NuVinci hub

[geegee]

Anyone try out a NuVinci hub yet? I'm interested in one but not for touring, just for commuting. There seemed to be glowing reviews of it a couple of years ago from some websites, but I haven't really seen any recent reviews especially from real consumers.

[Successor to the Professor]

The Ellsworth Ride is running this setup.  It would be perfect for touring since it doesn't use gears.  The rotating spheres inside the sealed hub don't take on the wear and tear that gears do.  This gives it a longer lifespan, makes for a quieter ride, and provides smoother shifts.  Since there are no gears, you don't have the jumps from one gear to another, meaning the resistance never jumps more than you want it to when shifting. 

The downside is that they are very expensive, making the Shimano Alfine 8spd hub a little more attractive.

[geegee]

I didn't think the NuVinci hubs were that much more than Alfine, $100 more at most. Curiously, there is a Cadillac-branded NuVinci Bike that is much cheaper.

One thought I had was a NuVinci Hub coupled with a Gates Carbon Drive could make for a really sweet commuter bike especially in the cold snowy winter.

[jsieber]

A quick google search makes it seem that they are in the $320 - $350 range. Here are a  couple of web retailers selling them.
http://aebike.com/page.cfm?action=details&PageID=30&SKU=HU0104
http://www.bikesonline.com/index.php?page_URL=NuVinci-CVP-rear-hub-32h-Silver

[DaveB]

They are expensive but much less than, say, a Rohloff 14-speed hub.  What they are is HEAVY, 4100 grams (9 pounds!) just for the hub.   The dedicated shifter is made to fit only straight bars so you need an adapter like the HubBub to use it on drop bars.