I called a couple of LBS's to ask if they overhaul Nexus hubs and none sounded to confident. It sounded like it is done very little. The hub is 5 years old and been ridden quite a bit as a commuter. Do they need overhaul or just some adjustment. It doesnt seem to spin smoothly when off the bike.
nexus 7 overhaul
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These hubs need almost nothing to keep them running. You can take the internals out of the hub shell easily...clean them with a light degreaser like Simple Green if it is dirty then oil with a lightweight oil. Not sure exactly what Shimano recommends but I've used some basic lubes to keep it going. I have one hub I've been running off and on for about 7 years with no problems.
YOu take it apart from the brake side and it slides out as one unit from what I remember, pretty easy. I'm going to take one apart for my next custom to get the hub shell powdercoated.
Cooper Cruisers said:
Yeah, Shimano use to (might still do) supply a graphite grease for their geared hubs, but when unavailable I've used a graphite - Finish Line Xcountry Lube mix. Failing that, as Cooper says, use a light oil, after all, Sturmey Hubs (although they work differently) used an oil akin to that for a sewing machine. Just don't use anything to thick, especial the likes of Lithium grease.
Althought geared hubs are enclosed it is imperative to keep them acutely adjusted. Any play in those babies and you're asking for trouble. They might be robust, but they're delicate too. It ain't unusual for these to run abit rough, if the service interval is vast (should be every year) so expect to find that your bearing races to be either as dry as a bone, showing corrosion, galling, pitting and brinelling, but even then they can still work fine - all depends on their guts, eg. gear teeth condition, pawl/ramp wear, etc.....and parts can be an .... to get. However, you might be lucky, in that all that's needed is a good strip, clean, re-grease, and adjustment.
The hub itself will consist of many components that have to be systematically removed and refitted, but should fit into the hub shell as a complete unit. An exploded diagram is a must, but the bottom line is that if you're not feeling entirely confident in undertaking the task then get a pro to do it. Mistakes with these are easy to make.
All the best.
Owen.
