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Alfine SG-G501 Service Manual....? <RANT>

StuInTokyo

Maximum Pace
Dec 3, 2010
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... and then frustration set in :mad:

Shimano Japan are a bunch of asshats, they should be taken out and whipped with some very light gauge spokes, bastards.

I have a Shimano Alfine 8 Speed Hub, SG-501. It is now a year old, I've put over 2500 hard kilometers on the bike, no complaints at all, but now, I am noticing that it sticks sometimes when shifting, and not in any specific gear, just in general, both in up shift and down shifts. Doing some research on the net, I find that it is recommended to take the unit apart, and clean it then regease and oil the unit once a year, or if used in a very wet enviroment for daily comuting, think Seattle, then twice a year. I took the bike to my LBS and asked them if they could do this service, and I got the arms crossed and a stern "Dame" I went to several other shops and all said the same thing, there are special tools, which cost about 20,000 yen and it is a complex item, so shop seems interested in tackling the problem.

OK, I'll do it myself, then I can do it twice a year and make this hub last a long time, as I get a lot of use out of it. I ordered and got all the special tools, grease and oil for doing the maintainence, but now I cannot for the life of me find a service manual. I found the service manual for the >> Nexus SG-8R20 <<

I called Shimano in Osaka, well my lovely wife did, and we went back and forth with them about a service manual, the would not even admit that one exists, the said stupid things like "We don't have a service manual, Shimano mechanics have to got to a seminar to learn how to work on said hub, how stupid is that, really? So my LBS guy gets a customer with an Alfine hub and it needs fixing, he calls Shimano and they will sell him parts, and tools, but he, and the customer have to wait for the LBS guy to attend a seminar before the bike can be fixed....? Come on, I was born at night, but it wasn't last night :rolleyes: Finally after about 45 minutes they admit that there is a service manual for the hub, but they cannot sell it to me, because I'm not a "Shimmano Certified Tech" or whatever they call it. :mad: Now the SG-8R20 service manual is up on Shimano's website for the whole world to see for FREE but they won't sell me the service manual for the SG-G501 hub, which, BTW is NOT the newest Alfine hub, there are newer models!

OK does anyone know someone that can order this service manual from Shimano? I'll gladly pay for it.

The hub is the Alfine 8 Speed SG-G501 I want a service manual, like the one for the older Nexus Hub linked above, NOT an exploded parts diagram, NOT the one sheet of paper tha comes with the new hub showing you how to change cogs but a real service manual.

Please, someone help me out!

PS I'll be calling Shimano USA via Skype later today when they wake up in California to see if the Yanks can help me out.

Somedays, the attitude here really makes me want to tear my hair out, even my wife was getting frustrated by the inaine double talk and BS they were spouting, and people wonder why Japan has been stuck in this economic death spiral for so long..... :mad:
 
On the other hand , this is exactly why Japan is such a great place for cutthroat distributors, idiot dealers and even more idiot consumers willing to pay anything 'just because'.
 
Call them back and tell them you are now condidering changing your entire fleet of delivery bikes to Rohloff.
 
Call them back and tell them you are now condidering changing your entire fleet of delivery bikes to Rohloff.

LOL :)

It's true that cleaning and doing an oil change on a Rohloff is embarrassingly easy. Like syringing your ears, but less messy.
 
Patience, my friend.

I had a similar runaround to get part for Sarah Outen's bike's brakes. The local distributor was very helpful up to the point of actually selling me anything useful, because 'these things are not end-user-serviceable'.

(We wanted to mount braided hydraulic hoses. This involved modifying the frame with various dental surgery tools. Can't imagine the LBS taking that on!)

Back to your problem. We have two sympathetic Y's Road staff on the forum. If Y's Road doesn't have a few Shimano Certified Technicians on their staff then who does? So ask Y's Road to order the manual for you.

And when you get it, get your revenge on Shi(t)mano by posting the manual AND a YouTube video of your successful servicing.

Speaking of which

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFOMD2q5-o4
 

Yeah, saw that, thanks.

