radlr wrote:vanGoose wrote:Hi, long time no see...
Calling just to say: "Second's Out!".
My book grew to 52 pages, contains more photographs and - maybe - can start further discussions about the "magic" within pawl engagement profiles...
Here is your link for everybody who is curious:
https://c.gmx.net/@329602864890517692/P ... EjXCnpZyCwA few notes:
5. The link is valid until 2018-06-21.
Comments welcome - enjoy!
Hi vanGoose, I guess I missed the time to download your book on A11 disection. Would you please make another link?
Thank you very much.
-Radlr
radir, sorry for not being around recently. I preferred to ride rather than write...
Link has been renewed, valid for 30 days again. THIS is supposed to work:
https://c.gmx.net/@329602864890517692/P ... EjXCnpZyCw (actually same link as before but validity is now extended)
Everybody is free to download and share, as you like. PLEASE NOTE:
All my books are about the "old" A-11 i.e. the SG-S700. I never owned or opened the new version SG-S7001 series hubs. Those newer versions seem to have undergone improvements and do no longer torture their owners afaik. Even with the old SG-S700, there were multiple versions out there. I personally own two and they use different axle units. My book shows both and discusses some differences.
I would like to add a few expieriences i recently had:
I got both units for free and played for hours, no weeks, with the internals. The first set i touched and had ready for riding had previously suffered so far that what was left to operate was a "A-10", not a "A-11". Things worsened and in July 2018 i changed to the second unit which is now in operation.
The first unit never worked as should. Gear 10 and (less troubleful though) gear 5 were not ok, i stopped using no.10 because it slipped almost continuously (i.e. at least once every 10 pedal revolutions). The funny thing is, though, that gear 5&10 have exactly the same pawl setting active. Sure, it is a different section of the pawl selector sleeve, but the scheme still is same. I may try and get to the bottom of it next winter. Few weeks later it got messed up in a way that (as i suppose) the non-turn-springs on the left side probably escaped. The unit started ratcheting noises all the time and more gears (most often no.
started to slip. Until swapping to unit #2, i rode unit #1 for @3000km in total.
Sure, when you encounter such behaviour, it is not a good idea to keep riding, especially when having a second set available. But, lazy as i am, i still did for some weeks. I think that, if i feel like playing again during long cold winter nights, i will re-open unit #1 and look inside. I think that the failures may have to do something with AXIAL play. As we know, item no. 3 in the Shimano exploded view (stop ring LHS) is available in 3 thicknesses so as to compensate for axial play coming from shims (item no. 4&7) wear/tolerances. Too much of axial play enables the spring(s) no. 5&6 to escape, but before that what we may see is tilting of the latched pawls due to axial play of planetary gears/sun wheels. If nobody else is ahead of me with analysing then perhaps this will be what my next book may be about.
The second unit is now operating "trouble-free" since @1000km ride. Once in a while it gets mad at me slipping gear 5 and 10 (yes those two again), but this is really rarely happening only. This unit is a "true A-11". It will hopefully stay like that...
One comment about you people wondering if an old SG-S700 (Alfine-11), a SG-S501 (Alfine-8) or any of the 7000 series is recommendable to try:
Do definitely not touch SG-S700's, no matter how cheap they are. Obviously, the redesign (my unit #2) is more reliable than before, but you will not know which version you get because both were marked same "type". There certainly is some link to serial numbers but i do not know about any details.
The SG-S501 is very reliable eversince, i rode my own for 8 years (>30000km). BUT: The gear stepping is very unequal. If you ever rode a A-11 or even a Rohloff, then you will be annoyed with the unequal stepping of an A-8. The A-11 is a real improvement in that regard. My old A-8 was now moved to the "guests" bicycle (replacing a Spectro-S7), but i do not want to go back myself, now that i enjoyed the A-11.
When you are stuck between SG-S7001-8 (successor of SGS501 Alfine-8) and SG-S7001-11 (latest Alfine-11) then please take a while and think about the benefit of equally spaced gears. In my personal sense it is worth the money. The only "better" hub available is the Rohloff (i ride one on my "tandem" bicycle, a Hase Pino, together with the most wonderful lady on earth) and this hub is really much harder to pay.
Conclusion: Dig deep in your wallet. If you can't afford a Rohloff then go for the 7001-11 - you will love it for many years. If this is still too expensive then go for the Alfine-8, but be aware that you will hate it in the long run even though it is very reliable. The "standard" Nexus-8 is not a good alternative. Its ETA is far below the Alfine's, one can easily notice that. Do you want to spend force on driving or on the hub?? When selecting Shimano IGH, then go for Alfine's. When you can afford it then go for a SG-S7001-11.