Hi guys! I'm moving some content off of the main site and into the most relevant categories of the forum. This post was originally made on September 1st 2012:
The NuNinci Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) hub has started popping up in the electric bike world more and more because of it’s unique abilities to eliminate gear steps, change seamlessly at rest and reduce the chances of having a chain fall off. I had the chance to interview a NuVinci representative, Al, and learn more about the product and how it works with ebikes as either an option or an after-market addition.
The NuVinci N360 is offered as an upgrade option on bikes like the Evelo Aries which has a mid-drive system. Since the NuVinci hub can shift under load and at rest, it enables the user to easily go from a harder gear used at higher speeds to an easier one as the rider encounters a stop sign or light without having to plan ahead. The downside is, this option costs an extra $400 and adds ~5lbs in the case of the Evelo bikes. In my interview with Al from NuVinci however, it sounds like the weight of the hub is comparable to a standard eight speed chainring set.
NuVinci hubs are sealed for life and rely on a two cable system controlled either manually or via electronic shifters. The product is warrantied for two years.
The NuVinci N360 CVT works with two styles of shifters. The less expensive manual grip shifter lets the rider choose how hard they want to pedal as they ride by turning a grip shifter. This action activates a two cable system that changes the gear. The fancier alternative is an auto shifter system called “Harmony” that lets the rider decide what cadence they want to pedal at, set it, then let the bike adapt as terrain changes. So with Harmony, in a sense the rider should always be pedaling with the same force at the same speed and the bike will just adapt. Depending on terrain, the rider will end up going faster or slower but pedaling will remain constant.
If you can’t decide between the manual cable version or the Harmony auto shifter, NuVinci has a dual mode setup that includes both. We explored a European Kalkhoff electric bike with Panasonic motor and batteries that featured this setup, check it out in the video interview just above.
NuVinci’s parent company, Fallbrook Technologies, has been around for eight years and entered the bike scene five years ago. They offer products in Europe, Asia and the US and have recently begun offering technology solutions for trucks, busses and automotive. Their N360 manual shift system retails for ~$400 and is compatible with belt drive systems as well as chain drive. Having ridden these bikes myself, I love the smoothness of shifting, being able to shift at stop and the reduced maintenance, squeakiness and rust that a sealed solution offers. These benefits are enhanced further when paired with a belt drive system because it also won’t rust and is less likely to derail than traditional metal chains.
I also asked Al about how the company got it’s name and whether it was paying homage to Leonardo DaVinci, which he confirmed. Leanardo “was an inventor of mechanical devices and tried to make the human machine interaction better”. I think NuVinci is doing a great job with their products, following the same guiding principals Leonardo did.
The NuNinci Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) hub has started popping up in the electric bike world more and more because of it’s unique abilities to eliminate gear steps, change seamlessly at rest and reduce the chances of having a chain fall off. I had the chance to interview a NuVinci representative, Al, and learn more about the product and how it works with ebikes as either an option or an after-market addition.
The NuVinci N360 is offered as an upgrade option on bikes like the Evelo Aries which has a mid-drive system. Since the NuVinci hub can shift under load and at rest, it enables the user to easily go from a harder gear used at higher speeds to an easier one as the rider encounters a stop sign or light without having to plan ahead. The downside is, this option costs an extra $400 and adds ~5lbs in the case of the Evelo bikes. In my interview with Al from NuVinci however, it sounds like the weight of the hub is comparable to a standard eight speed chainring set.
NuVinci hubs are sealed for life and rely on a two cable system controlled either manually or via electronic shifters. The product is warrantied for two years.
The NuVinci N360 CVT works with two styles of shifters. The less expensive manual grip shifter lets the rider choose how hard they want to pedal as they ride by turning a grip shifter. This action activates a two cable system that changes the gear. The fancier alternative is an auto shifter system called “Harmony” that lets the rider decide what cadence they want to pedal at, set it, then let the bike adapt as terrain changes. So with Harmony, in a sense the rider should always be pedaling with the same force at the same speed and the bike will just adapt. Depending on terrain, the rider will end up going faster or slower but pedaling will remain constant.
If you can’t decide between the manual cable version or the Harmony auto shifter, NuVinci has a dual mode setup that includes both. We explored a European Kalkhoff electric bike with Panasonic motor and batteries that featured this setup, check it out in the video interview just above.
NuVinci’s parent company, Fallbrook Technologies, has been around for eight years and entered the bike scene five years ago. They offer products in Europe, Asia and the US and have recently begun offering technology solutions for trucks, busses and automotive. Their N360 manual shift system retails for ~$400 and is compatible with belt drive systems as well as chain drive. Having ridden these bikes myself, I love the smoothness of shifting, being able to shift at stop and the reduced maintenance, squeakiness and rust that a sealed solution offers. These benefits are enhanced further when paired with a belt drive system because it also won’t rust and is less likely to derail than traditional metal chains.
I also asked Al about how the company got it’s name and whether it was paying homage to Leonardo DaVinci, which he confirmed. Leanardo “was an inventor of mechanical devices and tried to make the human machine interaction better”. I think NuVinci is doing a great job with their products, following the same guiding principals Leonardo did.
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