Shimano Alfine 8 Internal Gear Hub Bearing Adjustment.
03-02-11, 02:17 PM
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Shimano Alfine 8 Internal Gear Hub Bearing Adjustment.
Hi all,
I'm building a bike with a new Alfine 8 hub and I'm wondering if I should adjust the bearing cones before installing it. It feels like it might be a little rough/tight. I can't find any information online regarding bearing adjustment.
Should I adjust it? If so, how? There appears to be an adjustable cone and lock-nut on each side. Any insight would be appreciated.
I'm building a bike with a new Alfine 8 hub and I'm wondering if I should adjust the bearing cones before installing it. It feels like it might be a little rough/tight. I can't find any information online regarding bearing adjustment.
Should I adjust it? If so, how? There appears to be an adjustable cone and lock-nut on each side. Any insight would be appreciated.
03-03-11, 06:12 PM
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Originally Posted by RaleighBikeGuy
Hi all,
I'm building a bike with a new Alfine 8 hub and I'm wondering if I should adjust the bearing cones before installing it. It feels like it might be a little rough/tight. I can't find any information online regarding bearing adjustment.
Should I adjust it? If so, how? There appears to be an adjustable cone and lock-nut on each side. Any insight would be appreciated.
I'm building a bike with a new Alfine 8 hub and I'm wondering if I should adjust the bearing cones before installing it. It feels like it might be a little rough/tight. I can't find any information online regarding bearing adjustment.
Should I adjust it? If so, how? There appears to be an adjustable cone and lock-nut on each side. Any insight would be appreciated.
You can adjust the preload as normal from the left side.
03-07-11, 10:54 AM
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Originally Posted by Dan Burkhart
Adjust from the non drive side only. Do not mess with the drive side cones.
You can adjust the preload as normal from the left side.
You can adjust the preload as normal from the left side.
03-07-11, 11:23 AM
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Most factories intentionally set hub cones on the tight side of perfect. There are a number of good reasons for this.
The first is that in the real world nothing is ever truly perfect. There's always a degree of variation (tolerance). In the case of hubs it's better to err on the tight side than loose, because tight will resolve with break in and loose won't.
Also OEMs prefer hubs on the tight side because any bearing play causes nightmares when building and aligning wheels, so better tight during the build, and adjusted/corrected downstream.
Lastly, even with hand adjustment, there's still a degree of tolerance. Here too, marginally tight is better than marginally loose, as it stabilizes the bearing better, preventing vibration and excess wear.
The first is that in the real world nothing is ever truly perfect. There's always a degree of variation (tolerance). In the case of hubs it's better to err on the tight side than loose, because tight will resolve with break in and loose won't.
Also OEMs prefer hubs on the tight side because any bearing play causes nightmares when building and aligning wheels, so better tight during the build, and adjusted/corrected downstream.
Lastly, even with hand adjustment, there's still a degree of tolerance. Here too, marginally tight is better than marginally loose, as it stabilizes the bearing better, preventing vibration and excess wear.
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FB
Chain-L site
An ounce of diagnosis is worth a pound of cure.
“Never argue with an idiot. He will only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.”, George Carlin
“One accurate measurement is worth a thousand expert opinions” - Adm Grace Murray Hopper - USN
WARNING, I'm from New York. Thin skinned people should maintain safe distance.
