Where to go for hub gears?

Hello - I'd be very grateful for some advice.

I've had a Batavus (Entrada Spirit) Dutch bike for 4 years now, never had any difficulty whatsoever with the 7 speed hub gears.

Following a chain replacement and service last week, the gears stopped engaging properly. Took the bike back to the shop and they said they had fixed them, but after cycling off, gears 1-5 appear to be working properly, but 6 & 7 are engaging but with the resistance only of gear 2 or 3.

The shop is saying that the hub gears may have 'coincidentally' gone at the same time and might need opening up and replacing: this seems a little fishy to me, but I don't know.

Does anyone have any advice on what might have happened/what to do - and any suggestions of reliable shops good for hub gear repairs in London (ideally within spitting distance of Victoria or Clapham).

Thanks! Lis

Replies

Try:-

Bicycle Workshop
27 All Saints Road
Notting Hill
LONDON
W11 1HE

Tel: (0207) 7229 4850
info@bicycleworkshop.co.uk 

or Velorution in Great Tichfield Street off Oxford St.

Sugest you first of all identify the make and model of the hub gear fitted, and download the manual, and check yourself that it is correctly adjusted. It is not unknown for hub gears not to be within the knowledge of some otherwise competent mechanics.

 

Hope that helps!

  • By Austen at 07:37pm 15 Nov 2011

Er, hang on a mo'.

It seems to me that you took your bike in for a service, and they ruined your gearbox.  

Check out the Citizens' Advice Bureau guidance on Buying Services - Your Rights 

As a fellow hubgear bike owner, please let us know which bike shop was responsible for this situation - so we can avoid them.

Austen

 

 

  • By smsm1 at 06:17pm 16 Nov 2011

I also have a Batavus Entrada Spirit, with the Shimano Nexus 7.

When I've had a problem with only some of the gears engaging it was due to the gear cable not sitting correctly, being damaged and needing replacing, or needing adjusted in terms of the cable length.

The first check is to make sure that the gear cable is sitting correctly.

Second put it into gear 4, take the chaincase off, and take a look at the side of the hub closest to the ground, you will see two little lines, and they should line up. If they don't the gears won't engage properly.

Finally, if they have opened the hub up (which shouldn't have been done except in extreme cases), or taken the wheel off, they might not have correctly fitted the wheel back together.

http://dutchbikeshop.co.uk/ in Littlehampton and Hove (direct trains from Victoria) specialise in these Dutch bike and will be able to fix them. If you happen to nearby, I could take a look myself having had this problem myself, and knowing how to take the back wheel on and off.

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