Nexus 8 hub durability

Does anyone on this list have experience with Shimano Nexus-8 red band
hubs?

I've been using one on a grocery getter (Breezer Uptown 8) for several
years. Most of the time it's wonderful, but the hub still make nasty noises
from time to time during shifts. I've fussed with the shift cable adjuster
and _usually_ remember to ease up on the pedals when shifting. Probably
upwards of 95% of shifts are perfect, maybe more.

Still, on occasion something seems to slip with a sharp noise, like a
pawl has slipped a tooth. Subsequent operation has so far been quiet
and normal.

It gives the impression the hub is fragile in some sense. Do Nexus 8
hubs have significant breakage problems? I'm no powerhouse rider, the
terrain is quite flat.

Thanks for reading and any insights!

bob prohaska

On Sat, 01 May 2021 18:38:24 +0000, bob prohaska scribed:

Does anyone on this list have experience with Shimano Nexus-8 red band
hubs?

I've been using one on a grocery getter (Breezer Uptown 8) for several
years. Most of the time it's wonderful, but the hub still make nasty
noises from time to time during shifts. I've fussed with the shift cable
adjuster and _usually_ remember to ease up on the pedals when shifting.
Probably upwards of 95% of shifts are perfect, maybe more.

Err, no experience with that hub, but I've always paused and given a sliht
back pedal when changing gears on any hubs I've ridden.

On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 1:38:27 PM UTC-5, bob prohaska wrote:
Does anyone on this list have experience with Shimano Nexus-8 red band
hubs?

It gives the impression the hub is fragile in some sense. Do Nexus 8
hubs have significant breakage problems?

My experience with Nexus-8 hubs is that they are very durable. I have two, one Red Band ("Premium") and one "normal". My understanding is that the main difference is that the red band hub has needle bearings in some places instead of plain bearings. I find the two hubs (in their respective wheels) completely interchangeable; I don't even have to tweak the shift cable.

Has your hub ever been serviced? These hubs come lubricated with grease, which might need replenishing. Alternatively, the "innards" can be dipped in gear oil and the bearings re-greased once a year or so. I do this annually with the hub that sees winter service; this hub has about 10,000 miles on it and works well.

When you adjust the gear cable (in gear 4), you should first place the hub in gear 1, where cable tension is lowest, and click up to gear 4. If you start at a higher gear and click down, any cable friction may interfere with the position of the index.

If you need help with the hub, here is one possible source: http://www.rideyourbike.com/internalgears.shtml
Steve

On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 9:29:58 PM UTC-5, News 2021 wrote:

Err, no experience with that hub, but I've always paused and given a slight
back pedal when changing gears on any hubs I've ridden.

The back-pedal isn't necessary, but doesn't hurt. A slight letting-up of pressure for a split-second is all you need.

On 5/1/2021 1:38 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
Does anyone on this list have experience with Shimano Nexus-8 red band
hubs?

I've been using one on a grocery getter (Breezer Uptown 8) for several
years. Most of the time it's wonderful, but the hub still make nasty noises
from time to time during shifts. I've fussed with the shift cable adjuster
and _usually_ remember to ease up on the pedals when shifting. Probably
upwards of 95% of shifts are perfect, maybe more.

Still, on occasion something seems to slip with a sharp noise, like a
pawl has slipped a tooth. Subsequent operation has so far been quiet
and normal.

It gives the impression the hub is fragile in some sense. Do Nexus 8
hubs have significant breakage problems? I'm no powerhouse rider, the
terrain is quite flat.

Thanks for reading and any insights!

bob prohaska




Is this hub used in urban salt? When did you last have it
cleaned and lubricated? Service interval has a very wide
range depending on rider's environment.

The seals are not all that great and just like everyone
else's claim of 'permanent lubrication' it isn't.

http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfr...t/alf8rust.jpg
http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfr...t/nx7brokn.jpg
http://www.yellowjersey.org/failnx16.jpg
http://www.astounding.org.uk/ian/hubgear/mangled.html

Aside from water penetration it's a good design. I set up
one for my daughter several years ago and it's been great.
She has two daily commute loops in Chicago. No 'gear
changer in spokes' is a nice feature on an urban bike.

If it's not used in inclement weather it may just need
lubrication replenished.

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

On 5/1/2021 9:47 PM, Steve Weeks wrote:
On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 9:29:58 PM UTC-5, News 2021 wrote:

Err, no experience with that hub, but I've always paused and given a slight
back pedal when changing gears on any hubs I've ridden.

The back-pedal isn't necessary, but doesn't hurt. A slight letting-up of pressure for a split-second is all you need.


+1

--
Andrew Muzi
www.yellowjersey.org/
Open every day since 1 April, 1971

AMuzi wrote:
On 5/1/2021 1:38 PM, bob prohaska wrote:
Does anyone on this list have experience with Shimano Nexus-8 red band
hubs?

I've been using one on a grocery getter (Breezer Uptown 8) for several
years. Most of the time it's wonderful, but the hub still make nasty noises
from time to time during shifts. I've fussed with the shift cable adjuster
and _usually_ remember to ease up on the pedals when shifting. Probably
upwards of 95% of shifts are perfect, maybe more.

Still, on occasion something seems to slip with a sharp noise, like a
pawl has slipped a tooth. Subsequent operation has so far been quiet
and normal.

It gives the impression the hub is fragile in some sense. Do Nexus 8
hubs have significant breakage problems? I'm no powerhouse rider, the
terrain is quite flat.

Thanks for reading and any insights!

bob prohaska




Is this hub used in urban salt? When did you last have it
cleaned and lubricated? Service interval has a very wide
range depending on rider's environment.

