Internally Geared Hubs (IGH)
An internally geared hub with drum brake replaces many parts:
Rat City Bikes is committed to selling and servicing internally geared hubs and bikes so equipped.
Internally Geared Hub Labor Rates
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Pictures of hubs we have serviced: |
If your Local Bicycle Shop won't work on your hub then we will. However, encouraging your LBS to fix your hub will encourage the bicycle industry to support parts and service.
Bike shops: scroll to the bottom of this page for our IGH Service Notes.
HOW TO PROCEED
Particular hub Labor Rates. Extra dirty or hubs with antique grease may incur an extra cleaning charge.
Parts are extra. Tax is only charged on labor for out-of-state orders. BOX AND SHIP YOUR WHEEL
2. Protect the axle: Your LBS has plastic axle protectors usually for free. You can use blocks of wood with a slightly smaller than 3/8" hole drilled (11/32" or 23/64") half way through. This allows a tight fit to the axle. Use at least 1 3/4"" thick wood (like a 2x4) or the wood blocks will split. Secure the axle protectors to the wheel with black electrical tape (shown at right). DO NOT USE DUCT TAPE. It gets very sticky and messy. We charge $20 to remove it from spokes.....seriously!
3. Protect the rim: Ship the wheel with the tire pumped to 40 psi (even if shipping via air, the tire will not explode).
4. Box the wheel: Your LBS has One-Wheel Boxes. Fill the spaces on either side of the wheel with rolls of cardboard (see picture below). Do NOT fill box with bubble wrap, packing peanuts or wadded newspaper. They offer little protection. We charge $30 to deal with packing peanuts! Tape ALL 6 seams on the box. Run packing tape lengthwise down the seams instead of across them. This seals better than the UPS Shipping Instructions
5. Include all parts: Please include the hub end shift mechanism (indicator chain, bell crank, shift rods, cassette joint). Include all axle nuts and non-turn washers. Exception: We do not need the SRAM click-box.
6. Attach a note to the spokes of the wheel with your name, address, phone and email and a brief desciption of the symptom.
Shipping option: To save shipping you may send us just the hub. Please let us know first, if you are choosing this option because some hubs require the rim to use as leverage to remove the internals.
Shipping Address:
Rat City Bikes
(206) 938-9795
We recommend BikeFlights.com or ShipBikes.com
PAYMENT
RETURN SHIPPING
RE-INSTALLING YOUR WHEEL
More Internal Geared Hub Info:
Internal Gear Hub Calculation Table ( Google download)
We service and stock parts for nearly all internally geared hubs.
Shimano
If you can't find it at your LBS, then email us at aaron@rideyourbike.com.
If we don't have your part we recommend: Old Bike Trader in the UK.
IT IS VERY IMPORTANT THAT ALL INTERNALLY GEARED HUBS, HAVE LUBRICANT (Oil and Grease)
SRAM i-Motion 9
This hub was ridden less than one year in Seattle.
It is easy to add lube to this hub. Simply remove one rotor bolt (or dust cap if no rotor is installed) and inject 90 weight gear oil. We use Phil Wood Tenacious Oil. Just make sure you wipe any oil off the rotor! Rotors should be cleaned with isopropyl alcohol. Even with oiling, IGH hubs should still be overhauled once a year with heavy or extreme use (example: commuting in Seattle).
Shimano Nexus 8 Speed Internally Geared Hub with Roller Brake
This hub was ridden less than one year in Seattle. Neither the shop nor Shimano used enough grease and oil for NW weather.
Below is a picture of the void where oil will pool when the bike is at rest.
Growing up in Seattle, we know rain! Corrosion prevention is one of our main objectives as mechanics. Sheldon Brown agrees!
This is what the stock lube looks like after about a year's riding in Ohio, mostly fair weather. Note how the white grease on the ball bearings has already turned dark. Metal has worn from the races an discolored the grease. There was no wear on the races but left un-checked the hub would only last another year or two before the contaminated grease broke down and stopped protecting the races letting pitting happen.
It is extremely important to make sure your axle nuts are tight (30 foot-pounds each MINIMUM!). Grease or heavy oil the threads prior to installing the nuts. Check the torque once in a while. As you can see the axle threads were damaged from the axle trying to rotate in the non-turn washers. This is minor damage but it still made lockwasher removal moderately difficult. The axle is softer than the non-turn washers, but harder than most frames. If the axle does manage to rotate, your frame or hub may suffer frame damage (as pictured below).
Also note the marks and recess created by the non-turn washer's teeth. This happened because the axle nut threads were not greased and torqued to 32-35 foot-pounds. Axle movement is the enemy! But since bicycles are put together by folks that may or may not know all the proper methods, dropouts should be built with replaceable steel inserts. Better yet, a steel frame!
Below is what happened to a Shimano Alfine 8 speed hub when the axle rotated.
Hebie Chainglider
We have imported all the repair & common wear parts for the SRAM Spectro 7 speed hub.
We figured that since we sell Schlumpf Drives, we should stock the parts for them!
Schlumpf Mountain Drive
We are an unauthorized service center for Rohloff.
