Hub Gears Revisited And The Shimano Nexus 8

Back in March I made no secret of my preference for hub gears to the exclusion of anything else - derailleur or single speed. I wouldn't like to see these other two disappear mind, but I don't plan to own either.

Nothing's changed; still obsessed with them, and whenever I see another bike, I look straight at the backwheel to see if there's a thick hub...

I've since bought another two as I've bought another two bikes, both with the Shimano Nexus 8 hub.

Both of them came needing adjustment which should have been done at the factory. Thankfully, this is generally easy enough on the Nexus - in 4th gear (direct drive) just turn the barrel adjuster on the shifter until the two light green tabs line up:

see this? Twiddle it back and forth 

to line 'em up thus. View from the top of the hub, but this will also be the view from the bottom - the tabs are conveniently replicated

 I suggest if you buy one, you might want to make checking the adjustment one of the first things you do; riding with one out of adjustment wears it out much quicker, because little bits of the internal parts are shaved off when the gears are changed, so I've read. Better still, get the bike shop to do it first as well, like they should be doing. If you haven't been checking the tabs and the gear is out of adjustment, chances are you'll know because it'll skip - usually in 3rd or 4th. Once done, keep an eye on it - takes a while for things to settle in.

Apart from that though, I'm really pleased with mine especially the smooth gear changes, and others have commented favourably too.

The Nexus has a mixed reputation in the UK. It is seen by some as on the delicate side reported to let water in easier than other hubs, which doesn't do it any good. There have been several upgrades and the one said to be the most durable is the "red band" version.

You are meant to have it overhauled (think that means taken apart, cleaned and re-oiled/greased then put together again - see one of the links below) periodically, although Shimano doesn't say how often. This is a specialist job using special tools and oils and many bike shops in the UK won't do it as they don't know how. I believe Shimano authorised dealers do, so check if your bike shop is one. A litre of the Shimano recommended lubricant for these is more expensive than Chanel No 5 so bear that in mind if you want to do it yourself...

Important to state that hub gears are not maintenance free as erroneously stated in some bike adverts; they just need a lot less than derailleurs.

Anyway, further bedtime reading is provided in the below links as well as the standard links on the right on the front page of this blog:

Shimano Tech Tips

Shimano Tech Docs

Sheldon Brown Nexus 8 Speed Service Manual - pretty good and comprehensive - Sheldon's site should be a staple if you want to keep up with bike maintenance IMHO.