Nexus 8 Pushbutton Shifter
 

Nexus 8 Pushbutton Shifter

Anybody used this? It says you can only go up or down one speed per tap, and I like to fling the grip-shifter from 8 down to 1 at stops, so I don't know how annoying it will be to have to hit a button 7 times for the same effect (and I'm not sure it will help with my cycling-induced tendonitis, either, which is what I'm trying to remedy by getting a new shifter). Anybody have one? Is it worth 45 bucks to try it out? Should I wait to try out the Alfine shifter?
Also: Isn't there any way I could use bar-end shifters with this hub?! Criminy!

Thanks!

Don't know anything about a push button shifter but do you really shift down to gear 1 at every stop? Not to say you shouldn't just seems strange to me. I never use gear one on my Sachs 7 speed or Shimano 7 speeds except when going up steep hills, or into really stiff winds on less steep hills. I usually start out from a stop on level ground in gear 4 and I ride a heavy bike loaded down with stuff.

I think all the internal gear shifters from shimano are one step at a time. Sounds like the internals are not for you.

Not so. I can twist shift straight through anywhere from 1-7 on my Shimano 7speed hub, no one step at a time is required.

no, not at every stop! i just mean, i can shift from 8 to 1 in a second, whenever i need to. i ride on a lot of hills, up and down, so i want to be able to shift quickly. i guess i wouldn't have to, but i do wonder if the tapping motion would be better or worse for my arm. hm. maybe it's just trading the devil i know for the one i dont :o



edit: here's the alfine shifter:
http://terrengsykkel.no/img/magasin/...re-SL-S500.jpg
looks like it might be better for my needs (?) but i can't find it for sale on the internet except attached to a jamis bike.

the alfine rapid shifter is Shimano SL-S500.

You're right. It looks like Nexus-7 has a twist shifter option and maybe the Nexus-8 only comes in a twist shift. All of my Nexi have the push-button stepper. But even that one is simple to rapidly click to any gear position.

the new jamis commuter comes with the alfine rapid shifters for the nexus 8, and there's a ridgeback model (?) that uses the tapfire shifters. i wonder if i can go to my lbs and try out one of the nexus 7s with the tapfire shifters on it? i should call them up.

I use the nexus 8 twist shifter on a set of drop bars. I like the twist action. The push button shifter seems like more work. Also if it is integrated into the brake lever, you are limited on handle bar types and lever types if you ever want to change your current set up.

yeah, but i my twist shifter is already integrated with the brake. but my bike is basically a fancy cruiser, so i hope i won't ever want to put drop bars on it :) i do wonder if i'll have room for the shifter/brake unit on the north road bars i ordered, though.



cool bike, huh ornery? i kind of wish it weren't called "COMMUTER" though.

My Surly has an older 7sp Nexus with a thumb rocker shifter. My Bianchi has an 8sp with twist grip. I much prefer the older rocker. This new shifter looks pretty cool.

Hey, cool! I still don't think it can shift faster than my bar-ends, though. :)

Anyone used the Shimano Afline SG-S500 (8 speed), There is a Cannondale Badboy that uses this and I think thinking of getting one. How do teh gears compare to say a traditional 16 speed (8 speed rear cassette, 2 cog front). Ideally I'd like a decent low gears for decent hills, but a good high gears for good top speeds.

Haven't tried the new Nexus/Afline hub,so can't compare to the older ones,but if you want to compare gearing you can use Sheldon's calculator.

http://sheldonbrown.com/gears/

So what exactly is the difference between the tapfire and rapidfire (alfine) shifters?

Is it that you always use your thumb to operate the tapfire whereas with the rapidfire you use your thumb to upshift and index finger to downshift?

Nexus 8 and Alfine use the same shifters. If you want a stand alone thumb shifter, the Alfine works on the Nexus. The Alfine thumb shifter I have is a single step, 7 pushes for full range. I run a Nexus gripshift in all my Alfine/Nexus bikes, never knew I was a grip shift guy until I went Shimano IGH.

