it works; the adjustment in the hub shouldn't be off that much.


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

p08757 said:


> ...Should I be concerned?


Yes.

You have a shop with no understanding of hub gears. Don't let them near it again. Hubgears are very reliable until the twiddlers and maladjusters get their hands on them.

Never ride a improperly adjusted hubgear. That's what breaks them.

Always adjust your hub to the marks.

Millions of dollars have been spent developing the hub by engineers who know what they're doing. There is nothing inside that can get bent or stretched, so the marks remain constant even when the hub is old and so the marks should always be used.

Also the hub should have come with a fitting leaflet. If you haven't got it, ask the shop for it but they probably binned it without reading it judging by their adjustment.

My Alfine is the previous model so I can't give precise instructions, but it sounds like it should be the same. The advice of wschruba sounds spot on.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

Thanks Guys! I will check out the alignment this weekend before I ride it again.

If it is installed wrong I will let the shop know and probably not go back.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

Ok guys. This weekend I took the wheel off and took a look at how things were assembled, and I think my hub is defective.

When I attempt to align all of the red dots they did not align perfectly. One red dot on the plastic gear shift mechanism was misaligned by about 10 degrees off. It appears that this peace will only go on one way as it appears to be keyed to fit on only one way.

Furthermore, when I go to install the lock ring, the instructions tell me to align the yellow dot on the lock ring with the yellow dot on the hub. This only fits when things are about 80 degrees off. The lock ring also appears to only be able to be installed one way.

Lastly, when I measured the amount of cable between the anchor and the cable housing it was almost 6 and 1/2 inches long versus the 5.71 inches (~145mm) as indicated in the instruction manual.

The bike is now in a different shop to have them look at it and either adjust it to spec or confirm the hub is defective. If the latter, I will bring it back to the original shop and have the warranty the HUB. 

This is turning into a nightmare for me. I just hope I have a reliable bike when things are all said and done with.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

Well -- The second bike shop called and agreed with me that the hub is bad. I will pick the bike up tomorrow and bring it over to the original shop and have them warranty out the hub. I just hope they don't give me too much of a hard time.

I'm not a happy camper....


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## wschruba (Apr 13, 2012)

Most companies (and shops, for that matter) are reasonable. As a new item, I see no reason why it wouldn't be warrantied Installation of the warranty component is pretty easy--Shimano sends a new internal unit, you apply grease to the bearings, and swap it. Everything is held in the hubshell by the left-hand cone...once it's removed (as well as the sprocket/hub seal!) the whole thing just slides out.

I see two ways it could be resolved, personally: if they built it into the wheel, it behooves them to fix it (through Shimano). If they bought it complete via a distributor, the distributor should replace it. Either way, I can't imagine that they would charge you anything. If you don't trust the first shop, take it to the second, or another shop that is a known good quantity with IGHs. There's really no excuse for someone not being able to work on it, as Shimano provides free, online training, with that particular operation being one of the topics...


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## Velobike (Jun 23, 2007)

And then there's the question of whether the damage occurred by being ridden while wrongly adjusted. 

But I wouldn't mention that if I were you.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

Just got back from the original bike shop and dropped it off. They are going to order a new hub and swap it out. What sucks is by the time they have the new part in I will be out of town until mid August. Hope its like new when I get it.

The owner of the shop was very cool about it, but the mechanic seemed kind of annoyed with it.

I will reply to this thread when I return and have my bike back. Keeping my fingers crossed.....


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## Erichimedes (Jul 30, 2010)

Just a thought, but did the shop install an 11-speed alfine shifter onto your 8 speed hub by accident? They are supposed to be purchased separately, so it could have happened. If the shop replaces the hub they may still use the shifter originally bought for your bike.

I would check it when you get it back. Just unhook the cable from the hub like you did before and count the clicks from bottom to top.


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## Erichimedes (Jul 30, 2010)

The reason I suggest it is that this wouldn't be possible (and have all 8 gears) unless you had a shifter with more than 8 clicks:



p08757 said:


> ...When they got done adjusting it I noticed that the yellow lines only align when I shift it into 5th gear and not 4th gear as the user manual states. I asked the shop about it and they said that was the only way they could get all 8 gears to work.


