Elkhound

For various reasons I'm going to have to replace the rear wheel of my Trek Mountaineer 8xx, and I have been thinking about NuVinci for a long time. Should I go for it? Has anyone had experience with one?

tatfiend 

I recently did a NuVinci conversion of a 1990 Trek 950 MTB. I got a good price on the complete NuVinci rear wheel from my LBS. An interesting and so far fun ride with the following to take into consideration.

Heavy. The completed bike weighs 35 pounds on the LBS scale. Basic bike with 26 x 2.0 Schwalbe Big Apple tires and no accessories. Since weighed I have added a rear rack to it.

If the frame being converted has vertical dropouts then the Nuvinci VDO kit and chain tensioner are required. The NuVinci shifting control cable housing at the hub is not compatible with most other chain tensioners or the use of a old rear derailleur as a chain tensioner. The size of the NuVinci shift control housing causes it to overlap the derailleur/tensioner hanger mounting hole and it sits close enough to the hanger so not much room for a regular tensioner. Installation on a bike with horizontal dropouts would have been a lot easier I expect.

Rear wheel removal when ncessary is a bit of a PITA for a frame with vertical dropouts. This requires removal of the chain tensioner as the right side anti rotation plate for the hub slides onto the axle and bolts to the derailleur hanger along with the chain tensioner. The two axle nuts are also diferent sizes. The left nut uses a standard SS/FG 15mm wrench. The drive side one is much larger and requires a 21mm wrench. Minimum tools needed are two wrenches and a hex key for the tensioner removal/reinstallation.

I intend to get a Schwalbe Marathon Plus rear tire for the bike to minimize the chance of a rear tire flat. Also probably going to fit a dual leg kickstand to make working on the rear wheel easier if I do have to do so on the road.

Hope that this info is a help to you. I do not want to be negative but IMO the NuVinci is best fitted to a frame with horizontal or semi horizontal dropouts. The design of the VDO adapter kit and chain tensioner for use with vertical dropouts are such that they make both installation and removal of the rear wheel a hassle in comparison to a horizontal dropout frame. Even horizontal dropout frames require use of two different size wrenches for the axle nuts.

Wordbiker

I rode a bike with the NuVinci hub at the Interbike demo. I didn't see that it was better than any other "geared" IGH. A solution to a question no one asked IMO.

robertkat

If you do, give us a report. They look interesting, and the concept is pretty cool, but I don't see it being very useful right now. You'd probably be better off with an Alfine 8 speed.

robertkat

Agreed. It almost seems like an experimental novelty.

tatfiend 

Working on a bike with an Alfine hub too.

I like IGH gearing and wanted to try the NuVinci. I picked up the Trek 950 at the local Goodwill for $60 and the LBS I use offered me the NuVinci wheel at his cost so I do not have too much invested in the whole setup.

The one advantage of the NuVinci is the wider overall gear range compared to the Alfine. The negatives IMO are the added weight and the rear wheel removal/installation difficulties compared to the Alfine hub or any other current IGH hub I am aware of.

Per published input torque limits, only available from Rohloff and NuVinci that I have seen, the NuVinci is very strong. This has been verified by a member who has reported using one on a electric motor assisted cargo bike w/o problems. The same setup has destroyed SRAM and Sturmey Archer hubs as I recall from his posts.

noglider 

For all that cost, hassle, and weight, I don't see the point. It's an interesting innovation, but unless they can fix the problems, I don't see a big future in bicycles. Besides, as others have said, it's a solution in search of a problem. Now that you can get LOTS of gears on a bike, the spaces between the gears isn't as annoying as they used to be.

NuVinciBoy

I've been using one for some time now, and I cant find any problems with it.

What problems are you speaking of? and how did they effect your ride?

tatfiend 

I do not think he was saying he has a problem with the hub.

More I suspect his comments were based on the review of mine posted above. Mine works fine but it is heavy and rear wheel removal and installation is a PITA compared to other non brake IGH hubs on the market or a normal QR rear wheel on a derailleur bike. Particularly so if the NuVinci is installed on a vertical dropouts frame with the NuVinci VDO kit and chain tensioner as mine is.

A coaster brake or roller brake gear hub increases the difficulty of rear wheel removal too compared to a standard no brake or disc brake IGH.

Mr IGH

I'd save my money and get an Alfine.

NuVinciBoy

That was the point I was pointing out in a round about way. Too many folks in forums speak as if they know something about a product, when they've never tried/seen the item.

