Originally Posted by John E
Given the light weight and high efficiency of a standard roller chain drive and the huge ratio count now available (up to 3x10, with perhaps 25 or 26 usable gears), I see no benefit whatsoever to a CVT for bikes. Give me a 5 or 6 percent ratiometric progression from the low 40s to the mid 90s (gear-inches), and I have everything I need. (In fact, I already have it!) CVT for bicycles is a solution in search of a problem.
Even though every car I have owned has had an automatic transmission (I haven't even driven a stick in almost 25 years), the concept of an automatic transmission for bicycles is completely unattractive to me. I want to know when it going to shift, I don't want to be caught by surprise, and I want to be able to vary my cadence as desired.
You're last statement is exactly the reason why I find the CVT attractive. If it's shifting continuously then there are no jumps. Nothing to catch you by surprise. You just keep applying the same effort to the pedals and the bike adjusts its speed accordingly.
And I'm sure an adjustment could be added to change the parameter of the automatic transmission so you could vary your cadence. The important thing is that you'd only have to vary it when you want to change cadence, not because the terrain changed.