Kindernay VII IGH and HYSEQ Onesie shifter

Oil leaks is the biggest issue this hub has. That is the reason they originally instructed to put 100ml of oil into hub, but later changed it to 25ml - when you put 100ml there it was leaking a lot. My original hub was getting leaks starting first oil change and sometimes it was really bad (like getting oil puddle after 10 hours without moving). Eventually I lost 5th gear in the hub (after about a year or active riding and 2000+ miles) and got a replacement hub from Kindernay. New one currently has 600+ miles and one oil change on it and is working much better - no leaks so far.

For my old hub main leak point was shifter connection interface on right side - its bottom part was almost always covered with oil. Do you see something like this in your setup?
I see no puddle forming on either of my gear hub sides, I see no leak on the shifter side. the liquid on the photos is quite thick, it is still there since the first time I noticed it and in the same format, looks like a teardrop, the viscosity seems to be higher than "normal oil" like the one you use in suspension forks or for cooking.
 
Todays I finished 500 miles on my Kindernay VII. I opened plug to drain the oil for initial oil change and found there is almost no oil. WTF? I drained just maybe a few teaspoons of oil out of it I added to the gearhub before using it in case there is no oil. And it looks like there was no oil when it arrived to me new. I just drained what I added initially to be safe. But the gearhub had the initial 500 miles oil change bottle which means the hub supposed to have the oil inside from the factory and it did not. I hope that the little oil I added for safety initially helped to not ruine the gearhub riding it completely dry.

So I recommend to open the gearhub plug and try to drain the oil out of it to see if there is oil in the new geargub regardless if it seems that it shoiluld be filled with oil from the factory.
 
The VII has very little oil in it, and as a result, I think on the first oil change a good percentage of it stays on the gear surfaces inside.
This is also why it is important to do one or two washes with oil before the final refill.
It will be interesting to see if that symptom goes away on the following refills.
 
I am also just performing my first oil change after 500km and there is not a single drop of oil coming out? Am I just supposed to fill the hub with 20ml of il (VII) take a single ride, drain it and fill it again with 20ml? I hope I didnt ruin my hub riding it "dry", it certainly didnt feel like there was oil missing, as the shifting and riding is very smooth, great experience overall.
 
When I did my first fluid change no fluid poured out of mine either. When I got near the 500km mark the hub shifted fine if I stopped pedalling, but became harding to shift while pedalling under a light load.
After the fluid change it became much easer to shift under a light load, but on my last ride I noticed it was once again getting harder to shift under load. Even though I haven't put many kilometres on the bike since my last fluid change I'm thinking I may take the back wheel off and drain the fluid.
I wish there was a way to check how much fluid was in the hub without having to drain it.
 
Guys, Im fckd... wanted to change the oil after the ride and the screw didnt come lose, its stuck there and was stripped when I tried to usncrew it, what now? yes, my lock ring and sprocket are still attached, as I am using 14T sprocket, which doesnt interfere with the screw. i screwed the screw in by hand, no extra force. feels like the screw plug is made out of aluminium... it was very brittle
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20230610_092100_840.jpg
    IMG_20230610_092100_840.jpg
    494.3 KB · Views: 182
Last edited:
im thinking about using screw extractor, does anyone remember if the oil plug is a solid piece of metal or if it is hollow on the inside?
 
im thinking about using screw extractor, does anyone remember if the oil plug is a solid piece of metal or if it is hollow on the inside?
Hard to say for sure, but I think it is solid. Also they have the version with hex interface, which is much much better than slot one you have.
 
You might want to tack weld an aluminum rod or tube to the plug to crank it out. You have to file the top of the plug to expose bare aluminum and you have to use microwelding technique to tack weld the rod in multiple spots and not to damage the housing of the gear hub. Then you can crank the plug with the rod.


An alternative way is to drill two small holes and crank it out with a twin hole screwdriver. You have to use the biggest screwdriver possible to reduce the stress on the plug and on the screwdriver. Do not drill holes all way through, just drill them deep enough to engage the screwdriver.

 
Last edited:
Hard to say for sure, but I think it is solid. Also they have the version with hex interface, which is much much better than slot one you have.
where can I buy that? looking for replacement plug and I can only see this flat interface https://kindernay.com/product/oil-plug-assembly/
had to use a screw extractor, for anyone else that may experience this in the future, yes, the piece is solid and screw extractor did its job. but i ruined the plug
 

Attachments

  • IMG_20230610_202857_001.jpg
    IMG_20230610_202857_001.jpg
    474.6 KB · Views: 170
where can I buy that? looking for replacement plug and I can only see this flat interface https://kindernay.com/product/oil-plug-assembly/
had to use a screw extractor, for anyone else that may experience this in the future, yes, the piece is solid and screw extractor did its job. but i ruined the plug
Makes sense to confirm with Kindrnay which one they have. My original hub had same flat one, but replacement one came with hex interface instead.
 
Last time I asked Kindernay, they said all new plugs are Hex, they just have not updated the image.
But wherever you buy (them direct or local reseller), make sure to confirm beforehand.
For now I made myself a special tool to prevent striping the slotted version I have if using a screwdriver.
 
does anyone know what type of screw do i need to fit into the oil plug? it has to be some standardized type of thread Im sure, I just dont know how to find out which one. I wanted to order the replacement oil plug, but kindernay wants 69euro for shipping the damn thing to me + import taxes, as it is outside EU, a single stupid screw, and i refuse to pay that much for such a small insignificant part, i feel like im getting screwed here.
 
Im based in Slovakia and Czech republic, I managed to find a reseller in UK that sells some parts, I ordered the velvet oil from them, but they dont stock the oil plug assembly. I didnt find any kindernay reseller in EU.
 
but kindernay wants 69euro for shipping the damn thing to me + import taxes
Their shipping pricing policy doesn't make any sense - because of this last time I ordered oil from them, I added lots of small parts to the order just in case I need them in future. It is cheaper to add then to bulk order (even I never need them probably) rather than get to the same situation you are in now. I think I have few extra screws (old design unfortunately, same as yours) and can mail it to you. I am in US, so shipping won't be cheap (I checked and looks like it will be ~$15 or so). Hopefully you will find some option closer to you, but if you stuck, instead of paying Kinderday that crazy money for tiny part shipping, let me know and I arrange a postage for you.
 
Have you tried contacting the reseller that show up on Kindernay reseller map below?

I see a few for example below
krabat.cz
Říčany, Czechia
http://krabat.cz
+420 315 558 641

Richiebikes
Unterföhring, Germany
http://richiebikes.de
+49 089 92008293

Trail Camp Distribution
Erlangen, Germany
http://trail.camp
+49 (0) 1577 4729652

EVERYBIKE
Nowy Dwór 3, 56-500 Syców, Poland
www.everybike.pl
tel. 48601577278

Fern Fahrräder
Josef-Orlopp-Straße 54, Berlin, Germany
http://fern-fahrraeder.de
+49 177 8241164
 
Their shipping pricing policy doesn't make any sense - because of this last time I ordered oil from them, I added lots of small parts to the order just in case I need them in future. It is cheaper to add then to bulk order (even I never need them probably) rather than get to the same situation you are in now. I think I have few extra screws (old design unfortunately, same as yours) and can mail it to you. I am in US, so shipping won't be cheap (I checked and looks like it will be ~$15 or so). Hopefully you will find some option closer to you, but if you stuck, instead of paying Kinderday that crazy money for tiny part shipping, let me know and I arrange a postage for you.
Hello, do you also have the oil plug for sale? that is an excellent shipping cost compared to kindernay
 
Back