The Nexus Tapfire ST-8S20 uses the brake lever as the shift lever (STI style). I like to ride my brake levers a bit so would be worried about unintentional shifts.
I use the Alfine rapidfire levers SL-S500 and they are 1 shift per click but you can shift 3 or four clicks pretty rapidly (maybe all that clarinet practice payed off).
Im not sure if you can use the Tapfire on Alfine but in theory they should work.

The range is ~300%, that means you can have 30" to 90", 35" to 105" etc. The issue with the Alfine/Nexus 8 hubs is the steps, they aren't consistant and the 5th-to-6th gear step is huge. My wife, an experienced rider, hated it so much she made me put a derallieur back on her bike. The SRAM i-Motion 9 is better in this regard, the steps are consistant, has the same ~300% range.

I have the Nexus 8 speed IGH on my Jamis Commuter 3.0. I rarely use 8th and I rarely use 1st. It only takes a couple of index finger or thumb shifts on most rides. I usually start out in 3rd or 4th from a stop and shift up or down accordingly while I ride. IMO - there's no need to multi-shift on a regular basis. If I'm approaching a steep hill, which I do daily, I downshift shortly after I begin to ascend, then downshift once again about 1/2 of the way up.

I feel it's fairly the same as when you drive a stick shift in a car. I wouldn't downshift or upshift more than one gear at a time. You shouldn't go from 5-1 going up and wouldn't go from 1-5 going down...

this is a gripe for me about the rapidfire shifter. also, it hurts my thumb to keep pushing all the time. wish I had the grip shifter and am thinking of swapping out for it instead.

To be clear, Nexus and Alfine use compatible shifters, but the "Nexus" line of shifters is not the same as the "Alfine" line of shifters. Specifically, the Nexus line includes a twist/grip shifter with or without brake lever and a "Tapfire" shifter with brake lever, while the Alfine line consists of just a "Rapidfire" shifter.

I have the Alfine "Rapidfire" shifter. I thought I would like it because I've used similar "trigger" shifters (ie shifting is done with the index finger, as if pulling the trigger of a gun) on derailleur equipped bikes, but I don't because the Alfine Rapidfire shifter is just too big and takes up too much space on my handlebars.

So I'm considering the smaller Nexus tapfire or grip shifters. However, if the tapfire shifter isn't a trigger shifter (and I'm pretty sure it isn't) then I don't want it, which I guess by default makes me a grip shift guy too. Truth be told my only problem with grip shifters is that I can't always get a good grip when wet, but I guess if I want to save handlebar real estate while preserving my ability to shift quickly I'll just have to start wearing gloves.

I don't think the Nexus Tapfire is quite like an STI shifter. While it does have a shifter lever located in a similar position to STI, the lever only upshifts (downshifting is accomplished with a separate button).

My question is, which finger does one use to operate the Tapfire upshift lever?

Doesn't bother me because I'd ride a 3 speed with a 300% range if they made one. As far as I'm concerned the uneven steps are stepover land.

Another question is are there any offbrand twist shifters compatible with the nexus/alfine hubs?

I know there's a brifter from Versa and a barend shifter from Jtek, but how about shifters like the ones Shimano makes but with perhaps better build quality?

Freaking AEbike wants to charge me a 15% restocking fee on my Alfine shifter (SL-S500).

Anyone want to buy it from me for $45 (shipping included)? I took it out of the box to look at it but never mounted it on my bike so it's brand spanking new. My loss is your gain.

I am building up an Alfine commuter. Anyone heard when the Jtek will be available again? I want to be able to use the VO porteur bars, which are road diameter. I thought the Alfine shifter could be modded to fit, but it seems that it would need to be machined to fit.

I built a drop bar road frame with the Alfine hub and the Jtek bar end shifter which I really like. So far as I know it and the Versa brifter are the only aftermarket shifters yet made for the Nexus 8 and Alfine hubs. Still better off as far as shifter types go than the SRAM, NuVinci and Rohloff hubs which ONLY offer twist shifters.

The SRAM iM9 has a noticeably wider overall range than the Nexus8 and Alfine hubs, 340% versus 305% IIRC. As mentioned by another poster the SRAM gear steps are considerably more even. If you do not mind the weight the NuVinci has no steps, being continuously variable from low to high.

I have all of them, except the Nexus8, on various bikes.