Replace with a new Shutter Precision hub. With the clocks going forward my dynamo hub wheel came off the bike today and my bike went into it’s 69er summer mode. In changing it I discovered that though the dynamo is working the bearings feel very rough. So it looks like the only option is to send it off to Germany for a service. So the question is whether to go to the expense of that and hope it can be repaired or maybe look at one of the Shutter Precision hubs. The Schmidt is 7 years old and is used on my off road commuter so it’s had a pretty hard life. With a new hub I’ll have the cost of rebuilding the wheel and I assume new spokes but with a service I’m going to have the cost of shipping to add to the service.
So what to do? I’m sure I can come to a decision myself but it’s always good to get the collective wisdom of STW.

The bearings on them do feel really notchy out of the box, due to the magnets. According to Schmidt this is fine as the forward and reverse resistance cancel each other out.

When you hold the wheel or hub in your hand and turn the axle, you’ll feel a lot of resistance. There are 26 poles and 26 magnets in the SON28 hub (fewer in the SON20). That creates 26 points around the hub shell that the axle wants to settle in, and a corresponding 26 points where the axle doesn’t want to be. In the transitions between those points, the axle wants to turn in one direction or the other, to find the point where it wants to settle. As you ride, the hub turns relative to the axle, and 26 times in each rotation of the wheel, the hub wants to turn one way, and then the other, theoretically speeding you up and slowing you down, 26 times per rotation. At speed, the effects of these two forces almost completely cancel each other out, leaving you with extremely low drag overall. It’s only when you don’t have a lot of mass (your weight) and inertia (your speed) that the effect is to actually retard the rotation of the hub axle. So there’s no reason to be concerned about the way the axle feels when turned by hand.

http://www.peterwhitecycles.com/schmidt.asp

If there’s no play, and it’s still putting out power, I’d leave it be.

My third-hand (and almost certainly out of warranty) SON recently seized and had to go back to Germany via SJS cycles. It was back a couple of weeks later with all new internals at no charge. The only cost to me was a tenner postage to SJS. 😀

The bearings on them do feel really notchy out of the box

Yes it’s always been notchy but this is a lot notchier than it used to be. I’ll check it for play tomorrow and see if there is any. What I don’t want to do is run it and cause damage further damage. I’ll contact SJS, its on a bike I bought from them.

Im looking at dyno hubs atm for touring
bit concerned over the total lack of servicability of the schmidt
any thoughts on other options (nice ones that is)

Im looking at dyno hubs atm for touring
bit concerned over the total lack of servicability of the schmidt
any thoughts on other options (nice ones t

I think the long term reilabilty is very good for road use. My mate has ridden from Alaska to Peru on his with no issues. There are other guys on CGOAB who have ridden across Asia with them.

I should point out that mine is seven years old and is used on a bike I commute off road on all year round and is still working and has never had anything done to it. It was only removing it from the bike today that led me to notice it was running roughly so I don’t think you can question their reliability.

I’d never worry about Schmidt reliability either. Ran mine for 6 years – maybe 30,000km? ( Even got submerged a few times due to floods ! ) before being serviced by Schmidt for an overhaul & bearing replacement. Good as new now. Worth every penny !

Update:
I’ve just been out and put the wheel back in a set of forks and there is zero play and it spins fine. So although it does feel notchier than before it looks like I might as well just keep running it.
So if anyone does have any concerns about reliability I’d suggest that it would be difficult to find a more reliable hub of any type. So the competition between small scale German manufacturers for reliability at either end of my bike goes into another year. Will the Schmidt beat the Rohloff?