SRAM / i-MOTION 9

News:

The German FAQ´s for the i-MOTION 9 include already some topics for the freewheel version:

- The freewheel version can be combined with duplex chainwheel. E.g. 48/38 teeth duplex chainwheel with a 22 teeth sprocket. All chainwheels with more than 32 teeth can be used. (Attention: The primary ratio of chainwheel teeth and sprocket teeth must be higher than 1,73)- The first choice for comfort bicycles is the turning shifter lever. If the market will require a trigger shifter (e.g. Shimano Rapid fire) we´ll react on this requirement.

General:

Reviews / Announcements:

Maintenance / Installation Documents:

Drawings / Spareparts:

Pictures:


Options:
 
Cesur Bikes offers a LED light for the i-motion 9 turning shifter. The power for the LED is generated by the necessary hub dynamo. If bicycle lights with a “stand light function” (condensator) are used the shifter LED light also shines during stand the stand still of the wheels!

28 Replies

  1. luh3417

    December 13, 2007 at 2:14 pm

    Hi, I have a new SRAM i-Motion 9. The ratios are very good and it is good to ride. My only query is fine tuning. Has anyone else had trouble with gear noise in 6 and 8? I have the gears tset precisely with the points nicely lined up but I get a bit of cog/teeth rattle in 6 and 8. Is this a running in issue or just some tweaking needed? I have set and re-set it and still get the noise on 6 and 8 only. Any tips greatly appreciated.

    Reply
    • JC

      October 20, 2009 at 10:08 pm

      I have a Swobo Dixon since April 2008 or so and have ridden in to work and back most days. 20 Miles or so per day on my 220lb frame. I already wore out one set of tires, so i probably have 4000-5000 miles on this hub. Adjustment and noise seems to be the achilles heel of this hub. Otherwise i have been very happy with it. Once you have aligned the hub by eye, you can tweak the hub from the shifter-end adjuster as you ride. you will notice that you can move the noise around between 6 & 8 or 7 & 9 while riding. My does not make a lot of noise, but you can adjust to minimize it.

      Reply
  2. urbanwriter

    December 25, 2007 at 1:43 am

    has anyone information on service tools requirement for the i-Motion 9 hub? what about lubrication requirements – is there a ’special’ SRAM lubricant, or can ‘off the shelf’ products be used.

    I’m looking forward to an i-9 to join my Pentasport 5 and 2 Nexus 8-speed units

    Reply
  3. CJ

    January 7, 2008 at 8:37 pm

    Hi,

    I am in the USA and considering buying an I-Motion 9 to use on a MTB frame for gravel road commuting and light single track MTB riding. Anyone out there have any long term experience using this hub in that way?

    Thanks

    Reply
  4. luh3417

    February 12, 2008 at 3:38 pm

    Dear CJ get a Rohloff the SRAM web site faq answer 19 says that the i-Motion 9 is not suitable for high stress MTB. It also seems to be saying at faq 16 that there is a different noise in gears 6-9. I would have to say on mine it is a dreadful noise that sounds like the gears are falling apart and no one has been able to tell me if it is normal. If it is normal it is not good.

    Reply
  5. luh3417

    February 12, 2008 at 3:42 pm

    PS on the faq above http://www.hubstripping.com/sram-imotion9/FAQs_en.pdf that is 14 and 16 the SRAM site has since added a few.

    Reply
  6. dimchandelier

    March 3, 2008 at 11:29 pm

    Availability of small parts and sprockets.
    (Alfine: 2 points)

    Reply
  7. JakeR

    July 22, 2008 at 3:53 am

    Is the SRAM I-motion 9 shifter cable replaceable? The information regarding their “easy-click” connector suggests that the cable is specific to the shifter, but maybe I’m wrong.
    Does anyone know if the I-motion 9 uses a standard derailleur cable, like the Alfine?

    Reply
  8. John N Smirneos

    August 5, 2008 at 7:38 am

    Hello,

    I would like to know if someone has pictures (or a diagram) demostrating the inside of the hub’s shell (Motion-9 or Alfine) without the rest of the gear mech.
    I would like to know if i can strip a geared hub from i’s shell & then use a shell of my own, a gearbox carter for a mountain bike.
    The main idea is to combine a 9 speed & a 3 speed hub into a common shell that will function as a gearbox.

    So, if the hub;s original shells have pressed in some gearrings then it would be really hard to do so, exepti if these gearrings are removable.

    Thank you all.

    John

    Reply
  9. Timo

    November 27, 2008 at 5:58 pm

    If a road bike has its chain-stay connected to a pivot-point behind the BB shell, and a short-travel elastomer suspension connecting seat-stay and seat-tube, will the resulting tiny change (during rear-wheel suspension travel) in the distance between BB-center and rear-hub-center cause any problems for the SRAM shift-cable? How much “forgiveness” is there in the shift cable?

    Thanks

    Reply
  10. Enrico Emilio

    November 29, 2008 at 9:39 pm

    Hello,
    sorry to post only a commercial question.

    But anyone can suggest me an Internet shop in the old Europe where to buy the I-MOTION-disk brake?

    After many researches It seems impossible to find it here. I live in the old Italy.