I dont have any issue with removing the wheel, I do have slotted drop outs and a disc brake.

I do have the later gen, with tire, my wheel comes in a 11 lb. I do plan to get everything from a standard set up, to find the true weight compare.

On my set up now, I'm running the Nuvinci, 700c alloy, single ring front(40t). I'd like the measure my old set up, front two rings, front/rear derailleur and 7 speed freewheel.

noglider 

I don't mean to say it's a bad thing. You surmise correctly that I haven't used one, but I'm not sold on the idea, at least not yet. Perhaps I'd love it on first sight. How do you rebut tatfiend's criticisms?

NuVinciBoy

I would not, He owns the hub and because of this,IMO he has a valid truthful criticism.

tatfiend 

My hub is the original version so a bit heavier than the current ones are supposed to be. I have a number of IGH bikes as can be seen in my signature block so am able to compare the NuVinci to the competition.

The SRAM iM9 is the IGH which is closest to the NuVinci in overall gear range, 340% versus 350%. It does it at less than half the weight and volume. Cable disconnect is as convenient and it takes only one wrench size for wheel removal.

The NuVinci is a interesting concept and seems to work well. If building up a new bike with it I would choose a different frame, something like the Surly Karate Monkey frame or a 26" SS frame with horizontal dropouts to get rid of the chain tensioner and VDO kit.

HillRider

Here's one data (datum?) point for you. I just weighed the rear wheel of one of my road bikes:

7700-series (9-speed) Dura Ace hub
32 straight 14 gauge spokes, 3X
Sun Mistral rim
Shimano Ultegra 9-speed 12x27 cassette
Vitoria Rubino Pro 700x23 tire and generic tube.

So, there is nothing at all exotic or weight-weenieish in this set up and it weighs 1610 grams or 3.55 pounds which is 7.45 pounds lighter than your reported NuVinci wheel.

A second chainring and front and rear derailleur will together add perhaps 1 pound to the bike that won't be there with your NuVinci unless you need a VDO kit.

operator

If you want a hub that defeats the entire purpose of having gears on your bike, buy the nuvinci hub. It's like bolting a couple of bricks onto a variable resistance stationary bike with no wheels. I almost broke my arm just moving the finished wheel from my bench.

Dan Burkhart 

Yeah. Here's a weight comparison between a Nuvici wheel, Sun Ryno Lite rim and a Rohloff with a heavy Downhill rim,(I forget exactly which, but I do remember it was a significantly heavier rim than the Rhyno Lite.)

San Rensho 

How does the Nu Vinci shift under power? Can you apply a lot of pressure to the pedals and shift at the same time, or can you be out of the saddle and shift at the same time?

tatfiend 

The shifter motion tightens up very noticeably under power with my first generation version hub, particularly the upshifting. I have not tried shifting under maximum torque input but expect that it would be difficult.

irclean

[QUOTE=noglider;8855214]It's an interesting innovation, but unless they can fix the problems, I don't see a big future in bicycles.QUOTE]

I dunno... sounds suspiciously like what cyclists of the 1930's might have been saying about "them newfangled derailleur systems."

noglider 

True. Time will tell.

NormanF

Its a controlled variable transmission hub - like in automobiles. You move through a range of gears with an infinite number of clicks on the twist shifter. The inchworm display shows you the gear and you can customize it to your riding preference and conditions.

operator

1) It's continuously variable transmission
2) The shifter does not click, it's a friction shifter.

Val

When the NuVinci hub first became available, I had the opportunity to ride one for a week in somewhat extreme conditions, and I wrote the review you will find here: https://tinyurl.com/2kfdu4 This should answer several of the questions posed in this thread. Also, if you search for "NuVinci" at bikecommuters.com you will find impressions and reviews from their staff, as well. Since my first test ride, I have been using one on my commuting bike, a seriously overequipped XtraCycle. After almost two years of riding this hub on a daily basis, I like it even better than I did at first. For me, the most appealing factors are the absolute reliability of the shifting, the extreme durability of the mechanism, and the continuous ratio. I am a huge Sturmey Archer fan, and I have tremendous respect for SRAM (Sachs) and Shimano IGHs, but for this bike, the NuVinci is the only hub that will withstand the stress that I put on it, and it is also thoroughly enjoyable to ride. It is definitely not the perfect hub for every bike or every rider, but it definitely has its place.

noglider 

Thanks for that, Val. That was a really good review. I'd love to try one of those. You must be a heck of a strong rider, and it sounds like you really tested (and continue to test) the hub quite thoroughly.