I think that the oil bath with the right oil should take care of most maintenance problems, maybe degrease it first, but as a long term owner of this hub, I just want the blooddy service manual, what is so odd about that? I caught the LMCBS guy just now, and gave him a short version, basically I want a service manual, like a 20+ page type of thing that I have for the Nexus hub for this hub, can he get one? He said he will call Shimano and try to get one, might end up with one in Japanese :rolleyes:

I'm thinking that the one for the Nexus hub will be fine, but I guess we shall see, if there is one for the Alfine, I still want it :D
 
Patience, my friend.

I had a similar runaround to get part for Sarah Outen's bike's brakes. The local distributor was very helpful up to the point of actually selling me anything useful, because 'these things are not end-user-serviceable'.

(We wanted to mount braided hydraulic hoses. This involved modifying the frame with various dental surgery tools. Can't imagine the LBS taking that on!)

Back to your problem. We have two sympathetic Y's Road staff on the forum. If Y's Road doesn't have a few Shimano Certified Technicians on their staff then who does? So ask Y's Road to order the manual for you.

And when you get it, get your revenge on Shi(t)mano by posting the manual AND a YouTube video of your successful servicing.

Speaking of which

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lFOMD2q5-o4

I'd not seen that video yet, domo!

Why am I NOT surprised by your story about Sarah's bike :rolleyes:

Now where did you get the idea that I'd scan the manual and post it on the net, tut tut Mike, I'd NEVER do that...... :eek: :D
 
ps, that is for the nexus 8, but according to them its the same procedures for the alfine.
 
http://lockies.blogspot.com/2009/09/shimano-alfine-hub-gear-rebuild.html

Here's a simple picture explanation. I've torn apart dozens of planetary gearboxes - pretty sure we can handle this, Stu. I'm sure it's easier than the rear tail rotor transmission of a Hillar.

I agree that we can handle this, and will, the Nexus rebuild service manual should be enough, but I'm now at the point where I WANT Shimano to cough up the Alfine service manual, just because they are being asshats :D

I'm now waiting on the oil to show up, when it does, hopefully before Sunday, I'll tackle this on Sunday.

BTW Tim, did you find me a better replacement for my front chainwheel on this bike? 39T standard road bike sizing.

Cheers!
 
Ya, Shimano can be a PIA. But they are not the only ones who pull this crap. Look at Mavic. But a cheap off the shelf production bike with not so special rims and some have stickers with their ERD measurements etc. Go buy some decent Mavic rims to build something up and you need a $#$! partner site login just to get some silly measurements. Yes, I am aware you can measure them directly but when your trying to order online matching spokes at the same time it kind of makes things frustrating eh.
 
Well an update, my LMCBS guy who has been a Shimano Tech, or whatever they call it, for 30+ years called Shimano Japan, requesting a service manual that he could use to service the Alfine hub, they sent him the exploded parts diagram :rolleyes: He called them back and said "WTF?" They confessed that they did not have a manual of any kind for the Alfine hub. He then asked them for the manual for the Nexus hub, like the PDF linked above, they only had it in English, not in Japanese. To say he was POed is an understatement. :D

He asked them what he should do if a customer has one of these hubs and it needs servicing, as in it is busted, they said "If it is still under warranty Shimano will replace it, if it is not, just buy a new hub....."
He also told me that he goes to the seminars they talk about every year, and they NEVER teach anything about servicing stuff, they basically go over the new products and how to sell them to people.

Looks like the Nexus service manual is as good as it will get, Shimano is really screwing the pooch on this I think :rolleyes:
 
I wonder if this is the same case for the afline 11. I suspect it probably is, in which case once this one goes boom I will certainly be looking at the rohloff.
 
Well an update, my LMCBS guy who has been a Shimano Tech, or whatever they call it, for 30+ years called Shimano

He asked them what he should do if a customer has one of these hubs and it needs servicing, as in it is busted, they said "If it is still under warranty Shimano will replace it, if it is not, just buy a new hub....." :rolleyes:

As a business model this makes sense since these hubs are used on consumer bikes the replace or buy option is best, like with Apple mobile devices the customers keep coming back even if serviceability of parts is next to zero.
 
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