# Swapped Alfine Wheel/Hub to New Bike = Doesn't Shift Properly



## MetaOrbit (Jun 28, 2009)

To begin, let me apologize because I'm out of my depth here..

I've been running [successfully] an Alfine 8 on my commuter bike for a couple years now.

I just bought a 29er and swapped the Alfine hub/wheel and shifter over to it this morning (felt pretty accomplished up to this point). Unfortunately, the hub won't shift into 8th gear now. It barely shifts into 7th gear.

Any ideas as to what could be wrong?

When I removed the hub/wheel from the old bike, I had to remove the cable fixing bolt. I thought I put it back in the same spot, but I suppose I could be mistaken. Could that be the cause of the problems?

Also - FYI - before I removed the equipment from the old bike, I shifted into 4th gear. When I reconnected everything the shifter was still in 4.

So, if anyone has any tips on how to troubleshoot this I'd appreciate it. My old shop built this up for me but I've since moved a couple thousand miles away.


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

I would not use this bike until the hub is shifting correctly. Nothing will kill an IGH faster than maladjustment.

- Did you just transferred everything over without removing the cable from the cassette joint? I ask because the cassette joint could be binding.

- Is the cassette joint getting jammed by the frame?

- Are the 4th gear lines lined up in the little window in the cassette joint (check *AFTER* shifting from 5th to 4th)?

- Is the cable able to move freely, no binding? (You'll need to remove the cable from the cassette joint to test).

Here's links with tech tips:
Tech Tips

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/con...e.html/11) 8 Speed Trouble Shooting Guide.pdf


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## MetaOrbit (Jun 28, 2009)

pursuiter said:


> I would not use this bike until the hub is shifting correctly. Nothing will kill an IGH faster than maladjustment.
> 
> - Did you just transferred everything over without removing the cable from the cassette joint? I ask because the cassette joint could be binding.


No, I disconnected the cable from the cassette joint.



> - Is the cassette joint getting jammed by the frame?


No, it doesn't appear to be jamming.



> - Are the 4th gear lines lined up in the little window in the cassette joint (check *AFTER* shifting from 5th to 4th)?


No, they aren't. There's actually only one line visible in the window when the shifter is in 4th. Is there any way to confirm that the hub is actually 4th gear?


> - Is the cable able to move freely, no binding? (You'll need to remove the cable from the cassette joint to test).


Yes.

It also seems that I mounted the cable fixing bolt shorter than 101mm from the end of the cable housing. In what gear should the shifter be in for the proper distance? 4th?

Thanks!


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## MetaOrbit (Jun 28, 2009)

Update: I readjusted the cable fixing bolt to be 101mm from the end of the cable housing. Now I can shift through all 8 gears...BUT...

I still can't line up the yellow marks in the cassette joint while in 4th gear. Oddly enough, the lines are aligned perfectly together when in 6th gear. Any ideas?


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

If it's lined up in 6th gear there's no way it can be shifting through all eight gears. There's a fine tuning cable adjuster on the shifter, I always make sure it's all the way in before I adjust the cable fixing bolt. Maybe you have that out of whack?


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## MetaOrbit (Jun 28, 2009)

I think I have it working properly now. I made sure the cable housing was pushed up against the shifter, made sure the shifter was in 1, quadruple-checked the distance between the end of the cable housing and the cable-fixing bolt and put it together. Noticed that for shifts 1-3 the cassette joint didn't move. Disconnected and put the shifter in a few different gears and did a couple more reattachments and finally got it where the yellow lines matched up in the window. A little barrel adjustment later, and my Alfine equipped Jabberwocky is tearing up the trails.

Thanks for your help!


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

Nice work, you're open-minded and easy to coach


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## bikecycology (Apr 26, 2010)

When you set the bolt to 101mm you have to have the shifter in first gear. Pull tension on the cable as you downshift. Once you have all the slack out of the housing, then you can measure your 101. Also be sure that the adjuster screw on the shifter is about half way between all the way in and out. This will allow you to fine tune it to get the two yellow marks to line up in 4th. Go all the way up and down through the gears adjusting it little by little. Good Luck!


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## hayes1963 (Feb 20, 2013)

Just in case like me you end up with a Euro Alfine setup (I brought a Euro Bad Boy 8) which has an extra fitting to ensure that the cable doesn't ice up bear in mind that the edict to measure 101 mm from the bolt to the stop is not actually correct.

I spent days trying to work out why my perfect 101 mm measurement on the cable end just didn't work. There are in actual fact two cassette joint types and mine needs 127 mm. Imagine my joy when after three days of screwing around thinking I was just dumb I found this document ... Ah!


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