Never in salt and never apart. Almost never ridden in rain.
This being Northern California, rain is a rare thing 8-(


The seals are not all that great and just like everyone
else's claim of 'permanent lubrication' it isn't.

Somewhere I read a report that oil could be run into the
hub past the seals, can't remember which side, probably
sprocket. I _think_ the hub ran a little easier, but
it had no effect on the occasional noises. I used ATF,
total quantity was a few CCs.

http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfr...t/alf8rust.jpg
http://www.yellowjersey.org/photosfr...t/nx7brokn.jpg
http://www.yellowjersey.org/failnx16.jpg
http://www.astounding.org.uk/ian/hubgear/mangled.html

Those look like they were pickled in hot brine. Then left
to cure, in the shade. For a long time.

Aside from water penetration it's a good design. I set up
one for my daughter several years ago and it's been great.
She has two daily commute loops in Chicago. No 'gear
changer in spokes' is a nice feature on an urban bike.

It's been a nice hub, apart from the limited gear range
compared to a derailer. Downshifting at standstill is very
handy, perhaps even sinful 8-)

If it's not used in inclement weather it may just need
lubrication replenished.


The total mileage can't be very high. It's been ridden maybe
5-10 miles per week for about 14 years. Original rear tire
still has about half tread depth. Do the internal parts
tend to shed abrasive debris? That might justify disassembly.
I'd rather not dismantle it without good cause.

One other thing, the hub doesn't weep oil like the old Sturmey
Archers did. If it should, then it needs more oil.

Thanks for writing!

bob prohaska

bob prohaska wrote:

I'd rather not dismantle it without good cause.

Fourteen years, 4000 miles -- you may now stop finding excuses. These hubs,
won't violently disintegrate upon sensing a well-intentioned wrench.
Learning beforehand about spare parts compatibility and availability might
still be a good idea.

On Saturday, May 1, 2021 at 7:38:27 PM UTC+1, bob prohaska wrote:
Does anyone on this list have experience with Shimano Nexus-8 red band
hubs?

I've been using one on a grocery getter (Breezer Uptown 8) for several
years. Most of the time it's wonderful, but the hub still make nasty noises
from time to time during shifts. I've fussed with the shift cable adjuster
and _usually_ remember to ease up on the pedals when shifting. Probably
upwards of 95% of shifts are perfect, maybe more.

Still, on occasion something seems to slip with a sharp noise, like a
pawl has slipped a tooth. Subsequent operation has so far been quiet
and normal.

It gives the impression the hub is fragile in some sense. Do Nexus 8
hubs have significant breakage problems? I'm no powerhouse rider, the
terrain is quite flat.

Thanks for reading and any insights!

bob prohaska

I trashed two before 3000 miles but I'm a masher whose rides are just about all hill. A third one just soldiers on, but it's accompanied by a computer that changes the gears for the greatest efficiency, presumably accompanied by the greatest longevity. I don't actually believe the Nexus comes with grease inside. More likely oil, as the service -- at about 3000m -- is an oil bath which cost about as much as buying a new whole gearbox.

In The Netherlands there are hundreds of thousands of these Nexus boxes and they're well-regarded by the Dutch, who're the tallest and heaviest of the Europeans. I wouldn't automatically assume neglect as the cause tier disturbance either -- I didn't have a bike when I studied in Chicago but I remember the winters as hostile to machinery so perhaps Andrew has a point -- because I bet two out of three Nexus owners never service their gearboxes.

Every year around Christmas the European OEMs sell off a few thousand Nexus boxes already fitted to decent quality wheels and spokes, sometimes with fitting kits (the controls and the thingymagic that sits on the chianstay just before the cable meets the gearbox. Buy a spare wheel with Nexus box on eBay.de and get it shipped, probably for about seventy or eighty dollars all up, landed at your door, and stop worrying about clunks and clicks.

Someone I know with several Nexus boxes and a less cavalier attitude than mine, doesn't buy the outrageously expensive Shimano service kits for the Nexus box; he uses bulk-bought motor oil appropriate to ambient temperature where he lives. I read the instructions that came with the one kit I bought before I decided that new gearboxes, considering the value of my time, are cheaper. Basically there's a bowl of oil, into which you put the inside gibbons of the assembled gearbox to soak a bit, and then you put it back into the shell and close it up, and that's it, there's nothing difficult or esoteric about it. For peace in your house, don't use your wife's crockery for gearbox-servicing vessels.

One more thing: if you have Shimano's Roller brakes, which work with the Nexus, they *must* be serviced or they'll wreck themselves against the ungreased metal inside in very short order. But it is easy to give them a shot of Shimano's special but not overpriced grease through the small port behind the rubber nipple you'll find if you look very closely as it is tiny. Don't lose the rubber nipple or your brake will shortly be ruined.

There's a shop in England which keeps all the small useful parts of Nexus gearboxes and the Roller brakes (service grease, spare nipples, adaptors for various disc brake attachment schemes), whose name is somewhere on my computer, and I'll have my assistant find if for you either when the lockdown is over or when you need it.

Andre Jute
I love Shimano gear but my favourite bike is a zero-Shimano German confection

On Monday, May 3, 2021 at 10:23:05 AM UTC+1, Sepp Ruf wrote:
bob prohaska wrote:

I'd rather not dismantle it without good cause.
Fourteen years, 4000 miles -- you may now stop finding excuses. These hubs,
won't violently disintegrate upon sensing a well-intentioned wrench.
Learning beforehand about spare parts compatibility and availability might
still be a good idea.

It's not the wrenching that wrecks the Nexus, it's losing the small parts that most sellers don't stock. -- AJ