The yellow and red dots not lining up are also a red flag. They may have ordered the wrong cassette joint as well as shifter. I would check before going on a ride.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

I just got my bike back this past weekend. Turns out they had installed the wrong cassette join. This makes me a bit upset, and I will probably never use that shop again. Anyone who would have read the installation manual should have known they had the wrong part.

At least my bike seems to be fine now. I only have 12 miles on it, and from what I could tell it shifts smoothly in all gears without issue.

Keeping my fingers crossed I have no more issues.


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## Erichimedes (Jul 30, 2010)

Glad it's working now! let us know how you like the hub. Yeah, maybe give another shop a try, there are enough out there that really do know what they're doing.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

Erichimedes said:


> Glad it's working now! let us know how you like the hub. Yeah, maybe give another shop a try, there are enough out there that really do know what they're doing.


So far I like the hub, but have not really had a chance to put it to a real workout. Since its been fixed I've only put about 25 miles on the bike. My real motivation for the new wheel and hub was to have an easy way to convert from my single speed set up to a geared setup. I recently moved and one of my routes to work now has some giant hills, and gearing my single speed to handle the hills leaves me spinning like a mad-man on the flats.

My plan is to switch back to a single-speed set up in the late fall when the snow starts to fly and I start my single track trail riding and stop riding to work.

Do you guys think this hub would be okay to ride single track on the dirt? I have some significant hills to climb and in the snow it adds some added resistance, and I often find myself out of the saddle standing on the pedals to make it up some of my climbs.


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## Sgraffite (Oct 6, 2014)

p08757 said:


> So far I like the hub, but have not really had a chance to put it to a real workout. Since its been fixed I've only put about 25 miles on the bike. My real motivation for the new wheel and hub was to have an easy way to convert from my single speed set up to a geared setup. I recently moved and one of my routes to work now has some giant hills, and gearing my single speed to handle the hills leaves me spinning like a mad-man on the flats.
> 
> My plan is to switch back to a single-speed set up in the late fall when the snow starts to fly and I start my single track trail riding and stop riding to work.
> 
> Do you guys think this hub would be okay to ride single track on the dirt? I have some significant hills to climb and in the snow it adds some added resistance, and I often find myself out of the saddle standing on the pedals to make it up some of my climbs.


You're wondering if the trails with hills that are difficult for you to climb with single speed would be okay to ride on with an internally geared hub? I don't see any problem with it.


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## Erichimedes (Jul 30, 2010)

p08757 said:


> Do you guys think this hub would be okay to ride single track on the dirt? I have some significant hills to climb and in the snow it adds some added resistance, and I often find myself out of the saddle standing on the pedals to make it up some of my climbs.


Many here ride singletrack with their IGH's, Alfines included. Although I can't speak from long term experience since I've only recently joined the club, it sounds like it becomes much more important to keep your hub maintained and well adjusted as you take it off road.


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## p08757 (Mar 15, 2012)

Erichimedes said:


> Many here ride singletrack with their IGH's, Alfines included. Although I can't speak from long term experience since I've only recently joined the club, it sounds like it becomes much more important to keep your hub maintained and well adjusted as you take it off road.


I will definitely make sure I have things adjusted properly. Just counting the days until fall settles in and the tall grass and weeds start to die so my trails become passable again.


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## PlutonicPlague (Jan 19, 2014)

I've got my SG-S501 on my Pugsley set up with a 26t chainring and 20t cog right now. It has over 600 miles on this configuration, after starting the break-in period with an 18t cog (1.444 input ratio) and swapping over to the 20t cog after my first 150 miles. 
That 26/20 is a very low input ratio of 1.3, and so far, I've gotten away with that. I set it up with that low gearing as I am recovering from heart failure, and I figured that would make it easier for me to climb. I rarely use 1st gear with this setup, since I might as well just get off and push when it becomes so steep that I need to spin in 1st.
My strength and heart are recovering, and I now regularly stand and hammer my way over the tops of rises and dunes in 5th, 6th, and even 7th gears. 
So far, my hub has not complained,and is running beautifully.
I'm a lightweight, tipping the scales at only 160 lbs dressed to ride, though.

The 20t cog might be putting the input ratio too low for the hub. I don't know. I'm going to try a 19t cog next!


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