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TECH NEWS

Taipei Bike Show: Dahon folder with continuously variable transmission

2012 folder gets seamless shifting

New for 2012 in the Dahon folding bike lineup is the Mu N360. The Mu is a staple in Dahon range but what’s new is matching it up with a NuVinci hub from Fallbrook Technologies to provide a Constantly Variable Planetary (CVP) gear.

What does that mean? Essentially, there are no fixed ratios with the NuVinci hub. Instead, you control the continuously variable  hub via a twist-grip shifter. Rather than selecting gears, the shifter moves a ring or rotating balls which alters the relationship between the energy you’re putting in and the output. It’s a difficult one to get your head around, so check out our story explaining the design in more detail

The NuVinci hub means that shifting is seamlessly smooth; it’s a little like using a volume adjustment dial on a radio.

The Mu is made from custom-drawn Sonus aluminium tubing and uses a lattice-forged hinge. It comes with a Dahon FreeDrive Jould Dynamo system to generate energy for your lights so you don’t need any batteries, and the Dahon PostPump inflator is integrated into the seatpost.

Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.

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2 comments

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kaptnkrunch | 12 years ago
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Lol, gripshift...

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Oh heck... | 12 years ago
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I quite like that, a neat looking little thing!

How much would it cost do you think?

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