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BIKE conclusion on the Nexus five-speed
The Nexus 5 is a compromise. The range and climbing capabilities won't knock anyone's socks off. On the other hand, the gearing is favourable for a gear hub and hardly needs any maintenance. The five gears are completely sufficient for touring e-bikers and moderate differences in altitude in the city or on classic tours. A good option if you want affordable and low-maintenance.
Shimano Nexus 5: The facts
| Model | Shimano Nexus Inter 5E 1x5 |
| Price | 221 Euro |
| Weight | 1746 grammes |
| Bandwidth | 263 per cent |
| Smallest gear | 13.3 km/h |
Price and weight are manufacturer's specifications and refer to the complete shifting system with hub and twist grip. For the smallest mountain gear, we use standardised parameters for tyre size and cadence and the smallest possible approved gear ratio (28 inches, 47 millimetres, 60 rpm).
As a low-maintenance hub gear for city and urban e-bikes, the Nexus 5E is a sure-fire winner. Like the 8-speed Nexus for classic bikes, it is only slightly more expensive than a derailleur system and is operated using an intuitive twist grip. On request, the Nexus also offers a coaster brake and can be combined with a chain or even a drive belt. The Nexus is therefore often fitted to compact and cargo bikes that need to be as uncomplicated to use as possible.
Not very strong climber and difficult to maintain
That sounds good, but the Nexus 5 also has clear weaknesses that you need to be aware of. The range is manageable, but the gear gradation is still rather coarse. The gears can only be serviced at the dealer. With the more expensive Alfine for the classic bike (here in the test) you can easily change the oil yourself.
However, the biggest problem on the e-bike is also the heavy mountain gear. As with the Nexus 8 and the Alfine, Shimano only allows a certain gear ratio for the operation of the Nexus in order to limit the input torque on the gears. In other words, the chainring at the front must be significantly larger than the sprocket at the rear.
Low maintenance and low cost
This leads to steep climbs and the fact that you often need turbo mode for steep sections on an e-bike. Not a problem if you are aware of this limitation. Lightweight city e-bikes often even manage without gears at all. In comparison, the Nexus is a luxury. You just can't expect the range or the climbing gear of a derailleur.
The Nexus 5E is also available as an electronic Di2 version on request. The crisp shifting is quite nice, but the automatic mode is only partially convincing with its coarse gear gradation. For classic touring or city e-bikes, which are usually ridden on tours with moderate differences in altitude anyway, the Nexus 5 is still a clear recommendation despite all its limitations. Only singlespeed (i.e. without gears) is so low-maintenance in the affordable segment.
The Nexus five-speed at a glance
Strengths
- Inexpensive and low-maintenance
- Sufficient gear gradation for normal tours
- Intuitive operation
Weaknesses
- Gear ratio limited and not very variable
Adrian Kaether
Editor
