annirak
Veteran
- Location
- Cambridge, UK
Background; or why I'm doing this
In 2017, I went looking for a steel bike with disc brakes & belt drive. That combination was pretty rare and I was either going to have to compromise or go custom, which would blow my budget. However, I eventually found one: the Foffa Nuvinci Black. Here's the thread where I got it: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/first-ride-on-a-foffa-nuvinci-black.227625/page-2#post-5089911
It had some teething issues. I had to have the wheel rebuilt twice: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/options-for-spoke-replacement.249641/ but after they added those washers, it was solid for 4 years.
Aside from those washers, it's been rock solid for 5 years. After I installed Continental Contact Plus tyres on it in May 2019, I stopped getting punctures. Entirely. I have worn the tread off the rear tyre and still not had a puncture. Those tyres are still on it. I've gone through 2 belts and 2 sprockets doing ~15 miles/day with a trailer. This is exactly the experience I was looking for when I got it.
That said, it's not without its quirks. It goes through a set of shift cables per year. They fail in the shifter itself from repeated flexing. To make matters worse, I've taken it to two LBSs and the mechanics had never seen a Nuvinci hub before and when they tried changing the cables for me, they did it wrong, so I had to start changing the cables myself. The hub itself is also a bit draggy in some situations: Even when it was relatively new, I remember trying to ride uphill through the mud and feeling like I was losing power transfer.
As much as TRP Spykes are great when adjusted properly, they come out of adjustment quickly and it's quite fiddly to get the inner piston adjusted.
It wasn't the fastest bike. I considered replacing it at one point: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/fast-commuter.276562/
Now, I've had two cascading failures that meant a rebuild of some sort... First, my hub blew a gasket and started leaking traction fluid. Then, I discovered one day that about half my spokes were suddenly loose. I wouldn't be surprised if the two were related.
So it was time to replace the hub. But which hub should I replace it with? Well, Rohloff and Kindernay are out of my price range. I wasn't happy that Nuvinci was such a mystery at a LBS and that there was no way to service the hub. I'm also partial to drop bars, so I wanted to see if it was possible to convert it to drops. That forced me onto Shimano--at least there are drop options for Nexus & Alfine.
Outline of the project
The project is to:
I've been finding parts here and there through Black Friday deals and eBay. I think it's nearly ready to go!
Parts
I've already sourced:
A few comments about this set of parts. I've got mixed feelings about using the RL340 levers vs the ST-6770 levers. I could return the RL340s and just use the ST-6770s, but I'd also like to be able to test the di2 parts as they come in over the next couple of years. OTOH, I suspect that the ST-6770s are nicer to ride.
I had originally hoped to get the Alfine shifter over the drop bars and into the middle... but then I found a really good deal on the Zipp bars. Like <£10 good. I'll either need to use the bar extension or switch to a j-tek shifter.
My frame is post-mount but my Giant Conduct unit has flat-mount brakes. I talked to a mechanic who was familiar with Conduct and he assured me that Tektro m285 was compatible with Conduct and not only that but some Giant bikes actually shipped with Conduct and m285 callipers. Closely examining the shell of Tektro m290 and Giant Conduct Post Mount, the subtle details seem the same, so I think that the Conduct is just a rebranded m290.
I know that many folks don't like Conduct, but it seemed like a pragmatic choice when trying to stay within a budget--TRP Hylex and Hy/Rd which were my first choices, were 2x the price of Conduct even with the extra m290 callipers. Maybe I can even sell the flat-mount callipers.
The last few parts are still rolling in. I'll start taking pictures of the build soon!
In 2017, I went looking for a steel bike with disc brakes & belt drive. That combination was pretty rare and I was either going to have to compromise or go custom, which would blow my budget. However, I eventually found one: the Foffa Nuvinci Black. Here's the thread where I got it: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/first-ride-on-a-foffa-nuvinci-black.227625/page-2#post-5089911
It had some teething issues. I had to have the wheel rebuilt twice: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/options-for-spoke-replacement.249641/ but after they added those washers, it was solid for 4 years.
