Cube SUV Race 500 2017 - with nu-vinci hub

[falmouthtony]

• Just pondering

Seen one of these .... shop soiled at £1000 less than rrp.
The idea of the nu vinci continuously variable shifting with the belt drive kind of appeals to me for tarmac riding on our hilly lanes with the 75nm CX motor and 500w battery.

The big advantage appears to be lack of need for maintenance and no strain on drive chain like a derailliuer system once you get used to cadence being the deciding factor to your riding style.

Can stuff go wrong with these sealed hubs though .. and if so how difficult/expensive to repair / replace.
And what about the belts ... do they wear out and are they easy to replace?

All seems a bit too good to be true .. and yet so few applications in general terms.

What are the pitfalls?

Any responses greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Gubbins]

I like the idea of hub gears and a belt drive but not the auto gearing. I also like the change of cadence and pace achieved with a manual gear change.

 

[Trevormonty]

I like the idea of hub gears and a belt drive but not the auto gearing. I also like the change of cadence and pace achieved with a manual gear change.

At this price its good deal, plus frame will support rolhoff upgrade in future if nuvinci isn't to buyer's liking.

 

[s60sc]

I've been happily using a nuvinci geared bike for 4 years now. It suits the stop/start constant speed changes of my urban journeys. The nuvinci is 'sealed for life' intended to be maintenance free and not repairable. I have the Harmony version which is fully automatic, I personally wouldn't bother with the manual version.

 

[Gubbins]

I've been happily using a nuvinci geared bike for 4 years now. It suits the stop/start constant speed changes of my urban journeys. The nuvinci is 'sealed for life' intended to be maintenance free and not repairable. I have the Harmony version which is fully automatic, I personally wouldn't bother with the manual version.

I am planning a visit to a bike show next month and have just been reading about the Harmony and must confess to my ignorance on the subject as it looks really good. Assuming its the 380, whats it like on really steep hills?

 

[anotherkiwi]

I am planning a visit to a bike show next month and have just been reading about the Harmony and must confess to my ignorance on the subject as it looks really good. Assuming its the 380, whats it like on really steep hills?

Depends on your chainwheel teeth. The range of gears makes it useless where I live because I like to pedal downhill too. I really wanted to have a nexus 8 inter but same problem, not enough range. Yep, the only one that has enough range is the Rohloff...

 

[Gubbins]

Depends on your chainwheel teeth. The range of gears makes it useless where I live because I like to pedal downhill too. I really wanted to have a nexus 8 inter but same problem, not enough range. Yep, the only one that has enough range is the Rohloff...

I am in the process of expanding my knowledge prior to my next purchase.. The one I was looking at had a belt drive and a video in use showed the rider pedaling up a 20% gradient and still pedaling AT 45KPH downhill. I am intreagued by it but as I have 25% hills around me I need some info from users.
I was sort of set on the Rohlof E-14, but there is a bosch integrated version of the Nuvinci.
Truth is I am spoiled for choice and the 2019 bikes are not out yet!!

 

[s60sc]

I ride up an unmade 15% hill outside my house, but 25% would be too much without a different chain wheel, which would restrict the top speed. The nuvinci is best suited for urban/commuting, not touring.

 

[peter.c]

A quick comment the belt drive cogs are limited in choice they are not available in as many teeth options as a chain set also the cost there not cheap can run into the hundreds if not a popular size any more than a couple of teeth also requires a new belt
My cube hyde with a gates belt and a nexus 8 run out at 20mph with legs turning like a hamster in a wheel the only and cheapest option was to fit an alfine 11 not an option with a motor [have just sold the cube as bbs01 would not fit]
Also puncture repair is not easy at the side of the road as you should release the tension of the belt to remove the wheel and then re tension when completed you cannot wind it on like a chain as it stretches/ damages the belt

 

[Gubbins]

According to the bumf the newest one has a 380% range/spread and a chart shows how it compares with other systems but it doesn't make sense as I can't see how it compares with my Bosch 17/11-42.