crwdns2915892:0crwdne2915892:0
VanMoof's are fantastic-looking bikes but quite heavy and I found the 3-speed gear way too over-geared for the hills here in Sydney. Converting to an 8-speed suddenly made my bike much more usable.
It's really important you get the correct hub gear (36 spoke, with coaster brake) - I brought the wrong one first so don't make my mistake! Gears last for a long time so I was happy to use a second-hand one.
Spreading the dropout to take the new gear was a concern so I had this done at a bike store and there's no evidence of damage.
crwdns2942213:0crwdne2942213:0
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Shimano SG-C6001-8C Nexus 8. This is the one with the coaster brake.
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Chain ring, gear lever, seals, and clips
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Shimano Grip Shifter Nexus 8-speed Sl-C60008
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Gear cable (inner and outer)
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Spokes 36 * 284mm stainless steel spokes
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Measure the inside diameter of your wheel
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Use this calculator https://leonard.io/edd/
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Add 2mm. You should get 284mm spokes
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I brought silver Halo spokes from ebay. They are decent quality and have not rusted.
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You need to stretch the rear frame dropouts because the 8-speed hub is wider (135mm) than the 3-speed one (110mm)
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I got my local bike shop to do this because there's a risk for damaging your frame.
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The cost was $150 AUD
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Remove all the old spokes from your wheel
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Spoke the 8 speed gear into the wheel. This is the best guide https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mIU6mi0K...
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Tighten all the spokes using a screwdriver. Use the same torque on the screwdriver and check by "plucking" the spokes so they sound the same
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Turn the bike upside down, install the wheel, and true the wheel. I hold a screwdriver against the frame and slowly spin the wheel. When it moves in, I just tighten the opposite spokes
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Pull the old inner cable out from the front
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Push the new inner cable into the old outer cable
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Pull the old outer gear cable out of the back of the bottom of the frame. LEAVE THE INNER CABLE IN so you can use it as a guide through the frame.
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Push the new outer cable in from the back
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Remove the handlebar grip. I pushed a spoke between the grip and the bar and rolled the spoke to loosen the grip
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Install new gear change
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Replace the handle bar grip. I wiped the handle bar and inside grip with alcohol.
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Connect the gear cable.
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Use a spoke to rotate the gear change
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crwdns2935221:0crwdne2935221:0
crwdns2935227:0crwdne2935227:0
crwdns2947412:02crwdne2947412:0
Would this be a possible solution for a bike with a broken eshifter? I have an x3 with err44 and cannot find a replacement part.
I've seen a few e-shifters for sale on facebook, and there are guides on how to fix the electronics so I'd probably go that route. The main problem I can think of with changing to the 8 speed is you'll need to deal with e-shifter wire and you'll need to route the gear change cable on frame. Good luck!
