Alfine SG-S700

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riph72
Posts: 22
Joined: 26 Oct 2021, 9:03am

Alfine SG-S700

Post by riph72 »

Hello all,
I'm looking at a bike fitted with this hub (Cube Hyde Race) - it is the 8-speed version. Shimano list three 8-speed Alfine's, which are:

* SG-S7000-8
* SG-S7001-8
* SG-S700

I'm pretty sure the S7001 is just an e-bike upgrade of the S7000, but what is the S700? Is it just an older model?

Also, am I right in thinking the S700 is grease lubricated rather than oil lubricated (via an oil port)?

Thanks,
Richard.
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simonineaston
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Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by simonineaston »

I don't think any of the S700 series were grease-lubed from the factory - I think they all left Shimano with oil in them. see here for Shimano's maintance manual
Converting to an appropriate semi-fluid grease lube seems to be a popular owner's mod. I've done it on an S700, although my S7001 remains oil-lubed and both shifted just fine.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
riph72
Posts: 22
Joined: 26 Oct 2021, 9:03am

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by riph72 »

Thanks Simon, the link you provided seems to cover the latest 11-speed hub rather than the 8-speed SG-S700, but I've had a further search at that site and have located a few docs for the SG-S700 - oddly, everything I find online suggests the SG-S700 is an 11-speed hub, barely any mention anywhere of the 8-speed version, yet they are clearly selling it!

I find this off-putting... I don't want to buy a hub that seems to have fallen through the cracks in terms of finding out information about it, servicing requirements, etc :(
Jupestar
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Joined: 29 Feb 2020, 3:03pm

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by Jupestar »

* SG-S7000-8 = 8 SPEED.
* SG-S7001-8 = 8 SPEED
* SG-S700 = 11 SPEED.

Very confusing.

The older 8 speeds are SG-S500 and SG-S501.

Thats my understanding.
Jupestar
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Joined: 29 Feb 2020, 3:03pm

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by Jupestar »

I once had a bike shop sell me an unused "8 speed" SG-S700. Couldn't get the thing to work at all, i suspect they had the same problem hence why they were selling the wheel.

Found out it was 11 speed and brought the correct shifter. Worked fine. Then a few months later the outer shell broke.
riph72
Posts: 22
Joined: 26 Oct 2021, 9:03am

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by riph72 »

Jupestar wrote: 26 Oct 2021, 11:53am * SG-S7000-8 = 8 SPEED.
* SG-S7001-8 = 8 SPEED
* SG-S700 = 11 SPEED.

Very confusing.

The older 8 speeds are SG-S500 and SG-S501.

Thats my understanding.
Yet the Cube Hyde Race comes with an SG-S700 8-speed, apparently. But if you google for this, you'd think it didn't really exist, almost everything I can find on SG-S700 refers to it as an 11-speed :?
Jupestar
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Joined: 29 Feb 2020, 3:03pm

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by Jupestar »

riph72 wrote: 26 Oct 2021, 9:20am Yet the Cube Hyde Race comes with an SG-S700 8-speed, apparently. But if you google for this, you'd think it didn't really exist, almost everything I can find on SG-S700 refers to it as an 11-speed :?
Looks like there is an 8 speed version as well.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/ ... -S700.html

Agree it's very confusing.
riph72
Posts: 22
Joined: 26 Oct 2021, 9:03am

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by riph72 »

Jupestar wrote: 26 Oct 2021, 12:28pm
riph72 wrote: 26 Oct 2021, 9:20am Yet the Cube Hyde Race comes with an SG-S700 8-speed, apparently. But if you google for this, you'd think it didn't really exist, almost everything I can find on SG-S700 refers to it as an 11-speed :?
Looks like there is an 8 speed version as well.

https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/ ... -S700.html

Agree it's very confusing.
...and the linked Dealer's Manual is for the S7000 series :lol:
riph72
Posts: 22
Joined: 26 Oct 2021, 9:03am

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by riph72 »

A quick search of eBay confirms that spares (new or otherwise) for the SG-S700 8-speed are non-existent, so I think I've seen enough TBH - I'll leave that bike where it is.

On the other hand, searching for SG-S7001 11-speed shows lots of kit for sale, so looks like a much better bet for long term repairability etc.
Jupestar
Posts: 920
Joined: 29 Feb 2020, 3:03pm

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by Jupestar »

Out of interest have you seen the bike, and identified that it has a 8 speed SG-S700?

