Now then Chaps and Chapesses!

I ride to work and just over 12 months ago I bought a Cotic Roadrat with a Shimano Alfine 8.

I have enjoyed both the bike and the internal gear. Due to this being my transport to work I decided I would get the Alfine serviced once a year to keep the thing running smooth and hopfully the most I would have to worry about would be the odd puncture or two. I have also just done over the 2000 miles and I believe this is the service interval on an Alfine, (bearing in mind I took 5 months off the commute as I stupidly trained for and completed the Liverpool marathon) so in reality could have clocked up more miles.

I phoned a Shimano service centre plus who were very helpful and rang Madison, when I rang them back to find out the cost of the service the guy at the shop asked me if I was sitting down before apologising and telling me that a service would cost me in the region of £120 due to the Shimano service kit for an Alfine (oil and seals) costing £95!!!!!!! so basically after 100 commutes to and from work = 2000 miles = a service for £120. Which i think is Daylight robbery.
Has anyone else got a service for less?????

Any help will gratefully be received
Nice 1 Harvey..

whats worse, the oil is the expensive bit, its £90 a litre from CRC 😯

From memory, to service the hub they pour the oil into a cup, dip the mechanism in the oil for 90 seconds, take it out of the oil and leave it for the excess to drip off then change the seals….

I had a nexus hub mechanism serviced last year, the lbs sent it off to madison and they did the service for £25 (I think).

Previous thread…

Or this…

DIY service?

DIY that puppy 🙂

i may be being thick here but – oil service for an alfine 8? the 8 uses greese and the Alfine 11 oil….

i bought a, non shimano service kit for my 11 for £23 (although i did buy the proper oil for another £12) and did it my self. link took me about an hour and isnt dificult, just time consuming.
My LBS would have charged me £80! BTW the proper shimano service kit for the 11 is about £80 iirc, it contains one siringe and a plastic pot, and thats it….

If you have an Alfine 8 there are plenty of ‘how to’ guides on the internet. basically, strip it, soak in petrol and regrease as far as i can tell.

Yep, follow the Interwebs to strip down to where it splits in half after taking the C-clip off, degrease (I used petrol) dry and fill it with ATF, will work better than ever.

Thanks for all the replies so far, I’m not sure if im confident enough to strip down the hub myself…………but il have a look at the guides.Is ATF automatic transmission fluid??. The guy at the service centre said that if you dont use the right stuff it will damage some internal parts is this just Shimano trying to frighten people into buying their service kits?
Ta
Harvey

DIY service is fairly easy. It took me 30mins last time. A 2litre measuring cylinder, hub dunked in Dextron II auto gearbox oil and it is working better than before.

BTW the service pack is a rip off and my LBS refused to buy one.

Its all metal and plastic cant see how anything can be damaged by Auto Trans Fluid (ATF). BIG 1KG heinz baked bean pots- with top cut off, are just right size.

OK so it looks like im going to have to man up and get the tools out thanks for all the advice, ive got two weeks off in April so that will be when i try and do it. If anyone has anymore they think i should know please post.
Many thanks
Harvey

I thought it was a recommended 1500 mile service interval.

They tend to sieze up in the upper gears if you leave them.

Madison/Shimano are taking the piss with their prices for oil and the dunking pot.

Oh and what tools will i need thanks again
Harvey

Find a shop that has the service kit – One of my LBS has – the service is then a £20 job. Try a commuter shop or similar

or

http://lockies.blogspot.com/2009/09/shimano-alfine-hub-gear-rebuild.html

Shimano ALFINE

Useful stuff, I was thinking about doing mine sometime.

I used this, mostly the same-

http://www.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/tech_support/tech_tips.download.-Par50lparsys-0024-downloadFile.html/17)%20Inter%208%20ohaul.pdf

I just had an Alfine serviced at Bothy Bikes in Aviemore for… wait for it… £6.

They don’t bother with the oil bath. As far as I understood it, they just strip it down and stick a whole load of grease in there (which makes sense since it’s a greased hub anyway).

They recommend doing it every 6 months but that’s probably better for freezing Scottish conditions.

mark.a

thats cause they are an ace shop who understand what they are dealing with and havnt just blind paniced at the cost of the tooling they will need for a one off job (as they op`s LBS have clearly done)

Sounds like your lbs is trying to pass on the cost of a kit directly to you. Surely they should take the hit initially themselves as it’s not a one hit kit!

Cost me 20 quid at my lbs for a full service.