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Compatible thumb shifter for Shimano Nexus 8 speed internal gear

Bicycles Asked by awe 1212 on August 6, 2021

My bike has an 8-speed nexus hub and the plastic adjustment screw broke. Now I can’t adjust the cable anymore and can’t use some of the gears. My question is, can I use a normal thumb shifter on my nexus 8 speed since the nexus shifter (internal gear bike in general) is very uncommon where I live and I don’t want to pay for the ridiculous price of shipping fee plus tax on my old bike.

2 Answers

You could cannibalize a barrel adjuster (I think that's the broken bit if I understand your description) from an old shifter or derailleur. For most of the time these adjusters have identical threading. Try your LBS, they may have a parts bin with bits and pieces.

Answered by Carel on August 6, 2021

Answer: NO

I did the opposite once - bought an 8 speed Nexus shifter that was super-cheap, for use on an 8 speed derailler. The cable pull of a nexus/alfine shifter is different to that of a conventional shifter, so clicks will not line up with gears.

You might think that a friction shifter would let you get it in the right place, but since the IGH is internal you won't hear the gears meshing/clattering if wrong, so there's no way to know if you're in-gear properly or just riding on the corners of teeth. This is very bad for the gears.

Your two options are to replace the shifter with a working one, or repair your existing shifter as per @carel's advice (which would be my first option)

As for sourcing parts, I've had good luck buying "Shimano" parts from aliexpress. I bought a chain tensioner from the LBS, but they renegged saying it was no longer available. So I found it for 1/4 the quoted cost, and its identical to the original. Time to ship can be high, so maybe order one and while waiting, try to repair your existing shifter.

Answered by Criggie on August 6, 2021

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