The 'new' XT dynamo hub on my tourer is surprisingly notchy, even with the bearing preload backed off on the workbench. I can get it to spin nicely by carefully nipping it up just right, laid horizontal and with the plug side held in the bench vice. However, at the end of the spin, you can feel it notching and it stops with a lurch. Does anyone know, is this a characteristic of these hubs or are the bearings goosed before I even start?
The hub has done at the most, about 200 miles and the disc side bearings are still clean and full of green Shimano grease.
All dynamo hubs feel as though they're knackered from new. But they're not.
Dynamo hubs just don't spin as smoothly as normal hubs. That's the dynamo bit in operation - the stator/magnets. If you're not used to them it can look/feel a bit weird.
Yeah, it’s normal, it’s just the magnets that generate the current. Once it has some momentum it skims over the magnetic peaks and troughs and spins like normal.
Grand, thanks for the reassurance folks. Happy days..