Enviolo [Nuvinci] gear hubs.

[Presterjohn]

Hi, is there any consensus on the reliability/ useability on one of these hubs in a 250 watt transmission?

 

[matthewslack]

Some quite high profile manufacturers use them, so can't be too bad. I seem to remember comments about efficiency not matching a chain/derailleur in proper order, but averaged over the life of a chain from new to knackered might not be much difference.

I enquired a while back about maintainability, and the response was along the lines of 'sealed for life, but life is maybe 60,000km'.

Like other hub gearing systems, Rohloff, Alfine, Nexus, the key is not pushing the limits i.e. 250W means not much more than that, and not much of the time. Observe manufacturer's guidance. Follow maintenance schedules religiously.

The likely end of life failure mechanism is wear of the surfaces of the moving parts - balls and cone shaped surfaces - so life is likely to be closely related to how much power is being transmitted.

If one dropped into my lap for a tiny price I would certainly give it a go, but I'd prefer a Rohloff!

 

[Jodel]

I've recently acquired a Rohloff Speedhub and we have this fitted to a tandem with a Tongshen TSDZ2B motor, so quite a heavy duty application. I'm not sure about the torque limitations of the Enviolo, but I know the Rohloff is approved for tandem use (not all hub gears are). I don't know if Enviolo hubs have ever been fitted to tandems, but that's a pretty good test for durability / reliability. The Rohloff hub is rated to withstand tandem use by two Olympic class athletes - myself and my wife are a very long way from that kind of power / torque output even with a motor!

What matthewslack says above makes a lot of sense - don't push it to the limits and the chances are that you will be fine. The Rohloff has nylon shear pins as part of the final drive which are designed to give up the ghost before any damage occurs to the main gearsets - maybe the Enviolo has a similar arrangement?

I've never tried an Enviolo (and I'd like to) but one advantage it may have is the ability to shift under load (like a derailleur). The Rohloff needs you to back off when changing gear. Not an issue on a solo, but more of a challenge on a tandem when you are coordinating with the 'stoker' and also interrupting the motor power.

Based on no evidence whatsoever, I think I'd probably rank durability of hub gears as follows;
1) Rohloff
2) Enviolo
3) Shimano Alfine etc.

Old style Sturmey-Archer three speeds are almost indestructible, but not exactly wide range .

If you go ahead, keep us posted on how you get on. I'd be interested to know how an Enviolo works out.

 

[saneagle]

Hi, is there any consensus on the reliability/ useability on one of these hubs in a 250 watt transmission?

It depends which version you use and which motor you have. I tried N360 on a GNG crank motor, which ran at 36v and 22A. Under hight torque it did slip a few times.

Generally, shifting was hard under load, which eventually caused me a broken shift cable. I didn't notice much loss of efficiency, but the weight is very noticeable. Overall, I couldn't see that the infinite adjustment gave any advantage over a 9- speed derailleur system, and you had the disadvantage of difficult shifting, extra weight and loss of efficiency, so a complete waste of time and effort. It's one of those things that sounds like a good idea until you try it. At first, you get the novelty value, then comes the realisation. In the end, I didn't really like the infinite gear ratios. I found that I was twisting the shifter much more than I did with indexed gears. In the end, it became more like a throttle than a shifter, using it to control motor speed.