Shimano Nexus 8-speed and LX shifters



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Michael Lanches

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The time has come to ditch the rear wheel of my commuter! The rim no longer round and cannot be
trued by adjustment of the spokes.

I thought it would then also be a good time to ditch the cluster and rear derailer and go for
a Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub. I will also probably need a chain tensioner as the dropout a
nearly vertical

My questions are:

Is a 1997 8-speed LX rapid fire shifter compatable with the hub ?

Is there a reasonably priced chain tensioner ? Most I've seen in Aussie land are around $50.00

TIA,

Regards,

--
_______________________________________________________
Michael Lanchester
 
Michael Lanchester wrote:

> The time has come to ditch the rear wheel of my commuter! The rim no longer round and cannot be
> trued by adjustment of the spokes.
>
> I thought it would then also be a good time to ditch the cluster and rear derailer and go for a
> Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub. I will also probably need a chain tensioner as the dropout a nearly
> vertical
>
> My questions are:
>
> Is a 1997 8-speed LX rapid fire shifter compatable with the hub ?

No. You need the specific shifter for the hub. There have been two models announced, one is a twist
grip, t'other a "Tap Fire" pushbutton deal. Both are integrated with a brake lever, unfortunately.

> Is there a reasonably priced chain tensioner ? Most I've seen in Aussie land are around $50.00

You can use an old derailer.

Vertical dropouts present another issue with Nexus hubs, due to the way the cable connects to the
hub, and the need for a special anti-rotation washer on the axle.

I address this in my Nexus technical page:

http://sheldonbrown.com/nexus-mech.html

Sheldon "Deep In The Heart Of Nexus" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------+
| A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually | on sympathy, education, and social ties
| and needs; | no religious basis is necessary. | Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be
| | restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward | after death. --Albert Einstein |
+-------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton, Massachusetts
Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts shipped Worldwide
http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
 
In article <4010a67a$0$895$61c65585@uq-127creek-reader-02.brisbane.pipenetworks.com.au>,
michael@remove_this_ronrumble.com.au says...
>The time has come to ditch the rear wheel of my commuter! The rim no longer round and cannot be
>trued by adjustment of the spokes. I thought it would then also be a good time to ditch the cluster
>and rear derailer and go for a Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub. I will also probably need a chain
>tensioner as the dropout a nearly vertical My questions are: Is a 1997 8-speed LX rapid fire
>shifter compatable with the hub ? Is there a reasonably priced chain tensioner ? Most I've seen in
>Aussie land are around $50.00

You can use an old derailleur as a chain tensioner. I'm sure you could find an old derialleur cheap,
if not free.
--------------
Alex
 
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE-----

In article <[email protected]>, Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote:
>Michael Lanchester wrote:
>
>> The time has come to ditch the rear wheel of my commuter! The rim no longer round and cannot be
>> trued by adjustment of the spokes.
>>
>> I thought it would then also be a good time to ditch the cluster and rear derailer and go for a
>> Shimano Nexus 8-speed hub. I will also probably need a chain tensioner as the dropout a nearly
>> vertical
>>
>> My questions are:
>>
>> Is a 1997 8-speed LX rapid fire shifter compatable with the hub ?
>
>No. You need the specific shifter for the hub. There have been two models announced, one is a twist
>grip, t'other a "Tap Fire" pushbutton deal. Both are integrated with a brake lever, unfortunately.
>
>> Is there a reasonably priced chain tensioner ? Most I've seen in Aussie land are around $50.00
>
>You can use an old derailer.
>

_ An old campy record derailluer is cheaper and works better than any chain tensioner. It might even
be lighter. You can pick one up for about $30 on ebay.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=3655830669&category=27950

_ Plus it will horrify purists to see such a beautiful piece of machinery abused in such fashion.

_ Booker C. Bense

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Sheldon Brown <[email protected]> wrote:

:> Is a 1997 8-speed LX rapid fire shifter compatable with the hub ?

: No. You need the specific shifter for the hub. There have been two models announced, one is a
: twist grip, t'other a "Tap Fire" pushbutton deal. Both are integrated with a brake lever,
: unfortunately.

I picked up an Nexus 7-speed hub on Ebay -- do you think it would work with my bar-end shifter in
friction mode?

Also, I've been meaning to try to make my own no-turn washer, suitable for vertical dropouts (which
seems like it would be preferable to modifying the dropouts), but I'm having trouble figuring out
how to drill a square sided hole. Best I've come up with is I could drill two small holes, and then
spend several hours shaping it with a dremel. Any other suggestions?

Thanks,

- mark

:> Is there a reasonably priced chain tensioner ? Most I've seen in Aussie land are around $50.00

: You can use an old derailer.

: Vertical dropouts present another issue with Nexus hubs, due to the way the cable connects to the
: hub, and the need for a special anti-rotation washer on the axle.

: I address this in my Nexus technical page:

: http://sheldonbrown.com/nexus-mech.html

: Sheldon "Deep In The Heart Of Nexus" Brown +-------------------------------------------------------
: +
: | A man's ethical behavior should be based effectually | on sympathy, education, and social ties
: | and needs; | no religious basis is necessary. | Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to
: | be | restrained by fear of punishment and hope of reward | after death. --Albert Einstein |
: +-------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
: Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
: shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
 
Mark Vieselmeyer wrote:

> :> Is a 1997 8-speed LX rapid fire shifter compatable with the hub ?

I replied:

> : No. You need the specific shifter for the hub. There have been two models announced, one is a
> : twist grip, t'other a "Tap Fire" pushbutton deal. Both are integrated with a brake lever,
> : unfortunately.
>
> I picked up an Nexus 7-speed hub on Ebay -- do you think it would work with my bar-end shifter in
> friction mode?

Anything will "work" with a friction shifter, but running an internal-geared hub without the proper
indexing is very risky.

> Also, I've been meaning to try to make my own no-turn washer, suitable for vertical dropouts
> (which seems like it would be preferable to modifying the dropouts), but I'm having trouble
> figuring out how to drill a square sided hole. Best I've come up with is I could drill two small
> holes, and then spend several hours shaping it with a dremel. Any other suggestions?

A file would be more appropriate than a Dremel, but it sholdn't take "several hours."

The actual Shimano non-turn washers are hardened, but maybe you could get by with mild steel
since you don't need the serrations to keep the axle from pulling forward with vertical dropouts.
Good luck!

Sheldon "Necessity Is The Mother..." Brown +-----------------------------------------------------------
+
| Always listen to the experts. | They'll tell you what can't be done, and why. | Then do it.
| --Robert A. Heinlein |
+-----------------------------------------------------------+ Harris Cyclery, West Newton,
Massachusetts Phone 617-244-9772 FAX 617-244-1041 http://harriscyclery.com Hard-to-find parts
shipped Worldwide http://captainbike.com http://sheldonbrown.com
 
David L. Johnson wrote:
> I use a 7-speed hub on my tandem which has vertical dropouts...

How long have you used it that way? A tandem seems like a pretty demanding application for an
internal hub. If it's durable in that application, it should handle any abuse I could dish out
on a single.

Dave dvt at psu dot edu
 
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