Aside from those washers, it's been rock solid for 5 years. After I installed Continental Contact Plus tyres on it in May 2019, I stopped getting punctures. Entirely. I have worn the tread off the rear tyre and still not had a puncture. Those tyres are still on it. I've gone through 2 belts and 2 sprockets doing ~15 miles/day with a trailer. This is exactly the experience I was looking for when I got it.
That said, it's not without its quirks. It goes through a set of shift cables per year. They fail in the shifter itself from repeated flexing. To make matters worse, I've taken it to two LBSs and the mechanics had never seen a Nuvinci hub before and when they tried changing the cables for me, they did it wrong, so I had to start changing the cables myself. The hub itself is also a bit draggy in some situations: Even when it was relatively new, I remember trying to ride uphill through the mud and feeling like I was losing power transfer.
As much as TRP Spykes are great when adjusted properly, they come out of adjustment quickly and it's quite fiddly to get the inner piston adjusted.
It wasn't the fastest bike. I considered replacing it at one point: https://www.cyclechat.net/threads/fast-commuter.276562/
Now, I've had two cascading failures that meant a rebuild of some sort... First, my hub blew a gasket and started leaking traction fluid. Then, I discovered one day that about half my spokes were suddenly loose. I wouldn't be surprised if the two were related.
So it was time to replace the hub. But which hub should I replace it with? Well, Rohloff and Kindernay are out of my price range. I wasn't happy that Nuvinci was such a mystery at a LBS and that there was no way to service the hub. I'm also partial to drop bars, so I wanted to see if it was possible to convert it to drops. That forced me onto Shimano--at least there are drop options for Nexus & Alfine.
Outline of the project
The project is to:
- Replace the rear wheel with a Nexus/Alfine wheel/hub
- Replace the TRP Spyke's with a hydro or semi-hydro solution with drop pull ratios
- Replace the quill stem with a quill stem to threadless stem adaptor and a threadless stem
- Replace the handlebars with drop bars
I've been finding parts here and there through Black Friday deals and eBay. I think it's nearly ready to go!
Parts
I've already sourced:
- Nexus 8, prebuilt in a 700c wheel
- Alfine interface unit & anti-turn nuts
- Alfine 8 shifter (the old one that's Nexus/inter-8 compatible)
- Deda quill stem adaptor
- Zipp Service Course Ergo 70 drop bars
- Tektro RL340 levers OR Shimano ST-6770 levers
- Giant Conduct master cylinder & flat mount callipers
- Tektro M290 post-mount callipers
- An old Topeak bar extension
A few comments about this set of parts. I've got mixed feelings about using the RL340 levers vs the ST-6770 levers. I could return the RL340s and just use the ST-6770s, but I'd also like to be able to test the di2 parts as they come in over the next couple of years. OTOH, I suspect that the ST-6770s are nicer to ride.
I had originally hoped to get the Alfine shifter over the drop bars and into the middle... but then I found a really good deal on the Zipp bars. Like <£10 good. I'll either need to use the bar extension or switch to a j-tek shifter.
My frame is post-mount but my Giant Conduct unit has flat-mount brakes. I talked to a mechanic who was familiar with Conduct and he assured me that Tektro m285 was compatible with Conduct and not only that but some Giant bikes actually shipped with Conduct and m285 callipers. Closely examining the shell of Tektro m290 and Giant Conduct Post Mount, the subtle details seem the same, so I think that the Conduct is just a rebranded m290.
I know that many folks don't like Conduct, but it seemed like a pragmatic choice when trying to stay within a budget--TRP Hylex and Hy/Rd which were my first choices, were 2x the price of Conduct even with the extra m290 callipers. Maybe I can even sell the flat-mount callipers.
The last few parts are still rolling in. I'll start taking pictures of the build soon!
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