Help needed for gears.

[mastanlem]

Hi,

I was just going to pull out at the lights with a load of cars behind me and I had a job to turn the pedals on my Technium. Once across it seemed the gears were all wrong and I could not get 7th Gear.
I managed to cycle home and was able to use some of the gears.

Any suggestions as to what went wrong.

thanks Marina

 

[HarryB]

Do you find that gear 7 is lower than gear 6? This is a common
failing with the nexus 7 when they are young. Happened to quite a few of us with the early agattu (including me). Best email wiggle about this and send the wheel back if you can get it off easily. Let is know how you get on with wiggle.

 

[mastanlem]

Do you find that gear 7 is lower than gear 6? This is a common
failing with the nexus 7 when they are young. Happened to quite a few of us with the early agattu (including me). Best email wiggle about this and send the wheel back if you can get it off easily. Let is know how you get on with wiggle.

Hi Harry,

The twist grip will only turn to N0 6.

I am going to take it to my LBS to get fixed. If it can't be then I will email Wiggle.

Good job I've got another two bikes to use.

Regards Marina

 

[JamesC]

Hi Harry,

The twist grip will only turn to N0 6.

I am going to take it to my LBS to get fixed. If it can't be then I will email Wiggle.

Good job I've got another two bikes to use.

Regards Marina

It is worth checking that the outer sheath of the gear cable is still seated down completely into its cup at the both the lever end and the hub end.

It is possible for your foot to catch the cable and pull it out of the cup at the gear end - this is like pulling the mechanism into a higher gear without having turned the shifter.

So when you are in 7th gear, the indicator on the shifter says 6th.

James

 

[mastanlem]

It is worth checking that the outer sheath of the gear cable is still seated down completely into its cup at the both the lever end and the hub end.

It is possible for your foot to catch the cable and pull it out of the cup at the gear end - this is like pulling the mechanism into a higher gear without having turned the shifter.

So when you are in 7th gear, the indicator on the shifter says 6th.

James

Thanks James,

I have taken gear adjustment info off the web for my husband to look at and I will get him to check the cables also, if not then it will be the LBS

Marina

 

[tangent]

It sounds as though the cable is too tight. This either means that the cassette joint on the hub has come out of alignment or more likely that you have knocked the cable where it enters the shifter.

Checks:

1) Check that the adjusting barrel (black twisty bit) is firmly located in the shifter - I suspect that it is not.
2) Twist the shifter into gear 4 and look at the hub. You should see 2 aligned yellow dots - 1 on the hub, the other on the cassette joint. To understand what I am talking about, change gear and look how the relative positions of the yellow dots move. It is important that the yellow dots line up in gear 4. If they are slightly out you may be able to bring them into alignment by twisting the adjusting barrel. If they are way out, then you will need to take the wheel off and sort out the cassette joint.

I suggest you take a look at the Shimano documentation (sorry do not have a link - try Google) to understand how the hub is put together. You need to know about this anyway so you know how to fix a puncture.

If you do take the bike to a LBS then get them to show you how to adjust the hub.

I would be very surprised if this was a serious problem.

Best of luck,
Paul

 

[mastanlem]

It sounds as though the cable is too tight. This either means that the cassette joint on the hub has come out of alignment or more likely that you have knocked the cable where it enters the shifter.

Checks:

1) Check that the adjusting barrel (black twisty bit) is firmly located in the shifter - I suspect that it is not.
2) Twist the shifter into gear 4 and look at the hub. You should see 2 aligned yellow dots - 1 on the hub, the other on the cassette joint. To understand what I am talking about, change gear and look how the relative positions of the yellow dots move. It is important that the yellow dots line up in gear 4. If they are slightly out you may be able to bring them into alignment by twisting the adjusting barrel. If they are way out, then you will need to take the wheel off and sort out the cassette joint.

I suggest you take a look at the Shimano documentation (sorry do not have a link - try Google) to understand how the hub is put together. You need to know about this anyway so you know how to fix a puncture.

If you do take the bike to a LBS then get them to show you how to adjust the hub.

I would be very surprised if this was a serious problem.

Best of luck,
Paul

Thanks Paul for your help.

Just as I read this post my husband has come upstairs and told me that I had knocked the cable out of the shifter, so you were correct.
I had a look last night and could not see anything amiss, probably looking at the brake cable by mistake.

Marina

 

[HarryB]

Of course the outer cable will jump out of the outer cable holder quite readily leaving you with only the upper gears. Possibly because you changed gear under power and the nexus 7 really doesn't like that - give it a second or so pause before changing. Glad it was that simple.

 

[lemmy]

I found with my 7 speed that the cable would jump out of the shifter when I was going up a steep hill because I tended to leave the change until the last moment and snatch it.

The 7 speed seems to prefer it if you actually stop pedalling for a moment - not very convenient on a steep hill with a heavy e-bike!

For some odd reason my 8 speed doesn't have this problem. I'm surprised at the difference in action between the 7 and 8 speed but I believe there are 2 versions of the 8 speed and one is better specced than the other. Maybe I have the better one and that is why there is the difference.

Either way, one you get used to the eccentricities of the 7 speed it's fine.

 

[tangent]

I hated the 7 speed hub at first, but it does seem to improve with use. I have done about 400 miles on the Technium now and no longer have problems provided I stop pedalling between gear changes.

I still think that the 8 speed is much better though.

 

[mastanlem]

I hated the 7 speed hub at first, but it does seem to improve with use. I have done about 400 miles on the Technium now and no longer have problems provided I stop pedalling between gear changes.

I still think that the 8 speed is much better though.

Not being very knowledgeable about gears etc. but I think the hub on the Technium is 8 speed it has the yellow dots, but the twist grip is 7. Does this mean that a change of twist grip is all that is needed to become 8 speed.

marina

 

[HarryB]

It will be the 7 speed nexus. The 8 speed is a much bigger hub than the 7 speed. The 7 speed doesn't change as well as the 8 speed (especially when new) and as you have found, jumps the outer cable when you get the change wrong. I don't think the colour of the dots matters but I seem to remember my old 7 speed agattu had yellow dots.

 

[tangent]

The Technium is definitely only 7 speed unfortuneately. To change to 8 speed you would need to replace the hub, shifter and possibly the cable. The parts from wiggle cost about £280 the last time I looked for the top of the range Shimano Alfine 8 hub, new wheel and shifter.

However, the 7 speed definitely improves with use, so I would not rush into upgrading before you have done a few hundred miles.

 

[mastanlem]

The Technium is definitely only 7 speed unfortuneately. To change to 8 speed you would need to replace the hub, shifter and possibly the cable. The parts from wiggle cost about £280 the last time I looked for the top of the range Shimano Alfine 8 hub, new wheel and shifter.

However, the 7 speed definitely improves with use, so I would not rush into upgrading before you have done a few hundred miles.

Thanks for the advice. I have also changed to 11t motor sprocket but as yet am undecided whether to go back to the original.

marina

 

[Mussels]

For some odd reason my 8 speed doesn't have this problem. I'm surprised at the difference in action between the 7 and 8 speed but I believe there are 2 versions of the 8 speed and one is better specced than the other. Maybe I have the better one and that is why there is the difference.

I think Shimano dropped the cheaper 8 speed as the premium one was much better, I've read that it's very similar to the Alfine hub that I have. I am finding that as the Alfine hub wears in I have to ease off the power occasionally but I've not had to stop pedalling yet. At a rough guess I've probably made about 80,000 gear changes on it already, having a light touch change is helpful.