Continuously Variable Transmission (CVT) on EVELO Electric Bikes

Electric bikes are fun to ride, great for fitness, and easy to use. In fact, many of the components found on an EVELO electric bike were selected specifically to provide a better overall riding experience than what’s available from most conventional bicycles or other e-bikes.

EVELO uses internally geared hubs and the aforementioned continuously variable transmissions (CVT). An internally geared hub takes traditional external gears you would find on a regular bicycle and brings them inside the hub of the rear wheel.

If you like, watch Alex explain the types of transmissions and hubs found on EVELO bikes.

About Continuously Variable Transmissions

There are a few different types of internally geared hubs available. On EVELO’s models, you’ll generally either find either a Shimano Nexus hub or one of our CVT hubs.

An internally-geared hub is a significant improvement over older conventional configurations.

A CVT eliminates indexing between the gears. Instead of shifting from first to second to third, the transition between the gears is seamless, which creates the smoothest shifting possible and gives you an infinite amount of available gear ratios. This means you’ll never find yourself in the wrong gear as you may on a conventional bike. The CVT is absolutely maintenance-free. You can shift at a complete stop. The CVT is very easy to use, and it is virtually silent in operation.

A CVT is an advanced form of bicycle transmission. This one is open so you can see the bearings inside.

The NuVinci (enviolo) CVT is available in both an automatic and a manual configuration. The manual shifter is connected to the rear hub with a set of cables that runs down from the handlebar all the way to the CVT hub itself. This gives you direct control of the hub.

When you rotate the shifter away from you, you’ll be in a lower gear, which makes pedaling easier. This is what you want for hills. This will also raise your cadence, making you pedal a bit faster. Rotating the shifter towards you makes pedaling harder, which increases speed.

The shifter from a manual CVT.

The automatic shifter option has two modes, both automatic and manual mode. The orange indicator on the display means you’re in manual mode. This operates just like manual shifter we saw earlier. You can adjust the shifter to adjust the gear ratio you like the most and adjust it at any time.

When you press the button on the shifter, you’ll enter automatic mode, which is highlighted blue on the display. In this mode, you’ll have the ability to set your cadence, which is the rate at which you’d like to pedal. Once you’re comfortable, the automatic system will sense your cadence, as well as the wheel speed of the bicycle, and make any adjustments needed as you go up and downhills. The automatic CVT is the best of both worlds, allowing both manual shifting and fully automatic shifting. The automatic shifter allows for the easiest ride possible.

EVELO Motion Drive

Evelo Motion Drive incorporates the benefits of an internally geared hub and combines it with a mid-drive motor system. This creates a drivetrain that’s powerful, efficient, and requires no adjustment over the years.

You will find Motion Drive on many of EVELO’s premium models.

To learn more about what makes an electric bike unique or to understand how to choose the best electric bike for you, please read “The Complete Electric Bike Buyer’s Guide,” or get a free bike fit consultation.