NuVinci N360 qestion?

[harshbarj]

I am in the market for a new hub and wonder if anyone has used the NuVinci n360? I currently use a nexus inter-3 and used a nexus inter-7 before it failed. It would be used on a trek belleville city bike and used only for commuting and runs to the store.

I guess I just want to know what to expect from the hub. Is it good for climbing fairly steep hills and such.

Also where would I get a full pre-built wheel? I can install it myself, but I can't build a wheel and don't want to go through the wait of my LBS building it for me.

Thanks!

[harshbarj]

Just an update. I bought a n360 hub and had it installed over the weekend. I am now feeling it was a mistake. I would be shocked if the hub efficiency is even 70%. I use to have a shimano nexus 3-speed hub and could climb about any hill in Omaha without resting. Now I need to rest after even the slightest incline. I am very disappointed in the hub. I'll try and play around with the hub this weekend and see if trek adjusted the hub correctly as they have never seen one. If it's just an adjustment problem I'll amend my recommendation but for now I have to put the n360 at a don't buy. I am left wishing I had bought a nexus 8 as it would have been cheaper and I KNOW it would have worked.

[canyoneagle]

FWIW, I'm quite happy with my N360, after having owned several Nexus and Alfine hubs. The Alfine units are great, too, but I needed something I could reliably use offroad.
I commuted with my N360 last Spring, and felt that it ran fine (to my legs). The only place I notice a loss of efficiency is in the absolute bottom of the range (steep climbs), but even then, it is not too bad.

Good luck with it! It might be worth checking in with Nuvinci to see if you have a faulty unit.

[zoltani]

Is it the actual hub efficiency that makes you feel more tired or the weight of the thing? They are heavy beasts...

[prathmann]

I can't see that the extra weight could account for the OP's observation. Yes it's heavy, but it still only amounts to about 3 or 4 extra pounds or about as much as a couple extra full water bottles. Sure that'll slow me down a bit on a climb, but it won't make as drastic a difference as reported. AFAICT, NuVinci has been very secretive about efficiency estimates and has given out no information about it. And I have yet to see a review with any quantitative data. But the reviews I've seen have not reported such large efficiency losses as the OP seems to have experienced.

Please let us know if you resolve the efficiency issue.

[harshbarj]

I can't see that the extra weight could account for the OP's observation. Yes it's heavy, but it still only amounts to about 3 or 4 extra pounds or about as much as a couple extra full water bottles. Sure that'll slow me down a bit on a climb, but it won't make as drastic a difference as reported. AFAICT, NuVinci has been very secretive about efficiency estimates and has given out no information about it. And I have yet to see a review with any quantitative data. But the reviews I've seen have not reported such large efficiency losses as the OP seems to have experienced.

Please let us know if you resolve the efficiency issue.

I carry 40-80 lbs of groceries every weekend so I don't think 5lbs is that much of a difference.