# Alfine 8 skipping on light load



## mra32 (Jan 14, 2008)

I've got a new bike with a belt drive and the Alfine 501 hub and it skips, but its not like many of the other skipping stories ive read.

Like some, I am getting skipping in 5th gear, but it seems to only happen one light pedaling and not hard pedaling. :skep:

I was on a ride yesterday and there was some clicking in every gear and the same skipping only on light load in 5th gear and if I remember correctly, it also skipped a few times in 6th. It turns out that the cable needed some slight adjustment when I looked at it today. However, yesterday, it seemed like the hub ran _better_ when I needed to put some torque down. Less clicking and certainly no slipping/skipping. I adjusted it and the clicking is gone but the slipping is still there in 5th. I didnt put a big ride on it after adjusting it, so I dont know if its skipping in other gears, but it did skip in 5th a few times today.

I also attempted to reroute the shifter cable for a more direct line to the hub.

I am perplexed. Skipping only on light load, but performing fine otherwise?

Other information:
I have the nexus gripshift
50t front cog, and I think like 24t rear
Yellow lines are matched


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## Corporal Punishment (May 26, 2011)

Put it in 1st gear, remove the fixing nut from the cassette joint and make sure the distance between the ferrule and the fixing nut is 101mm. If its not, then fix it at 101mm.

Then put it back together and shift up to 4 and make sure the dots are aligned. Then shift up to 8 and back to 4. If the dots are not aligned, there is something making your cable stick. Either re-route the cable on your frame or replace it with a new one.


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## -jes (Feb 6, 2011)

Corporal Punishment said:


> Put it in 1st gear, remove the fixing nut from the cassette joint and make sure the distance between the ferrule and the fixing nut is 101mm. If its not, then fix it at 101mm.
> 
> Then put it back together and shift up to 4 and make sure the dots are aligned. Then shift up to 8 and back to 4. If the dots are not aligned, there is something making your cable stick. Either re-route the cable on your frame or replace it with a new one.


+1 :thumbsup:


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## mra32 (Jan 14, 2008)

Still getting used to the terminology on these hubs. So I should basically measure the amount of cable showing between the end of the outer housing of the shifter cable and the fixing nut, or should i go to the center of the fixing nut?

Could it be possible that the shifter is not pulling the proper amount of cable (improperly made, something in the way of the cable path)? Does anyone have experience with the shifter that I am using? Its a SL8S20.

I should also mention that this happens when 5th is shifted into from both sides, that is, the slipping happens when the previous gear to 5th was 4th and also when the previous gear was 6th.


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## -jes (Feb 6, 2011)

Centre of the nut according to Sheldon Brown

I use the same shifter on my Alfine 8 with no issues.


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

pursuiter said:


> i would not use this bike until the hub is shifting correctly. Nothing will kill an igh faster than maladjustment.
> 
> - is the cassette joint binding? Could be the inner seal is on backwards or not assembled correctly.
> 
> ...


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## mra32 (Jan 14, 2008)

> i would not use this bike until the hub is shifting correctly. Nothing will kill an igh faster than maladjustment.
> 
> - is the cassette joint binding? Could be the inner seal is on backwards or not assembled correctly.


I dont think so. Do you mean the driver cap?? I had the cassette joint off and it reassembled fine. If the driver cap is backwards would it still reassemble fine?



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


Jammed? The frame is nowhere near the cassette joint at any part, but im curious as to how a frame can jam a cassette joint.



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


yep 



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


yep 



> Here's links with tech tips:
> tech tips
> 
> http://bike.shimano.com/publish/cont...ng guide.pdf


After reading through that basic structure document, there is one of 2 things causing this: Maladjustment and some sort of damage on the clutch. does anyone have any detailed pics/diagrams of the clutch part of this? I want to get a better prcture of how it works without having to disassemble it.


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## pursuiter (May 28, 2008)

mra32 said:


> I dont think so. Do you mean the driver cap?? I had the cassette joint off and it reassembled fine. If the driver cap is backwards would it still reassemble fine?...


Yes, you can assemble the cassette joint with the driver cap on backwards. It needs to be placed so the cupping faces the spokes. I doubt your issue is a problem with the hub's internals but if you complain to Shimano they'll send you a new internal assembly via your LBS.



> Jammed? The frame is nowhere near the cassette joint at any part, but im curious as to how a frame can jam a cassette joint.


The cassette joint rotates back and forth every so slightly due to slop in the no-turn washers and the axle flats. The axle/cassette joint's rotation (clockwise or counter-clockwise) is depending on if the hub is under-driving (gear 1-4) or over-driving (gear 6-8). If the cassette joint's cable stop arm is rotating such that it stops against the chainstay/seatstay, the shifter stops slightly out of gear. It appears to be random when it's really depending on if you just rotated the axle/cassette joint and jammed/rotated it into the chainstay/seatstay.


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## mra32 (Jan 14, 2008)

my latest approach has been to give the barrel adjuster a half to a full turn or so out past where I think the yellow lines are lined up. My small tests around the neighborhood yielded a silent and non-skipping hub, but that was less than a mile of riding. Its tough to get on the bikes lately.


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## mra32 (Jan 14, 2008)

pursuiter said:


> Yes, you can assemble the cassette joint with the driver cap on backwards. It needs to be placed so the cupping faces the spokes. I doubt your issue is a problem with the hub's internals but if you complain to Shimano they'll send you a new internal assembly via your LBS.
> 
> The cassette joint rotates back and forth every so slightly due to slop in the no-turn washers and the axle flats. The axle/cassette joint's rotation (clockwise or counter-clockwise) is depending on if the hub is under-driving (gear 1-4) or over-driving (gear 6-8). If the cassette joint's cable stop arm is rotating such that it stops against the chainstay/seatstay, the shifter stops slightly out of gear. It appears to be random when it's really depending on if you just rotated the axle/cassette joint and jammed/rotated it into the chainstay/seatstay.


thanks for the extra insight on the nuances and small details of the operation of the hub


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## Drew Diller (Jan 4, 2010)

Hey, so this might be a little weird, but, there's two ways to measure alignment in 4th gear. One is on the "top" of the hub shift actuator with the bike upright. The other is on the bottom, there is a little groove. Consult the Shimano manual about this, it is a small portion, but it's there.

Basically I've found the top indicator to be a bit inaccurate. The bottom is very clear. Before figuring this out I had been sort of futzing with the adjustment barrel like you recently mentioned.

Works great now. I can backpedal with no noise and everything engages predictably.


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## mra32 (Jan 14, 2008)

i was hesitant to flip my bike over, since i scratched the window on the shifter last time, but i'll check it out, thanks!

I also read that noise while backpedaling was just something that you have to live with on these. Hopefully I can do what you were able to


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