Nuvinci Hub

penexpers

Well my Nuvinci Hub came this morning. It's really heavy. As in really heavy. It's a struggle to lift it up. The shifter is kind of cool as well.

Can't wait to have a bike to put it on.

Pictures here

http://www.flickr.com/photos/penexpers/sets/72157605769951417/

kenmc

that looks nice.
where does the shifter go though? I don't understand how it mounts...

TinyExplosions

kenmc wrote: »

that looks nice.
where does the shifter go though? I don't understand how it mounts...

Thought the same myself, does it make one bar longer than the other?

Looks very nice though, very very nice!

penexpers

kenmc wrote: »

that looks nice.
where does the shifter go though? I don't understand how it mounts...

The shifter is just a twist shifter, mounted like any other twist shifter. It has two wires coming out of it. As you twist it one of the wires is pushed out and the other is pulled in and that moves the internals of the hub.

Ciaran500

Do you know what weight it is?

penexpers

3.85kg including freewheel.

zynaps

Hey, any updates on this? My bike's chain and gears are practically in bits, slipping when I apply any kind of decent pedal force (e.g. moving from a stop, I need to use an extremely low gear and accelerate slowly or it'll slip repeatedly)... so I was thinking of replacing the old Shimano mechanism with a CVT hub of some kind.

3.85kg is a bit weighty (although lighter than my old "laptop"), but how much does a standard gearset/cassette and derailleurs etc weigh?

penexpers

zynaps wrote: »

Hey, any updates on this? My bike's chain and gears are practically in bits, slipping when I apply any kind of decent pedal force (e.g. moving from a stop, I need to use an extremely low gear and accelerate slowly or it'll slip repeatedly)... so I was thinking of replacing the old Shimano mechanism with a CVT hub of some kind.

3.85kg is a bit weighty (although lighter than my old "laptop"), but how much does a standard gearset/cassette and derailleurs etc weigh?

I've had it in use for about 6 months now and I really like it. I never miss a shift anymore and way you can trim the adjustment works really well. It is noticably heavy though, as in sturdy but you won't be setting any speed records on it.

For comparison though (based on deore components)
Cassette - 358g
Hub - 449g
derailleur (front) - 167g
derailleur (rear) - 300g

There is also the fact that you only need one chainring up the front rather than two, so I would guess that would bring the weight penalty of the Nuvinci to about 2.5kg. Still substantial.

If you want something sturdy and reliable that will likely never break (it's really built like a tank), go for the Nuvinci, of you want something to go fast on, get something else

blorg

@zynaps- sounds like you don't look after your drivetrain. Your chain is probably well worn and has probably eaten in to your cassette and possibly even front chainrings.

A Nuvinci hub is not the solution to your problems, looking after your drivetrain is the solution.

zynaps

Thanks penexpers, sounds pretty interesting... I only use my bike for 5-10km commutes, and I cycle like a tired zombie these days since my gears are on the way out.
They're pretty expensive though ATM, so I may switch to hub gears which seem a little more resilient. Plus the idea of switching gears while stationary is novel

blorg wrote: »

@zynaps- sounds like you don't look after your drivetrain. Your chain is probably well worn and has probably eaten in to your cassette and possibly even front chainrings.

A Nuvinci hub is not the solution to your problems, looking after your drivetrain is the solution.

What do you mean, 'look after' it, other than oiling it and giving it a dose of WD-40 after heavy rain? I think any equipment based on human force, chains, sprockets, derailleurs and metal cables is going to start breaking down after 6 years or so. Although the bike is kept outside day and night, uncovered, I've at least kept the bike oiled and (somewhat) cleaned.

Probably most of the damage was caused by the way I rode it in the first year or so of owning it - I always left it in the maximum possible gear (third chainwheel, seventh back gear) even when going up hills, as a kind of personal challenge. Then I realised the gear teeth and chain would inevitably suffer and get deformed, and started using the gears properly.

Had a look at it today and could see that the chain links seem to sit a bit too far left (looking down at the top side), right up against the gear teeth. Anyway, what's done is done :pac: I'd replace the chain, but bike shop mechanics have told me I'd need to replace pretty much everything together (which is basically the cost of a new, better bike, and I'm too ignorant on the topic to get the parts and do it myself - I'd get something the wrong size or shape).

[edit]
Just found a bunch of excellent links from the FAQ sticky, including one to bicycletutor.com, which claims that WD-40 is actually very bad for the chain, bearings and gear. So, my "maintenance" has actually been causing further damage to the bike... oops.

blorg

@zynaps- chains, cables and cassettes are consumable items. They need to be checked for wear and replaced relatively frequently. 6 years is a very long time, I would go through several chains a year and replace my cables and cassette probably once a year.

Chain wear is caused by lack of maintance and bad weather conditions (grit on roads being thrown up into the chain.) Riding style has absolutely nothing to do with it (although what you were doing is a bad idea for your body and developing your cycling the bike does not care.)

My point is that your skipping gears is the result of lack of maintenance, the fix is to replace your drivetrain components and maintain them in future. You don't need an exotic, heavy and expensive hub. You will have to maintain it too BTW, although it might be more resiliant than a derailleur drivetrain. Note also there are other types of hub gear that are cheaper, (and lighter) the special thing about the Nuvinci is the continuously variable transmission.