NoMoreGears

Need power?

When we said that NuVinci would allow new bicycle designs and possibilities we weren’t kidding. But I have to admit that I did not see this one coming. Staton Inc of the USA sells a kit consisting out of a Honda GX35 1.6HP engine and the NuVinci hub. Only 1.6HP I thought? The NuVinci technology gives the motor some serious pulling punch though and is not to be stopped.

Pictures and pricing are on his site together with a write up of his experiences. As I mentioned, the NuVinci drive train really does help with its Under Drive: “Even then it would pull any hill that a car could ever climb and then some”. The tried to hold it down, but could not stop it. Not bad for no more gears.

Transportation for a Healthy Planet: Joe Breeze

Joe Breeze gets it big way. Just read the excellent in-depth article in the South West in-flight magazine and you will agree. It has lots of interesting statistics: “according to the 2000 census, of America’s 300 million citizens, a mere 600,000 or so ride bicycles to work rather than use a car, and only about 6 million describe themselves as “enthusiasts,” meaning they ride at least twice a week”. Or “In 1982, the average American spent 16 hours a year stuck in traffic; by 2003 that was up to 47 hours, according to the Texas Transportation Institute”. For the rest it has the story behind Breezer bikes and the man who started it. For me he is a visionary who is becoming more right every day. And yes, that looks like a Breezer bike with a NuVinci hub on the roof of his Saab. With some luck it is getting more miles than his car.

Automatic vs allways in the right gear

Nice -but short- story in the New Your Times about Trek’s beautiful Lime bike. It is great to see some serious design in the bike business. These are great bikes. One interesting feature is that it has an automatic electronic shift system. That must have been done because people think shifting is too difficult. I agree. Hence my love affair as a rider with the NuVinci continuous variable transmission. The downside of an automatic shifter is that you loose control when the shift occurs. But what really got me was that the system only has three gears. Mind the gap as they might say in London. What are the changes that you pedal at your most efficient cadence? It is a bit like having a broken watch: it is still accurate twice a day.

NuVinci: It is a family affair

Meet Mr Dekker. 80 years young and an avid cyclist. He told me how he cycled in his younger days from Alkmaar to Heerlen for his vacation. “I always wanted to go to Heerlen in the south of Holland. But in those days we only had a week. So I did it in a day”. Mind you, that was still 250km, on a bike which was nowhere as sophisticated as the Batavus Ouverture NuVinci. His latest bike.
Now, probably 60 years later, he doesn’t mind cycling to his son in Den Helder. Still 42 km’s away. This story actually start with his son. Like his dad, also a fervent cyclists.

Continue reading NuVinci: It is a family affair…

FT: Open letter to David Cameron. Quality of life.

Also in the FT we can read a pro bicycling piece. In an open letter to David Cameron (the (opposition) leader of the UK Conservative party and also an avid cyclist), Harry Eyres, asks about quality of live.

He stated that not so long ago Quality of Live issues in the policy documents translated into airport expansions, house building on flood plains and massive new road building programs. What about giving cyclist decent and safe conditions to cycle? “WIll you do something and not just waffle”? Highly recommended reading.

FT online subscription might be required.

Cycling is getting mainstream

Lots of attention in the main press for cycling. Maybe they start to realize what we already knew for a long time. Bicycling is a big part of the solution of three of the biggest problems facing us right now: overweight, mobility and pollution.

The WSJ picked up on cycling as a mobility issue. It talks about other European cities, as well as US cities looking at Holland and Denmark to see what part bicycling can play in gridlocked and polluted cities. About time.

Continue reading Cycling is getting mainstream…

Forget the SUV, take the Electric Bike

Mmm, let’s see, we have had the WSJ, the FT so what about the New York Times? Mainstream media is going bike crazy. Another great read. Mostly about Electric Bikes in the US. As an example it mentions Jeff Baum who started to take his Optibike 10 miles to work each way -including a 9,800 feet climb in the rockies- instead of his SUV.

Registration might be required.

NuVinci hub scores high in AD bicycle Test

I know, I know. I am late blogging about this very good test for the Batavus Ouverture and it’s NuVinci hub. But unfortunately there are other things aswell to take care of, besides blogging. Success does not come by itself.
In an excellent AD supplement, full of information about cycling, tours and routes there was the annual AD test and NuVinci scored high once again. Allow me a crude translation of the bits which talk about the Ouverture bicycle and specifically the NuVinci hub. The test was conducted by a panel of cyclist who tested ten bikes during a full day.

Continue reading NuVinci hub scores high in AD bicycle Test…

290 km, 12,000 riders, infinite gears

Two weekends ago, a team of NuVinci engineers rode the MS-150, a two day ride over 180 miles from Houston to Austin all in support of the US National MS society.
The NuVinci guys were there for the ride obviously but also testing some new secret stuff. The bikes they rode were as varied as the riders. From hybrids, to road bikes to two Batavus Cresendo city bikes, all fitted with the NuVinci hub.

Continue reading 290 km, 12,000 riders, infinite gears…

Batavus NuVinci:Sold Out?

After working so hard and so long on NuVinci in Europe I thought it would be nice to see some Batavus NuVinci bikes in the store. So the day after I came back from my US trip I walked into my local Batavus dealer. But not a NuVinci bike in sight.

Continue reading Batavus NuVinci:Sold Out?…