For the past three months , I ’ve been riding thePriority Bicycles Continuum , a commuter train cycle fit out with a handful of miserable - sustainment component and a drivetrain system with an “ unnumerable ” number of appurtenance . It ’s been an absolute delight to bait and has on a regular basis knock off about 15 minutes off my minute - retentive trip around Brooklyn and Manhattan . Besides being miserable maintenance mechanically skillful wonder this thing moves seriously tight .
The Continuum gets its name from the ceaselessly varying transmittal ( CVT ) hub located on the rearward wheel that gives the motorcycle a spectrum of gears rather than a pay back identification number . This style of hub give me a much smoother ride than a derailleur system , since the drivetrain components were n’t brashly jumping between specify gears on unlike sprockets but alternatively smoothly moving over the surface of rotate balls .
The Continuum is n’t the first vehicle to use a planetary gear . It ’s also used in thetransmissionsof galvanic cars like the Toyota Prius or Tesla Model S. The conception of this gearing organisation dates all the way back toancient Greece , but when used in commercially available wheel , they ’ve usually costthousands of dollars . Now , it ’s finally in a bike you may actually give .
The balls , called planets , are on the inside the hub . When you crank up the shifter on the handlebars , it tilts the axis of the orb inside the hub and change their point of middleman with the outer rings . This depart the speed ratio , or resistance you sense while you ’re wheel . It also extinguish the motive for clanking sprockets you ’d see on the back wheel of a received bike .
For the passenger , that means the shifters do n’t have any phone number and the bike does n’t have a jangling range derailleur on its back wheel . The entire drivetrain is hold back in the hub and could n’t be soft to operate . ( you’re able to learn more about how the CVT hub works here . )
The first thing I noticed once I hop-skip on the Continuum is the little mankind on the gear lever going up a James Jerome Hill . When you turn the shifter the indicator express the man going up a steeper hill and means you ’re in an easier background . flatten out the hill and you ’re riding with more resistance on the foot lever , groovy for zooming along straightaways .
You ’d believe that you might feel a detent when you crank up the gear lever or some other eccentric of feedback to indicate it ’s working , but it ’s actually extremely subdued and really suave . It ’s easy to get well-situated using the bike quickly because the gear system is so straightforward . The honorable part is I did n’t have to occupy about wobble while I pedal . The mountain range is n’t gon na jump the gearing system if I attempt to switch while rise a steep mound .
And there ’s an devilishly steep hill in Brooklyn I have to mount up to get to my supporter ’s house and across the major bridge circuit . The hill starts at a crimson light , and I typically want to shift to an easier stage setting when I come to a complete plosive consonant ( something you ca n’t do with a chain derailleur ) . received bikes take to the woods the risk of chain derailment at the hill . It ’s also one of the more dangerous areas in all of Brooklyn to tantalize so I go up it with uttermost caution . It ’s not a place I ever want to worry about my bike ’s components .
Riding on the Continuum , the thought of component failure never crosses my mind . During my intact drive , I ’m totally focused on my spirit level of comfort and whether my legs are getting tired . It ’s amazing what this will do for the overall speed of your tripper . I started taking the fastest potential route more often — regardless of how steep the Hill might be — and focus my attention on the road .
The whole “ low - maintenance ” mantra of the gear system extends to almost every component on the bike . Like the whang drive system of rules . It is by no mean value a brand fresh innovation , but they are still relatively rare in the United States ( despite beingextremely democratic in Europe ) . Instead of a oily alloy chain the system uses a rubber belt that is fixate to the real rack cog and mountain chain wheel — so it never move . It literally just sits in the same place at all times . This think fewer moving parts and one less thing to occupy about .
Gates , the maker of the belt drive , take it lastsabout 10 times longerthan metallic element chain , and it ’s light to imagine after a few months using it . The drivetrain has shown no signs of significant clothing even after ride through rainfall and snow . It ’s rust - test copy , never involve grease , and most significantly , provides a tranquil drive because it ’s not rattling like a goddamn alloy Ernst Boris Chain would .
The belt drive alone has interchange my life , and now that I ’ve used one , I ’m never ever going back to using a cycle with a metal chain . I ca n’t emphasize how much smoother the drive is and the huge welfare of getting rid of the chain derailleur .
Priority Bicycles made its name by bring down the price of the belt effort system in the US . When the company launched in 2014 with its first“maintenance - free ” bikefor just a few hundred bucks , it quickly became wildly successful Kickstarter project . The problem with the original bike was that it was too lightweight and did n’t have enough gears for long - length commuting .
https://gizmodo.com/how-priority-bicycles-made-a-maintenance-free-bike-fo-1604902566
That make for us to the biggest and most crucial motion : is the Continuum worth its extortionate $ 900 price shred ? From a strictly economic point of view , it is . You ’re not run short to find a good combination of these parts for this cheap because they were hand - sourced from an obsessional mechanic ( Priority Bikes founder David Weiner ) who has spend his integral vocation in the bike industry .
That being say , $ 900 is a lot of money for nonchalant riders . It ’s safe to say a enceinte absolute majority of mass would be undecomposed off getting a bike half as fast at half the monetary value . When I ’m running errands , I typically do n’t use the Continuum . I stick to riding a recreational bike with few geared wheel and cheaper portion . But for those times when I need do something like the drive from Brooklyn to Manhattan , I start on the Continuum . I have yet to drive a bicycle as fast , and I ’m certain I ’d have to pass more than $ 1,000 to regain something that can execute nigh as well . The Continuum is in an ungainly middle reason between recreational and professional touring motorcycle — but for a frequent commuter train like me it hits the sweet spot .
README
The CVT hub ’s innumerous gear makes going uphill ridiculously comfortable . I use less energy and move importantly faster .
The belt driveway will vary your life . I ’m never going back to a alloy chain .
Puncture resistant tires mean I ’ve never had to worry about potholes or unkept glass on the route .
The $ 900 price tag is exorbitant for anyone and should really only be a consideration for serious commuters that require a fast , durable bike .
The CVT hub adds a lot free weight to the bike . At about 20 pound sterling , I would not recommend this bike for anyone with a walk - up flat .
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