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Hi all
My Alfine 8 hub is suddenly making a weird grinding noise. Any ideas?
It was fine last Friday, then I removed the wheel (as I've done dozens of times with no issue) to replace brake pads on Sunday, Monday morning I get a weird grinding noise/sensation through the pedals?
The grinding noise happens only under significant torque. Freewheels silently, spins freely on the stand, only grinds when under load pedalling.
I've taken it all apart and can find nothing installed or aligned incorrectly. Cassette joint aligned fine, all the dots line up, no play in wheel bearings, nothing catching, cable indicator marks align top n bottom. Definitely the r hub as the BB is fine.
No grinding noise if you remove the cassette joint is removed and you run it effectively in bottom gear. Otherwise grinding happens in all 8 gears exactly matched to cadence (i.e. not speed of bike).
It's about a year old, done 5k miles, was serviced by Bike (regreased as its an 8 not an 11) 31st July.
I'm stumped, other than taking the gear train out, which I don't have tools for. Any ideas?
There is a large ball race which went on mine before the cup and cones were ****ed.
It's accessible before you need to mess with the igh bit.
Was available cheaply from sjs cycles
Is that driveside or nondriveside? I dissassembled to repack with extra grease the NDS wheel bearings when I got it (as per Sheldon Brown’s advice). Couldn’t get near anything that resembled a ball race on the driveside without Alfine specific tool (I got the sprocket, sprocket circlip, driver cap and cassette joint off, no further)
A-ha! Just figured out where I was going wrong. I’ll whip the gear train out tomorrow and take a peek.
This is the ball bearing race you’re on about?:
https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/hub-spares/shimano-alfine-sgs700-ball-retainer-s-316-x-26-37r-9805/
Looks identical, except I got the 500 series numbered one.
Not sure if different.
Ta!
What's the rider weight limit on these hubs again?
There isn't one. Nor a torque limit. I know of folk using them on MTB tandems. Generally very reliable the alfine 8. Just needs its annual oil bath and they go on for ever. Very susceptible to cable tension and bearing adjustment tho