Shift Kit + Nuvinci = (Grin)

[superbob]

That ride is going to turn heads and get you a lot of attention, KC. Don't ride your Caddy anywhere near the 'hood! No, really. Err....

Please continue to post your progress on the build, especially any snags with the bike itself and how you like the hub. Somebody around here said it doesn't do much for your top end, which I could live with, but I want to know. And is that a stock engine in the photo, right out of the box?

Great, now I'm lusting after the Cadillac again. Thanks KC.

BTW, Cadillac has an AVT commuter bike that's pretty cool for a build. Disc brakes, rack, same hub, but not the same appeal as the Fleetwood.

Also, the Cadillac bike store regrets to inform us that Cadillac is no longer making bicycles at this time. They are referring people to other sites. This is a limited line of bikes. Cadillac even built a series of 30 racing bikes with top of the line components, as in Tour de France, and all carbon fiber/kevlar frames and forks. They went for $4000.00. All sold out. Hmmm....

 

[Clotho]

It is spring and it was my plan to go down to the local for a pint.

I set foot in the garage and this lady winked at me so I gassed her up and walked her outside. She started on the first pedal...

Wow, what a time machine. I have been riding around the neighborhood with a sh.. eating grin for the past hour. Never made it to the pub. Well... I did drive by a few times but couldn't bear to stop. I feel like I am a teenager again.

If I stopped for a pint they would likely ask me for ID.

More fun to ride anyway...

 

[KCvale]

That ride is going to turn heads and get you a lot of attention, KC. Don't ride your Caddy anywhere near the 'hood! No, really. Err....

Please continue to post your progress on the build, especially any snags with the bike itself and how you like the hub. Somebody around here said it doesn't do much for your top end, which I could live with, but I want to know. And is that a stock engine in the photo, right out of the box?

Great, now I'm lusting after the Cadillac again. Thanks KC.

This is sure an old topic, sorry I didn't post up what I was doing with the Caddies and NuVinci's.

here are a couple of shifting Caddies I made.

Here is a video of me riding that one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T1F1jXnjvac&feature=player_embedded

Here's a high performance soft tail with a NuVinci.

I seen an unacceptable failure rate of 40% with the NuVinci hubs however and won't use them now.

This caddy had to be converted to direct drive when the NV failed.

The Dev Kit NuVinci automatic shifter hub failed as well as one of my friends Caddy hubs.

I don't much care for 7-speed derailleurs either, at least not with a 49cc 4-stroke shifter, got a new build back with a busted derailleur arm, really, literally the arm just busted in half and it's and it's just dangling on the chain, that and 7-speed chain is just too thin to take the power and wears a lot jumping from sprocket to sprocket.

I'll take even a Shimano Nexus 3 speed over either any day, never seen one fail and I've built 10 or so of them.

That broken 4-stroke derailuer wheel is getting a Sturmey Archer 3-speed with drum brake so that will fix him, that or the 5-speed SA with drum is what I think will be ideal.

 

[JustAnotherBozoOnABike]

thanks for bumping your thread man, i enjoyed the read and ogling your bike, she sure is purty!

...i'm very new to this hobby and i decided to start with a bike built for me by Pirate Cycles figuring i'd go to school learning to maintain and modify what was already running rather than starting with a kit and while i'm still breaking the bike in with less than 50 miles on it i already know i want to add gears and that setup of yours looks like it might could work.

...here's a picture of my bike, a Micargi, single speed beach cruiser just so i can ask you whether or not you think a hub like yours will fit?

...you can also see the cluster-phuck in the back, i'm VERY unhappy with this setup and i've already ordered a new tank from Coyote Gear to replace it with.

...anyway, thanks again for sharing your work and when i figure out which direction to go in i'll be sure and stop in and share my progress, ...God willing and the creek don't rise i'll not be getting to this particular mod until the weather turns cold again and i bring the bike in for it's first teardown and overhaul, until then i hope i'll just be able to enjoy my new ride!

, bozo

 

[Clotho]

Hi KC,

It is an old topic but I thought some might be interested that she is still on the road. I had so much fun the other evening that I was compelled to write about it. It seems we have had opposite experiences with regards to hubs. My Felt came with a Shimano Nexus 3 speed hub and it didn't last a week. The Nuvinci is still going strong all these years later. Which part(s) have you seen fail on the Nuvinci's? I had to replace the 2 shifter cables a couple of years ago but that is all I have had fail on it.

Bozo-

I can't say for certain if a Nuvinci will fit your Micargi but this link has information about specs and measurement and should be able to help you figure it out. http://www.kstoerz.com/freespoke/hub/198

 

[Kioshk]

Hey, Clotho. What kind of weight you hauling?

 

[JustAnotherBozoOnABike]

Bozo-

I can't say for certain if a Nuvinci will fit your Micargi but this link has information about specs and measurement and should be able to help you figure it out. http://www.kstoerz.com/freespoke/hub/198

thanks for the link man, that'll help for sure, ...and it'll give me a chance to use my new calipers too, lol.

thanks again, bozo

 

[KCvale]

Hi KC,
Which part(s) have you seen fail on the Nuvinci's?

All the failures were internal, they simply quit engaging regardless of shift position.

There were no visible fluid leaks but I never opened any of them up so I don't know if it was fluid, the balls, the ball movement mechanism, or the hub.

My somewhat educated guess is shifting while under power caused it, if you have seen the video of how they work on Fallbrooks page the fluid changes to a semi hard substance to make contact with the hub and I think trying to force a gear change under load either destroys the fluid or the balls.

Also note that ANY power source other that human pedaling voids the warranty and Fallbrook says the reason why especially for gas motor is the hub simply doesn't like any kind of 'pulsing' power.

With that premise for the Programmable Fully Automatic Developers Kit hub I attribute it's failure being my own fault for programing in like 64 shift points, it was always shifting.
My intent was to keep the motor RPM's in the sweet spot regardless of speed.

The N170S failures are still a real question mark, that silver full suspension build had a really powerful motor and as far as I know the hub is still working yet I seen a stock 48cc kill one in under 5 miles.

Note all the N170's came stock on Cadillac bicycles which I scored new for $300 each which was pretty much what the hubs cost back then so basically the bike was a bonus for buying the hub installed hehehe ;-}

Most of the riding out here in the desert is pretty flat so I find 3 gears to be perfect, way less shifting, but I can see 5 if you have hills but 7 or 8 or the NuVinci especially I found my hand getting tired from shifting so much unless I skipped gears on every shift on the flats.