    Many thanks
    Enrico

    Reply
  11. Richard

    December 23, 2008 at 12:10 pm

    I like the i-motion 9 as well. internal gears are rare in Australia, but I have noticed them more and more. My question is also technical. The shop I bought the bike had problems fixing the gear changer. They had to rely on a knowledgeable customer to figure out how to reassemble it. There was nothing on line, or from the supplier, how to do this. Any links would be very helpful.

    Reply
  12. Dieter

    April 18, 2009 at 1:58 am

    I would love some help on how to install the cable for an i-Motion 9. I have a Giant TCR Advanced SL frame/fork set with cable guides as part of the frame assembly. The SRAM instructions are incredibly vague and implies zip-ties (?!) to secure the cable to the frame – such an inelegant solution for such a beautiful system.

    This seems to involve shortening the cable, but I’m reluctant to cut the cable or housing…

    Thanks

    Reply
  13. Dieter

    April 20, 2009 at 1:55 am

    To resolve the cable guide concern, the solution I’ve come to is to use a Jagwire Cable Guide DCA008 near the fork along with a few stick-on DCA007s along the underside of the frame. Surly appears to make something similar.

    Now, I’ve got the same concern luh3417 has with a few of the gear positions sounding like it will fall apart…

    Anybody with a solution to this?

    Reply
    • Hans

      May 29, 2009 at 4:55 pm

      Currently I am converting my Trek X500 from Deore to I-motion9.
      I also have some problems with guiding the cable through the frame, now I have cut my cable to short so I need a new one. Very stupid but now I got a better idea to guide the cable, nearly the same way as a derailleur system. Only housing till the cable goes through the frame, where it cames out the frame (bottombracket) I won’t use housing but the old plastic cable guider from my Deore system.
      Ps. I have stripped this hub completely and I will use it with engine-oil I think.

      Reply
  14. K.S.

    June 11, 2009 at 9:20 am

    Is it published anywhere, how the I-Motion is made inside – meaning, what planet gears are engaged at which speed? Are there speeds where more than one ring transmitting the power? What are the shifts, which involve more than one change in the transmission path?

    Reply
    • John Allen

      October 11, 2009 at 11:25 pm

      I haven’t had one of these hubs apart, but by examining the gear ratios, this must have a single-stage compound planetary system, like the Sturmey-Archer and SRAM 5 and 7-speed hubs — only with 4 sun gears and 4 sets of planet gears rather than 2 or 3. Details are at

      http://john-s-allen.com/gears/hubratios.htm.

      If you look along the bottom of the Web page you will see a link to “SRAM I-9 calc”, which shows how I reverse-engineered the gear tooth counts from the drive ratios.

      Reply
  15. Justin

    September 21, 2009 at 2:40 pm

    Is it possible to shorten the shifter cable on the i-motion 9? How is it done?

    Justun

    Reply
    • James

      September 23, 2009 at 6:49 am

      Good question! I found dissassembly instructions via the SRAM-site dealer technical guide:
      http://www.sram.com/_media/pdf/sram/dealers/TM_GHS_MY09_E_RevA.pdf

      …that link should get you to the pdf instructions about unscrewing the rear cable housing and exposing a spring and brass fitting with a 2.0mm allen screw (my screw appears to be seized up and I hesitate to drill and tap unless I can find another fitting). Currently, I’m examining shortening my cable from the shifter end via the molded plug in the housing. Sorry this is long-winded but your question hit home with me and I hope it helps you.

      Reply
    • matagamite

      October 25, 2009 at 7:13 am

      I’ve installed this Shram i-9 on my long wheel base recumbent bike, had to install longer cable, (used regular long shifter cable for tandem) and it was easy as ever. Just remove the brass end assembly from old cable, cut new cable to size, then fasten with set screw. Worked excellent and easier than you think. My bike is 7 feet long and works great, needed adjustment with regular thumb screw after a week of use but works great.

      For the person that asked about assembling shifter part on handlebar: Simply assemble all small parts in the metal “body” side of shifter, not the plastic thumb side. Then push (snap) the two parts together. Voila, wokes perfectly but took me a few trys to align the metal disc inside was only hard part.

      I love this gearing system, have a little clunking noise when shifting between 6 or 7 but it’s minor and gets better with use and quicker twisting of shifter.

      Reply
  16. John Allen

    October 11, 2009 at 11:16 pm

    Please have a look at

    http://john-s-allen.com/gears/hubratios.htm.

    This gives the carefully-calculated, exact (fractional) ratios of most internally-geared hubs including the i-Motion 9.

    And, surprise — there appears to be an error in the SRAM documentation. The top ratio is 24/13, or 1.846, not 1.844, assuming that the top gear is consistent with the design of the rest of the hub (single-stage, compound planetary gearing, and the increase and decrease gears are inverse ratios). So the total range of this hub is 341%, not 340%.

    I am still gathering information on a few newer hubs — Rohloff, Shimano 7 and 8 speed, Sturmey-Archer 8-speed. I have good coverage of older Sturmey-Archer hubs but not of F&S hubs from before the 1970s. I would appreciate assistance with this.

    Reply
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