ConVinci

In the photo of the guy holding the motor unit, he doesn't appear to be straining... :) So that is good. Neat idea of incorporating the transmission with the motor unit. Always great to see another sophisticated player in the ebike market!
 
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So, doesn't this further divorce the cyclist from the drive train? Even more so than the Bosch drive, which has a small chainring and rotates at 2.5 times the crank speed. I would really like to see a schematic showing the various power flow paths from the motor and the cyclist, and just how they're combined and sent to the rear wheel.
 
So, doesn't this further divorce the cyclist from the drive train?.....

Yup, in the same way an automatic tranny does to a car driver. If all I had to do was spin the crank on my bike, it would get very boring PDQ. It doesn't take much intelligence to shift a derailleur, they are inexpensive, reliable, and last for years.

-- Just because we can does not mean we should. K.I.S.S.

Other opinions will certainly differ, but that is mine.
 
I am very curious about this unit. Motor and CVT transmission under one housing at the bottom bracket is not a bad idea at all. This may be the ticket for my son with autism (or anybody with learning disabilities) to ride with me at the bike trail. I can just tell him to dial in the cadence and the bike will shift itself to the proper gear ratio.
 
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I am very curious about this unit. Motor and CVT transmission under one housing at the bottom bracket is not a bad idea at all. This may be the ticket for my son with autism (or anybody with learning disabilities) to ride with me at the bike trail. I can just tell him to dial in the cadence and the bike will shift itself to the proper gear ratio.

That is already an option with Shimano Steps drive with Di2 IGH and Bosch with automatic Nuvinc hub.
 
I'm ready for something with less shifting. Downshifting this index Shimano SIS 3 or 4 times every stop sign plus on hills has put a big water sack over my right thumb tendon and is destroying my ability to play piano due to the pain. So far the SRAM electric shifter for ~$3000 strikes me as rediculous. I like what pedaling does to my heart/lungs, but not what shifting does to my hand.
 
;);)
I'm ready for something with less shifting. Downshifting this index Shimano SIS 3 or 4 times every stop sign plus on hills has put a big water sack over my right thumb tendon and is destroying my ability to play piano due to the pain. So far the SRAM electric shifter for ~$3000 strikes me as rediculous. I like what pedaling does to my heart/lungs, but not what shifting does to my hand.
"I promise to quit when I need glasses."
 
My Evelo Galaxy has a Bafang motor with the NuVinci Harmony Automatic hub and I absolutely love it.
 
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I'm ready for something with less shifting. Downshifting this index Shimano SIS 3 or 4 times every stop sign plus on hills has put a big water sack over my right thumb tendon and is destroying my ability to play piano due to the pain. So far the SRAM electric shifter for ~$3000 strikes me as rediculous. I like what pedaling does to my heart/lungs, but not what shifting does to my hand.

You need Gripshift instead of paddles

SRAM etap is about $1500, not $3000, not that that is cheap either...... lol

Integrated motors and transmissions are really the future for ebikes since from a commuting standpoint, it minimizes maintenance, gives you a much cleaner (literally) drivetrain and simplifies operation. I've never ridden with a Nuvinci, so I'm curious to how it feels, I'd be all for a cheaper Pinion type gearbox though. If the weight comes down, they'd be great for emtbs too.
 
Integrating the gearing inside the motor looks like a very interesting trend. It should be cheaper than using an IGH, and puts the weight where it should be, and makes the rear wheel easier to remove.

On low power motor (250/350w) like the one mentioned here you would still want the motor to go through the gears before going to the wheel, but with a more powerful motor (like 1000W +) this could lead to an even more interesting simplification.
The motor could be linked to the rear wheel with a fixed gear, so that when using the throttle you would not need to bother with them, and the gears would only need to be linked to the pedaling action, allowing them to stay lightweight, as they would only need to support the power of human pedaling which is fairly low.

You would gain on all fronts, cost, simplicity, weight and weight distribution.
 
I'm very excited about this development. I heard rumors about it a year or so ago and it's exciting to see this come to life. I think many manufacturers might moving in a similar direction. From my experience many people struggle with shifting and this could help. I'm sure it's not going to be cheap and it's not going to be light, but it definitely serves a purpose. This could also be great for cargo bikes, bike share, etc. We live in exciting times!
 
This will open up to other designs with transmission and motor housed together at the bottom bracket. Shimano already have their automatic shifting IGH, it doesn't require a lot of R&D to move the IGH and housed together with the motor at the bottom bracket. Exciting times, indeed.
 
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