I've been using an 8-speed Alfine for a couple of years on an MTB but towards the end of last year it wasn't shifting well at all. I guessed something more than gear setup was at fault, so I acquired the tool to remove the plastic dustcap and remove the internals. Not good 🙁
The plastic ring holding the bearings in place on the non-drive side is completely destroyed: there were remains of it littering the inside of the hub. I’m trying to identify a replacement part but my local bike shop hasn’t had any success so far.
The part I need is circled in green in this picture - it's only a thin platic ring around the outside of the bearings I need (the bearings are secured into place by it):
[url= http://farm6.static.flickr.com/5282/5335536558_9c6654641c_b.jp g" target="_blank">
[url= http://www.flickr.com/photos/a11y_m/5335536558/ ]20110108.AM.Alfine hub exploded[/url] by [url= http://www.flickr.com/people/a11y_m/ ]Ally Mitchell[/url], on Flickr
It doesn’t appear to have a separate part number according the the Shimano techpages: http://techdocs.shimano.com/media/techdocs/content/cycle/EV/bikecomponents/SG/EV-SG-S500-2637C_v1_m56577569830689515.pdf.
Can’t anyone help me locate this part or point me in the right direction? I'm unsure if it's available separately, but given that it's a small inexpensive piece of plastic I'd bloody hope it is...
Cheers
Ally
Can't help, but I'd like to know more.
Any chance of a photo of the part?
I'll try and get photos tomorrow after work - not much left of the plastic bit that broke though.
I've posted the same query on the hubstripping website and initial reports don't make good reading: Shimano may not supply the individual part I need, leaving my only option being to purchase a much larger part which costs near enough the same as the hub, or locate another broken alfine hub and strip the part from it I need. Seems utterly stupid for a part that should cost pennies...
Full hubstripping story here: http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/2007/10/13/shimano-alfine-reviews-pictures-maintenance-installation-and-drawings/#comment-12966 (scroll up a bit for my first post).
My LBS hasn't been able to locate a part yet - latest report was they were told it was only the whole hub internal that was available as a spare...
Does anyone know anything different?
The hub:
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That surface is where the roller bearings are supposed to sit, covered with a white plastic retaining part identical to the bit on the far left of the photo:
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The remains of the white plastic bit (this is the only bit I need to replace):
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I reckon I'd be looking for a piece of brass tube the right diameter and making my own race if they can't supply it as a spare.
Well I guess we know they need to be maintained now.
Shame with shimano, stuff works well but wee spares are often unavailable.
epicyclo: not sure what success there'd be with that, it'd have to have the cutouts in it for the bearings to protrude.
cynic-al: yep, it's a right shame. A small inexpensive part is all I need.
Rohloff not looking such a poor investment all of a sudden?
Because Rohloff's never fail, right? 🙄
MisterP to the thread please.
One of the £130 Alfine hubs from on-one might be a good investment for spares?
Because Rohloff's never fail, right?
No, but if that was a Rohloff, it'd be collected from the owner, repaired, serviced & returned FOC IME.
But how many Alfines can be bought for the price of a Roghloff? 4,5?
18bikes seem to be the expert on these.
Or e-mail madsison direct !!
J.
Is that part a part of a stock bearing? Or is it specific to the alfine?
18bikes seem to be the expert on these.
Or e-mail madsison direct !!
J.
I've got an Alfine hub for spares if you're interested, good as far as I know but I have none of the ancillary bits, just a complete hub. Let me know if interested.
Is that part a part of a stock bearing? Or is it specific to the alfine?
From the pictures, it ain't a bearing; it's a sprag clutch.
The running surface for the rollers appears to be machined directly into a major component of the hub, so I'd say it's likely to be a completely none-standard, unique to Shimano, component.
Trailseeker - MemberBecause Rohloff's never fail, right?
No, but if that was a Rohloff, it'd be collected from the owner, repaired, serviced & returned FOC IME.
Posted 25 minutes ago # Report-PostPeterPoddy - Member
But how many Alfines can be bought for the price of a Roghloff? 4,5?
Exactly.
For that comparison to be valid you need to factor in rebuilding alfine-wheels as they break and time without your Rohloff as it is repaired. Or something.
Wheel building = home task = 1hr
Posting to Germany = a task I could do but would rather not have to so I'll take it to the post office and send it, be without it for x days, etc...
Anyway the point was, Rohloffs aren't fault free either and they do fail sometimes, just as Alfines clearly do.
I've emailed Madison directly now, so based on that I'll perhaps get back in touch with anyone offering Alfine hubs as spares.
And thanks for the heads up on the £130 hubs from On-One - I'd already noticed that when looking at their cheap tyres from another STW thread 🙂
I've got an alfine on my own bike, have done since they first came out. Mine is on it's second internals due to me messing up the full service. A few points
1. With shimano spares, if the part isn't numbered on the exploded diagram it is NOT available separately, anything that is numbered can be found on madison's site by removing the first and last digit from the code although some stuff that is numbered also isn't available. This is true of ALL shimano stuff not just alfine.
2. Alfine's need some servicing, the basic service is easy to do and doesn't need many tools but needs doing more regularly than people think. I aim for everything 8 weeks but probably don't quite manage it. This is still a lot less maintenance than a conventional setup so I'm still happy.
3. Rohloffs do cost more but take way less maintainance.
4. Sometimes things go wrong! Again not specific to alfine but some people need to realise that sometimes things go wrong. It isn't the manufacturer planning to ruin your ride, it just happens. What makes a product stand out is how often it happens and how the company sort it out. Hope and Rohloff are both good examples of this.
5. Buy what you want, Rohloff's are nicer than alfine's but an alfine will be fine for a lot of people and a Rohloff will be out of reach for a lot too, this doesn't make either of them bad products, just different. The new alfine 11 will be a good compromise it terms of cost/gear range/weight/everything really
6. You don't need to disassemble a wheel to send it to madison or Rohloff (unless you've damaged the shell), just send it with a courier via your friendly bike shop, won't cost much more as the weight is next to nothing and saves time (and possibly cost) of a rebuild.
If anyone has any questions r.e. alfine/hub gear in general feel free to email matt@18bikes.co.uk or call the shop (although I'm framebuilding much of the time and not generally here but Simon or the other Matt can still help
HTH
a11y - Member
epicyclo: not sure what success there'd be with that, it'd have to have the cutouts in it for the bearings to protrude...
A bit of time with a fine hacksaw would fix that. 🙂
If you end up getting a whole new internals, I'd be interested in getting my hands on the remains of your broken one so I could have a go at fixing it.