We can drill your Rohloff hubshell for 48 spokes. (please note this will void your warranty. The only Rohloff hubs that we have ever heard of cracking, are from tandems. 32 spokes may be strong enough, but the durablility is just not there for heavy loads. The guts of the hub are plenty strong!)
We can service any part from Chris King.
Shimano Roller Brake.
Shimano IM-70-R Roller Brake.
SunTour 'com' Coaster Brake
Bevel gears and shaft drives have been around as long as the bicycle. Restoration is a book written about one such bike. The Hill Climber was unique in that it shifted between 3 sets of bevel gears to change gears instead of using an internally geared hub.
Hook spanners for F&S hubs and others.
Internal Gear Hub Service
Scroll up for info, down for service.
First, send an email to aaron@rideyourbike.com with the make and model number. For older hubs send pictures of your rear wheel viewed from both sides, preferably on the bike.
We will email you back within 3 days a yes or no if we can service the hub.
Our minimum labor charge is $30 to examine your hub even if we cannot fix it. It is impossible to give to you a comprehensive and accurate estimate until we see your hub and in many cases completely tear it down. If your hub cannot be repaired for any reason (excessive wear/corrosion/lack of parts availability/expense), then your hub may be returned disassembled!
1. Clean the rim and tire of mud and grime. Wipe dirt off spokes. We will clean the hub.
Failure to clean rim will result in a $20 cleaing charge! Use biodegradable soap and a bristle brush. Boraxo cleans white wall tires well.
DO NOT SHIP WITH TIRE DEFLATED! An inflated tire will protect your rim better than any packaging.
9614 16th Avenue SW
Seattle, WA 98106
Once we are done with your wheel, we will re-box it in the same box, so use a good box! New boxes cost $15. You will recieve an email with the invoice attached. It will contain a payment link from Paypal. A Paypal account is NOT required.
WE DO NOT ACCEPT CHECKS, MONEY ORDERS OR CREDIT CARDS FOR THIS SERVICE!
Due to high shipping costs, confusion, and complaints, WE NO LONGER SHIP BOXES.
Instead we have you do it. It saves both of us a headache if something happens to the box.
We recommend you also insure your box.
Shipping labels are very easy to create. Email us the PDF file.
Your invoice will list the box weight and dimensions.
Be sure to also schedule a pick-up and tell the carrier our hours are Tu-Fri 11-7pm and closed for lunch from 2-3pm.
When you get your wheel or hub back, we strongly recommend you take it to a professional mechanic at a bike shop for installation and adjustment. Proper installation on the bike is tricky. Proper cable routing, installation and maintenance is necessary for a hub to shift properly. These are out of our control unless we service the entire bicycle.
We gurantee your hub will be properly cleaned, lubricated and will shift perfectly. All hubs are bench tested for proper shifting.
WE CANNOT BE RESPONSIBLE FOR PROBLEMS WITH YOUR HUB ONCE YOU RE-INSTALL IT.
All About Hubs
Bikesmith Design Source for IGH cogs (if you can't make it to our shop!)
Hub Stripping
John S. Allen's Drive Ratios of Bicycle Hub Gears
K A R S T I L O . n e t
NuVinci Hub Gear Comparison Chart
Sturmey-Archer Heritage
Old Bike Trader Sturmey-Archer parts in the UK
Tony Hadland's Bicycle Gears
Yahoo Geared Hub Bike Group
CLICK LINKS FOR PICTURES OF OUR PARTS DRAWERS
Sturmey-Archer 3 & 5 Speed
Other Sturmey-Archer
Sram F&S and Sachs
Rohloff
NuVinci
Schlumpf
Bendix
New Departure
Coaster Brakes
IGH Tools
ADDED TO THEM FOR USE IN THE PACIFIC NORTHWEST!
We charge $40 for oiling & greasing a new hub. Cheap!, considering that the below hubs cost over $350 each!
If you bring us your bike we can preemptivly weatherize* your hub and avoid expensive repairs.
Unfourtunately, the only way to fix this hub is replacement. The hub shell bearing races were badly pitted. The hub functioned, but with a very loud rumbling noise.
* Every metal part is coated in Phil Wood Tenacious Oil and the gears are lubricated with blue marine grease (a.k.a. boat trailer wheel bearing grease, the kind used for backing boat trailers under salt water!)
This product is perfect for most internally geared bikes. Chainring size is limited to 38, 42 or 44 teeth and rear cog size 18-22 teeth.
Models also fit Rohloff and SRAM i-Motion 9
Horizontal drop-outs or an eccentric BB are required. Chainstay lenght (rear center) should be more than 44cm
Rohloff withdrew their authorized service center status for all bike shops. However, we still have the special tools, spare parts, oil, skill and knowledge. We have seals sourced from Rohloff's source. We are more than capable of working on Rohloff (and all other brands) internally geared hubs.
Rohloff now makes 36 hole versions but that is still not enough for cargo, tandems and large people. We have never had a problem with one of our 48 hole wheels!
Improved brake shoes and heat sink / cooling fins.
Sturmey-Archer made copies of this wrench. It and all other Sturmey-Archer tools can be found at
Sturmey-ArcherParts.com