If your just looking online, it possible that the spec is labelled wrong and its actually SG-S7000.
riph72
Posts: 22
Joined: 26 Oct 2021, 9:03am

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by riph72 »

Jupestar wrote: 26 Oct 2021, 2:06pm Out of interest have you seen the bike, and identified that it has a 8 speed SG-S700?

If your just looking online, it possible that the spec is labelled wrong and its actually SG-S7000.
I haven't seen it in person, although this possibility did cross my mind... I'll see if I can get a definitive answer from Cube!
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Sum
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Joined: 17 Jul 2010, 9:13am

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by Sum »

I think the spec is wrong and there's a typo. The website for Cube Hyde Race lists the Alfine SL-S7000 8 speed shifter with the 11 speed SG-700 hub. Definitely check with Cube, if you're interested in that bike.

The Shimano website linked above for the Shimano SG-700 is confusing. The gear range (409%) listed at the top is for the 11 speed, and if you scroll down you will see there are 11 gear ratios listed in the product specification section (you may have to click on the arrow to expand the list). But there's also a reference to the 8 speed hub gear range (306%), which I assume is for comparison, but the way it's been presented on the website is misleading.
riph72
Posts: 22
Joined: 26 Oct 2021, 9:03am

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by riph72 »

Sum wrote: 27 Oct 2021, 11:00am I think the spec is wrong and there's a typo. The website for Cube Hyde Race lists the Alfine SL-S7000 8 speed shifter with the 11 speed SG-700 hub. Definitely check with Cube, if you're interested in that bike.

The Shimano website linked above for the Shimano SG-700 is confusing. The gear range (409%) listed at the top is for the 11 speed, and if you scroll down you will see there are 11 gear ratios listed in the product specification section (you may have to click on the arrow to expand the list). But there's also a reference to the 8 speed hub gear range (306%), which I assume is for comparison, but the way it's been presented on the website is misleading.
Oddly, the SL-S7000 looks like the right shifter, according to Shimano's website - SL-S700 is 11-speed, SL-S7000-8 is 8-speed :o

Re: the hub though, I get exactly the same impression - the 8-speed version of SG-S700 seems to barely exist, except for this single line on Shimano's website: "Gear ratio: 409% (8-speed: 306%)"

I do find this "greyness" a little off-putting. It is tempting me to look at the Editor though, which has SG-S7001-11, and I know exactly what that is, can find specs/spares/etc all over the interweb...
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simonineaston
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Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by simonineaston »

My starting point for all matters transmission - and ineed, anything to do cycling - is often Sheldon Brown's relevant page. see here it's chocka with info. and model numbers!
Skimming through the posts to this topic, I'm not able to work out what your reservation regarding the Afline variants is exactly, riph72... the 8 speed quickly picked up a good reputation with the downhill/off-road crowd, specially in the US as I recall. Launched in 2010, it was somewhat over-shadowed for obvious reasons by the later 11 speed variant, but the downhill lot had been quite complimentary about the 8.
As an aside, the Shimano company's own marketing videos refer to the product as 'Al-fee-nay', as if the word has an e acute accent.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
riph72
Posts: 22
Joined: 26 Oct 2021, 9:03am

Re: Alfine SG-S700

Post by riph72 »

simonineaston wrote: 27 Oct 2021, 12:15pm My starting point for all matters transmission - and ineed, anything to do cycling - is often Sheldon Brown's relevant page. see here it's chocka with info. and model numbers!
Skimming through the posts to this topic, I'm not able to work out what your reservation regarding the Afline variants is exactly, riph72... the 8 speed quickly picked up a good reputation with the downhill/off-road crowd, specially in the US as I recall. Launched in 2010, it was somewhat over-shadowed for obvious reasons by the later 11 speed variant, but the downhill lot had been quite complimentary about the 8.
As an aside, the Shimano company's own marketing videos refer to the product as 'Al-fee-nay', as if the word has an e acute accent.
Oddly though, that Sheldon Brown site omits the SG-S700 on the 8-speed page, which is pretty much my issue really. References to the 8-speed variant of this barely exist anywhere.

I actually have an 8-speed Alfine myself - the SG-S501, I've been using it for years and am perfectly happy with it. My issue definitely isn't with the 8-speeds, my issue is with a very specific model - the SG-S700 *8-speed variant*. It isn't that I think there is anything wrong with this model, simply that it is hard to find any concrete details about it, or spares, or anything really. Every online reference to SG-S700 relates to the 11-speed version of it. It is this lack of reference that bothers me, I'm sure the hub would be fine, but if I ever need to maintain it or gets parts for it or whatever, there seems to be a bit of an "information black hole"...

I've been saying "Al-feen" for years, too stuck in my ways to change now :lol:
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