Bike Continuously Variable Transmission! CVT

Greetings!
I have a tandem recumbent which came with an Enviolo NuVinci 360 continuously variable transmission on the rear wheel. No gears, only internal large ball bearings and belts which provide an unlimited gear range, without gears! It uses a simple twist grip shifter which requires two cables to actuate the shifting. Super quiet, super smooth, wide range, but heavy. Really great for a heavy tandem recumbent. Does require a "dummy" rear derailleur for use with a front derailleur (to take up the chain slack from the front rings)
Has anyone else used these on their bikes?

 

Yes! It is now all I use. I first put an N360 on my Haluzak Hybrid Race years ago. I sold that bike because physical difficulties at the time, and wish I had it back! I now have an N380 on my wooden-steel-hybrid homebuilt trike. I use an N360 on my upright comfort bike, converted my wife's Townie to an N330, and built a wheel for my brother's townie with an N330. What you will likely find is that published (and scarce) efficiency numbers make the hub look bad. That really depends...the extremes of the range can lose efficiency on the order of (if memory serves) 12%. The middle of the range varies from about 6-3%. So there are many naysayers. Whatever. What matters most is how it feels to ride it, and what sort of terrain and rider you are. As a practical hub, there is very little in the way of maintenance (zero) and it makes my knees work well because I can always be in the best ratio for them. The hub is sort of heavy, but if you live in mostly flat terrain, it doesn't matter much. It also is overbuilt being ebike rated. Probably one of the best parts is being able to downshift through most of the range after a stop. Try doing that with a derailleur!

 

I have found the 360 and 380 great for winter trike commuting.
The 360 parted company with the 26 inch rim due to multiple failure of spokes and rim fracture after 4 or 5 seasons. The weight of the hub and torquing through heavy snow probably contributed.
The 380 has only resisted shifting once during very severe cold, but otherwise has been very dependable. I have changed the size of the stock cog to 21T. It is tricky to feed a new cable into the locking clip on the hub without fraying it.

 

Yes! Extraordinarily complex for the casual mechanic! I broke one of the cables on my first attempt to change a tire. I let my bike mechanic handle things after that. Fortunately, my N360 has been solid since. I did inherit this unit and so also had my guy replace the shifter with a newer one (it was sticky!) I do miss the original shifter, which had a tiny dude cyclist icon, which would ride up and down a little hill, which would change steepness as you would shift! Hilarious. Still, the unit has been bullet proof and trouble free ever since, and it's on a 70lb bike! (Check out my Godzilla article elsewhere on this site)

 

..and how is the ride? I read that these are relatively uneficient kind of transmission. Also, I used to have Alfine8 and found little over 300% gear range to be "too little" in my area...

 

Hello and Happy Christmas! I find, like the guy mentions above, it actually feels MORE efficient, as it's nature is simply to help you find the "perfect" pedaling cadence at all times. Honestly it's kind of like magic - you simply gently twist the controller until you feel "gear perfection" at your particular speed. And this happens every single time you adjust the ratio. The feeling is that you are always in the perfect gear and can minutely trim as you ride. You don't "feel" any inefficient at all, just smooth, easy pedaling...
Oh and I have mine mounted on a fully suspended, overbuilt 20 inch/ 406mm 36 spoke wheel, which are inherently stronger than 26 or 29 inchers (BMX riders know this). Never gonna fail...
I'm sure it would feel different on a speed bike - recall I've got it on a 70lb fully suspended tandem recumbent!

Highest recommendation.

 

that is not exactly what I'd call "efficient"
Being able to always perfectly fit is noce to have tho.
Does it get warm over time? That would point out energyloss, drive->heat