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Gates belt drive and Nuvinci CVT (Priority Continuum)

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Gates belt drive and Nuvinci CVT (Priority Continuum)

Old 11-11-17, 10:13 AM
  #1  
General Geoff
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Gates belt drive and Nuvinci CVT (Priority Continuum)

Been reading up on the Piority Continuum bike, and I really like the idea of a modern belt drive coupled with a CVT rear hub, especially for an urban bike and at such a relatively low price point. Does anyone here ride a bike with belt drive and/or the Nuvinci CVT? Likes/dislikes? Thanks
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Old 11-11-17, 12:59 PM
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I have a Priority Continuum Onyx. Got it about two months ago, and haven't gotten around to making it real commute-worthy (for me the bare minimum would be to add a rear rack, but the extra Delta rack I had lying around doesn't fit) so not too many miles on it. Also have a belt-driven Classic 1.0, and the difference between the CVT and the Nexus-3 is worlds apart in utility. Took the Classic on a gravel trail earlier in the summer on a rainy day, just wiped the spray down later from the belt and other components. Compared to fussing with my (admittedly cheap) noisy and rickety chain on my Kent tandem, belt wins hands down.

I live in Seattle. People ride all kinds of bikes around, some with zero lights or visibility, which makes me . Love the fact that the Continuum Onyx has a dynamo hub-powered front light and reflective coating all over.
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Old 11-11-17, 01:12 PM
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Thank you for the feedback!
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Old 11-11-17, 01:28 PM
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You're welcome. I can also mention that my co-worker has an actual commute with his belt-driven bike, unlike me. He's got the BMC AlpenChallenge with Alfine-8 hub. Beautiful bike, but he says he sometimes wishes he'd sprung for the 11-speed. Not a direct comparison since neither of us have ridden the other's bike yet but does seem to suggest more gears are better. In which case infinite is the best.
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Old 11-11-17, 01:51 PM
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Around here, there's no such thing as flat. Pretty much anywhere you go there's constant grades and slopes, so more gears are certainly better. That's why the CVT intrigues me. My 27 speed Cannondale gets the job done great, but I'm curious what kind of ratio range the CVT offers in comparison. I don't use the lowest three ratios on the C'dale, even on the steepest climbs, so I'm hoping the CVT offers an acceptable ratio range.
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Old 11-11-17, 02:23 PM
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Belt drives are awesome. I am not a huge fan of the NuVinci stuff it is generally functional till it is not and warranty with that stuff is horrible.
I certainly wouldn't want to spend my money on an online bike I cannot test ride. They did a semi decent job trying to copy the Focus Urban Pro Plus with some cheaper components but for that I would just stick with the Focus Urban Pro Plus. It has Shimano hydraulics and an Alfine hub at the rear and a Shutter Precision at the front as well as Ergon grips so I think it is a better option.
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Old 11-11-17, 02:29 PM
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The Focus Urban Pro Plus certainly looks really cool.
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Old 11-11-17, 02:39 PM
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Originally Posted by General Geoff
The Focus Urban Pro Plus certainly looks really cool.
It is a great ride too. I might end up getting one at some point because every time I ride it I love it. However I don't really need it and would rather put that money towards dynamo set ups for some my bikes and getting a Chisel frameset so I can build up an mountain bike. I have a really great touring bike and a fun little 1x9 commuter with some nice components I saved from bins.
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Old 11-11-17, 02:53 PM
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Yeah the CVT should be acceptable for hills. You can compare your current setup with the Onyx using gear-calculator dot com. The Onyx has a 50t/24t setup and uses the N330 hub. If your C'dale is the F4 in your profile, then the CVT overlaps all but the lowest 4 gears (Onyx's lowest 1.04 ratio is pretty close to the 4th lowest -- F4's lowest are 0.688, 0.786, 0.917, 1.0, 1.05) and highest 2 of your current ride.
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Old 11-11-17, 06:58 PM
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Originally Posted by surak
Yeah the CVT should be acceptable for hills. You can compare your current setup with the Onyx using gear-calculator dot com. The Onyx has a 50t/24t setup and uses the N330 hub. If your C'dale is the F4 in your profile, then the CVT overlaps all but the lowest 4 gears (Onyx's lowest 1.04 ratio is pretty close to the 4th lowest -- F4's lowest are 0.688, 0.786, 0.917, 1.0, 1.05) and highest 2 of your current ride.
That's interesting. Is that taking into account the larger diameter wheels/tires on the Onyx?
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Old 11-12-17, 10:08 AM
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Originally Posted by surak
Took the Classic on a gravel trail earlier in the summer on a rainy day, just wiped the spray down later from the belt and other components. Compared to fussing with my (admittedly cheap) noisy and rickety chain on my Kent tandem, belt wins hands down.
The belt and sealed hub combo is wonderful in the slop, isn't it? My chain-driven bikes are mountain-bikes, and I don't like to run them in sloppy conditions. Whereas the belt drive in winter is easy.
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Old 11-12-17, 01:38 PM
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As far as I know, a belt has more mechanical drag than a chain and the NuVinci has more mechanical drag than a normal IGH. So maybe it's a good idea for an E-bike.
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Old 11-12-17, 03:36 PM
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Originally Posted by General Geoff
That's interesting. Is that taking into account the larger diameter wheels/tires on the Onyx?
Gear ratio is tire agnostic, but you can specify tire sizes to see real world speed @ cadence values.

Originally Posted by JonathanGennick
The belt and sealed hub combo is wonderful in the slop, isn't it? My chain-driven bikes are mountain-bikes, and I don't like to run them in sloppy conditions. Whereas the belt drive in winter is easy.
Yeah I am a gravel newbie and wasn't even expecting the spray. Luckily the Classic was the only bike I had earlier this year so when I came home I didn't have a surprise, messy cleanup waiting for me.
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Old 11-13-17, 12:28 PM
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I just purchased a used Priority 8, which they are no longer making. I bought it for a wet weather commuter. I've commuted with it a few times and overall it's fine. The gear ratios are not as wide as my 20 speed road bike, or even my 10 speed mountain bike, but it's fine for the hills I do climb on my commute. I'm about 2 mph average slower than I am on my road bike, which I think is acceptable. I don't know if the slower speed is related to the belt drive, wider tires or more upright position.


Pretty sure I'm going to upgrade the saddle - the stock one kind of sucks, and try to find a good bag to carry my lunch on the rack with.


As far as the belt drive goes it's quiet and smooth like everyone says.
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Old 12-01-17, 08:02 PM
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I've been riding Priority Continuum Onyx since July and it has been fantastic so far. I can't recommend it enough for easy, carefree riding. I love my Bridgestone RB-T for a longer ride, but when I just want to jump on a bike and relax for a ride, or commute to work, the Continuum is comfy and ready to roll.

Here's mine
https://ibb.co/bPEyXw][/url

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Old 12-01-17, 08:37 PM
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Thanks for the feedback!
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