Bicycle Mechanics - help with new Shimano Nexus 8spd

I just got a bike from bikesdirect with an 8spd Shimano Nexus IGH, & I am having trouble getting it properly adjusted.

We have lined up the 2 yellow lines while in 4th gear using the shifting cable. When we shift gears & then come back to 4th, the lines are no longer aligned.

It also is not shifting smoothly. I can turn the shifter & the number changes, but the gear the bike is actually in does not change. If I turn it another 1 or 2 gears on the shifter, it may suddenly shift, skipping several gears. It also will not go into 7th or 8th gear.

Any suggestion on what may be wrong & how to fix it?

It sounds like the shift housing is kinked, crushed or an end not properly finished or inserted in the shifter or frame stop correctly. Or the shift wire is binding, frayed or not in the shifter correctly. If you are not comfortable with working on your bike or can't figure it out take it to your local bike shop and pay them to set it up properly. Have them check out the rest of the bike while they are at it, the brakes especially. They should be fine with doing this for you and should charge their regular rate.

Thanks for the response!

I'm not afraid of trying to work on the bike, just not at all experienced. I think we will try completely disconnecting & then reconnecting the shift cable. The Shimano instruction sheet is not the easiest thing to follow, but we can probably figure it out. If that doesn't fix things, we'll take it to a LBS- that will be a bit disappointing because my husband has already put quite a bit of time into the assembly so far & I bet we could have just paid them to assemble the bike for not much more than it will cost to fix the shifter.

Check that the cassette joint is properly installed. (You'll need to remove the wheel for this.) and that the shift cable is properly routed over the spool.
Shifting issues with these hubs are almost always related to cable issues such as these.

Sorry to ask the obvious, but do you have the lock nut installed that prevents back rotation of the hub?

238021

I agree on the cable make sure the housings are properly seated everywhere. which bike? some pics may help too

"We" (actually my husband, since I was at work all day) rerouted the cable around the cassette & it is shifting smoothly now.

Thanks for the advice. Bike Forums is a great resource!

Glad you got your new bike set up. I've had my new Bikes Direct Windsor Oxford bike for a week. Once I set up and adjusted the bike, it has been trouble free. I've had a great week of commuting with the bike, plus a nice loop around my local lake with it.