NuVinci info, comparison, review
Had a search but couldn't find any dedicated NuVinci threads.
Big Bro is considering a bike with NuVinci 360. How does it stack up against the competitions such as Nexus, Alfine 8 and 11 etc. I am a very happy user of Alfine 8. Does it take std 3-spline sprockets Maintenance: The manufacturers suggest that it is maintenance free for the life of the hub. Does that mean maintenance-free in the Shimano Alfine sense ie occasional pootlers can ride for life on the factory grease but heavy users need to do annual oil dips. How does the system work in wet winters and v cold conditions. Is the 2.5kg weight really worth the advantages over Shimano 1.6 kg ? Any user reviews or experience welcome. |
I ride a nuvinci on my recumbent trike after i blew up a sturmey archer xrf8w. I've spent a bunch of time commuting on a nexus 7 but never tried an alfine. Hands down the Nuvinci is the best internal guts hub i have used. I say internal guts rather than gear because theres no gears, just gnomes and magic and some kind of lifetime grease. The infinitely variable drive is every bit as cool as you think it sounds. What's especially nice if you are used to igh's is that theres no big jumps betweent any of the gears because theres no damn gears. It doesn't slip, the shifter is easy to use. Just twist and go.
everything ive read says that these hubs really are sealed for life and will love you longtime. You can service the wheel bearings but the internals are a black box. Its made by Germans though and Germans engineer the hell out of everything. I havent experienced its ability to resist mud and snow but i have read it is fairly impervious. The downsides i can see is that since you need to maintain no less than a 1.8:1 ratio of chainring to cog you are basically limited on your low end by the diameter of your wheel. It might seem silly for me to gripe about not getting less than 24 gear inches but on a recumbent in the mountains you can easily wanna get down lower than that. 360% is a nice range but if you gear a nuvinci for low end you might wind up like me wanting a double crankset. Of course if you gear it more sensibly you can get like 28-100 gear inches for the price i was fine with this instead of the alfine 11 |
I have not tried one, but a friend has. He says to be careful if you try one, because after a 5 minute test drive he said he'll never be happy with regular gears again.
The only real downside is that they're heavy. |
Also it takes a multi splined shimano cog. 3 spline wont work
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Great review, Dan, and funny, too.
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It's made by Germans? Isnt it made in the good old USA?
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Originally Posted by rhm
(Post 15804874)
It's made by Germans? Isnt it made in the good old USA?
EIther way it kicks butt and if they could get the weight to be comparable with a conventional IGH it would be a real no brainer. Since switching my trike to a Nuvinci I have noticed a sustained gain of about 1.5 mph on my average speed over a set 20 mile course. I attribute this to being able to get out of the low range and into the higher ratios easier and quicker than with conventional IGH gearing. I hate it when there's a bigger jump between gears 1 and 2 than between all the rest. I understand why its done that way but it makes it much harder to work out of that lowest gear without a big step. With the Nuvinci I can dial the ratio up gradually so its barely perceptible that I am gaining gear inches as I climb. Cadence can stay at just about your optimal range all the time and you just twist the shifter and the bike goes faster. Its sorta like Lemond said... it doesn't get easier, you just go faster. |
Originally Posted by Zaphod Beeblebrox
(Post 15805452)
Since switching my trike to a Nuvinci I have noticed a sustained gain of about 1.5 mph on my average speed over a set 20 mile course. I attribute this to being able to get out of the low range and into the higher ratios easier and quicker than with conventional IGH gearing. I hate it when there's a bigger jump between gears 1 and 2 than between all the rest.
I am not dissing the NuVinci, I have no experience with it. |
Does it take std 3-spline sprockets Range of 360% 180 up , 180 down .. less than a Rohloff, 526% .. that, direct shell drive is 11th of 14. Chemical in the NuVinci is such that when not compressed its a lubricant, when it is compressed.. it is a 'traction' fluid.. transferring power between 2 smooth surfaces.. rode a bike, in the shop, with the Nu Vinci hub around the block, Own 2 Rohloff hub bikes.. |
Originally Posted by mikepwagner
(Post 15805934)
The "jumps" between the gears on an Alfine 11 feel pretty regularly spaced to me, and I think it has an equivalent range (maybe larger?) than the NuVinci. The gear ratios in the Alfine 11 are noticeably more regulalry spaced than on the Alfine 8.
