# Nuvinci CVT hub test ride



## DirtDad (May 12, 2002)

First off, I must come clean, this is also a plug for an item for sale. Our shop set one of these up for an eval, and now we need to sell the eval unit as used, check it out here on the paid-for mtbr ad:

https://classifieds.mtbr.com/showproduct.php?product=2966

The Nuvinci is an internally geared hub, ours was build as a rear wheel with a Sun Rhyno Lite XL rim. The Nuvinci is not just internally geared, it is a CVT - continuously variable, so you can get any gear ratio in it range. Its range is 3.5:1, which is a bigger range than an 11-34 cassette (think of it as a 10-35 cassette in terms of range).

Our pictures show our unit installed on the shop 'test mule' bike we are always doing weird projects with (it was recently an electric bike, for example). Higher res versions of the same images are in the mtbr ad.










The hub needs to be installed on a horizontal dropout or eccentric bottom bracket type of bike. Our bike had a vertical dropout, and the system leaves no room for mounting a chain tensioner in the place of a rear derailleur. A half link might work for some vertical dropouts, but there is no way to tell for sure. Ours worked well enough for a quick evaluation, training test, and show off to a few customers.










The system requires two cables to be routed to the rear. We just removed our front derailleur and used that as the additional routing for the test bike. To install this, you will have to be a pretty decent mechanic and patient as well, but once you figure out how to route the cable inside the housing at the back of the bike, it all comes together pretty easily.

















The system is touted for cruiser or city bikes, and we would have to agree. The range is great, but the system is much heavier than a traditional rear derailleur set up. I did not weigh it, but the rear wheel must weigh around 10-15 pounds. But given the price and technology, we can only hope that it finds a market niche as it is, and lighter off road versions may follow someday.









Our hub is also 6 bolt disc compatible, but we did not install disc brakes, and the disc brake mount is an option.

Once it is set up, it is amazing to ride. Shifts happen with little effort or delay, and the range is huge. The shfter has a nice feel to it when properly set up, you can feel the hub and cables taking up the shift and changing with just a tiny lag. The most interesting part is picking your gear. On one hand it is great to pick any ratio you want. On the other hand it is something new to get used to: I had to learn to avoid constantly fiddling with the gear I was in. Making lots of tiny adjustments reveals the lag in the system: the gear continues to change for a microsecond after you stop twisting the shifter. But I am sure you would learn to compensate for that over time, or just stop being aware of it. The quirks of shifting discrete gears on a cassette are much greater for sure.

Cable tension is fussy at first until the cables get trained to wrap around the internals of the rear mechanism. You can adjust cable tension with two adjusters at the shifter, which is grip shift style. When cable tension is not correct, the shifter can feel notchy, when in fact it is just slow cable action.

While its weight alone precludes it from being a high performance drivetrain, it would make an awesome drivetrain for the right kind of bike. It would look right at home an a high tech cruiser, or on a bike that was used for local commutes or errands.


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