Evelo Delta and the NuVinci N380

MikeDD

Well-Known Member
I am considering an Evelo Delta because of the power, brakes, front fork, throttle and the size appears it will fit my short legs, long body. Any thoughts and comments will be appreciated. I will ride the bike prior to deciding to purchase.

I was hoping to get comments on the NuVinci N380 on the Evelo or another bike.

I currently have a Rad Mini with 600 miles, half of the mileage off pavement. I need something to make off pavement easier on my arthritic hands.
 
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Seems like a fairly nice bike. Not a fan of the one-size-fits-most frame, especially a that price. The motor has a lot of power and torque, but I still wonder if the NuVinci hub has low enough gearing for steep climbs. If you don't ever do that kind of riding though, it would be a non-issue.
 
27.5 tires, 29.5 standover height, evelo delta is too big a bike for me. How tall are you? How long are your legs (inseam)? This bike is 2.5" taller than rad mini.
Double suspension should help arthritic hands. I use foam pool floats on my handlebars for that problem. My cargo bike has no suspension but 2.1" x 26" tires smooth out everything but potholes. I see a problem with a Rad mini, 20" wheels don't smooth out bumps nearly as well as 26" IMHO.
Speaking of arthritis, shifing a 7 speed Shimano thumb shifter caused joint pain and a big cyst over my thumb joint (2" dia x .5" thick). Nuvinci has a nice twist shifter, I've been thinking of buying one. You can also buy twist shifters from suntour via niagaracycle etc. Such a twist shifter on a derailleur hub has shrunk my cyst down to 1" diameter but I have to wear gloves to make it downshift when my hands are wet. It also misses the top gear sometimes, letting the spring tension go is not enough to make the derailleur shift unless the wheels hit something uneven. The nuvinci shifter pulls both up and down with two cables, I've been thinking of buying one from the same parts house.
If you're of a certain age, at some point (age 64) I found it hard to get my foot over a top bar when mounting. Evelo has a drop frame in another model.
How steep are grades on your trails? 750 W mid drive motor, no triple front crank, I would suspect it would start having trouble about 10%. I have 15% grades on my commute. Certainly don't get beyond battery range if hills are coming up.
 
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Their website says the standover height is 26". That does seem to low to be true.

I have decided to pass on the NuVinci drive. I am also going full suspension. I am looking at a Specialized Levo now. When the forest fire smoke clears, I will take it for a day test ride.

Thanks for the comments.
 
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