The Alfine 11 has something like 406% range, to the Nuvinci's 360% so yes more range but don't let the numbers fool you, its not 46% more than a Nuvinci, its like 12% more if you are comparing the two. For me, I didn't think that what amounts to 1 more gear warranted the price of an Alfine 11 over the price of a Nuvinci and I was willing to pay the weight penalty to try something cool and different. Clearly not everyone is gonna see it that way. One things for sure, you get the ratios you get with a conventional IGH....with a Nuvinci you get the ratio you dial up. Its also very quiet. |
Originally Posted by Zaphod Beeblebrox
(Post 15806723)
For me, I didn't think that what amounts to 1 more gear warranted the price of an Alfine 11 over the price of a Nuvinci and I was willing to pay the weight penalty to try something cool and different. Clearly not everyone is gonna see it that way.
I went with an Alfine because I'd found a Civia Bryant at a really good price on eBay this spring. It came with a Alfine 8 that had some pretty big jumps in the gear ratios, and I decided to replace it with an Alfine 11. Mike |
How do you like the Alfine 11 so far? I was going back and forth between that and the NuVinci. I might still try an Alfine.
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Originally Posted by Zaphod Beeblebrox
(Post 15807599)
How do you like the Alfine 11 so far? I was going back and forth between that and the NuVinci. I might still try an Alfine.
It's little hard for me to compare with a non-Alfine mechanism - my other bike is a carbon fibre road bike with Ultegra components, rim brakes, skinny tires, and a chain. This is a steel bike with Alfine components, disk brakes, fatter tires. and a Gates belt drive. The bikes are very different, but I don't know how much of that difference to specifically to the Alfine 11. I like riding it more than my other bike but that's mainly due to the fact that I can just thow my leg over the this bike and ride without worrying about grease stains - and maybe the fact that my Ultegra equipped bike needs a derailleur adjustment after sitting over the winter. :) Let's see, it's a nice day. Do I just want to jump on this bike and ride, or do I want to dink with the derailleur on the other bike? |
Check out hubstripping blog.. http://hubstripping.wordpress.com/atc-nuvinci/
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Originally Posted by Zaphod Beeblebrox
(Post 15807599)
How do you like the Alfine 11 so far? I was going back and forth between that and the NuVinci. I might still try an Alfine.
I went to a Rolhoff, which was a harder to set up on my road frame with vertical dropouts, but it works great and you never miss a shift. Funny that a company like Shimano with greater funds for R&D could not do what one engineer was able to do with the Rolhoff (always works). I also have a NuVinci, but have not sorted out what sort of bike I should put it on. |
Originally Posted by Zaphod Beeblebrox
(Post 15805452)
Yes it is. in Texas (and probably also China).
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I am wondering if the spheres are solid or hollow. If they are solid, perhaps some weight could be saved in a hollow sphere design? Is this even possible???
- Andy |
Originally Posted by Zaphod Beeblebrox
(Post 15805452)
Yes it is. in Texas (and probably also China). I don't know why I said Germany....although for all I know they may employ Germans. Or not. I suppose a better statement on my part might be "It may be made by Germans, or not."
EIther way it kicks butt and if they could get the weight to be comparable with a conventional IGH it would be a real no brainer. Since switching my trike to a Nuvinci I have noticed a sustained gain of about 1.5 mph on my average speed over a set 20 mile course. I attribute this to being able to get out of the low range and into the higher ratios easier and quicker than with conventional IGH gearing. I hate it when there's a bigger jump between gears 1 and 2 than between all the rest. I understand why its done that way but it makes it much harder to work out of that lowest gear without a big step. With the Nuvinci I can dial the ratio up gradually so its barely perceptible that I am gaining gear inches as I climb. Cadence can stay at just about your optimal range all the time and you just twist the shifter and the bike goes faster. Its sorta like Lemond said... it doesn't get easier, you just go faster. It's made by Germans in South Texas... :p:thumb:;) |
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