Vanmoof S3 with Shimano Alfine manual gear shift (DIY project)
Many Vanmoof S3 users are having problems with the automatic gear shift and with a frequently broken E-Shifter.
Eight weeks ago our Vanmoof S3 reported an Error 44, which indicates a broken E-Shifter. We scheduled a repair and the E-Shifter was replaced within one hour.
Now, after another six weeks the S3 showed the same Error 44. This time around we could not schedule a repair, because Vanmoof stated, that they ran out of E-Shifter spare parts. There is no way of contacting Vanmoof and after trying for two weeks we decided to build a custom rear wheel with a Shimano Alfine 8 gear shift. [Update 2023–07–14: After the news about Vanmoof’s insolvency, we won’t see E-Shifter replacements anytime soon…]
Build a custom rear wheel
The original Vanmoof rear wheel hub is a Sturmey Archer 4-gear with a 6-hole disk brake. This becomes important later because the special Vanmoof kicklock relies on the 6-hole disk brake.
Cost Overview:
Rear wheel with Alfine Hub 250,90 €
Alfine SM-S7000–8 16,50 €
22 teeth sprocket 5,00 €
SM-RTAD05 Centerlock Adapter 16,14 €
Revoshift 8 Twist Shifter 15,00 €
Total Material Cost 304,00 €
I ordered a custom 21-622 wheel from Kurbelix here in Germany. https://www.kurbelix.de/hinterrad-28-zoll-ryde-andra-321-disc-shimano-alfine-8-gang-nabenschaltung-ohne-zubehoer-messingnippel-schwarz . This wheel has a Shimano Alfine 8-gear hub and is a perfect replacement for the original S3 wheel.
As a gear switching unit I chose the https://www.kurbelix.de/shimano-alfine-sm-s7000-8-gang-schalteinheit-fuer-vertikales-ausfallende-8r-8l Shimano Alfine SM-S7000–8. It is important to order the one for the vertical frame dropouts (green and blue washers).
This combination is a perfect fit if you want to keep the original chain protection and the chain tensioner, because the Alfine SM-S7000–8 directs the bowden cable at the upper part of the chain way.
I also ordered a Shimano 22 teeth sprocket from Amazon https://amzn.eu/d/0k11jdV. This is standard and replaces the orininal sprocket perfectly. (You cannot just use the original sprocket since this only fits the Sturmey Archer hub). [Update 2023–07–19: With the 22 teeth sprocket the pedal cadence is a bit high, so I used a 19 theeth sprocket. Overall the gear ratio is now like the original. And, surprise, the chain guard and tensionier still fit perfectly. If you want to use a sprocket with less than 22t then you need to shorten the chain by one doublelink.]
Next thing required it the Shimano SM-RTAD05 Centerlock Adapter for the original 6-hole disk brake. https://amzn.eu/d/8tuImYo.
After the new rear wheel arrived a few days later, first thing I did was to test if the wheel fits the frame, the chain line and the disk brake. It fits perfectly, so no Vanmoof custom nonsense.
Now it was time to change the tube and coat from the original rear wheel. Here you need to enlarge the hole for the valve in the rim from 6 to 8 mm using a drill.
On to the handle bar
As for the Shifter I went for the Shimao Revoshifter 8-gear SL-RS47–8 since this one has the correct shifting direction for the Alfine hub. There is only one problem: The custom Vanmoof Brake handles have a small round part that is in the way of the shifter.
So this part is the only destructive part as it requires to cut the original rubber handle and to carve out a 1cm gap of the revoshifter plastic cover.
Now that the shifter fits perfectly, we can cut the rubber handle and mount it again. It is time now to install the bowden cable underneath the lower frame. (No, it does not fit inside the frame where the battery sits).
After adjusting the gears, the bike was ready to roll again.
The Vanmoof Kicklock is a tricky one
The only tricky part was the installation of the custom Vanmoof kicklock. This requires the above mentioned Centerlock-Adapter and a little bit of creativity.
As you can see in the last picture the black ring to secure the Centerlock-Adapter is installed between the brake disk and the kicklock. To then fit the 6 scews you need to carve out the 6 areas in the black ring. This photo roughly describes the carveouts that i did.
What about the Motor assistance?
By the way, the motor assistance (and boost function) is not affected by the wheel change. The motor is in the front wheel and uses the torque sensor in the pedal crank. So you ride your bike like the original e-bike but with a better gear hub. [Update 2023–07–16: I have the Vanmoof firmware version 1.8.1 and the motor assistance works great. One user commented, that with firmware version 1.7.1 the motor assistance stops once the connection to the E-Shifter is lost. So, be aware of this.]
This is how I installed the manual shift for the Vanmoof S3 and I hope this serves as an inspiration if you are tired of the bad Vanmoof service as well.
Catch me on Twitter or Mastodon if you have questions.
