Reviewing the Priority Continuum Onyx

In September, my frame cracked and I found myself in the market for a new bike. Wanting a belt drive, I settled on the Continuum Onyx from New York City-based Priority Bicycles and have put about 750 miles on it so far.

I had begun to look for a new bike some months before. My key consideration was maintenance because every 4-6 months, I would wear out a chain and usually a cassette too, and would find myself out of $100-200 each time. I have seen a few belt drives and determined that a belt driven bike would pay for itself in 2-3 years. I found two price points, about $1,000-1,200 for an 8 speed or more than $2,000 for an 11 speed, and while I would have enjoyed more gears and range, my budget would not have. I settled on two bikes, the BMC Alpenchallenge Nexus 8, and the Priority Continuum Onyx. The Priority was more for commuting and came with a dynamo-powered headlight which appealed because my old one needed replacement. It was also cheaper $1,000 versus $1,200 and came with a 30 day return policy.
The Ride
I ride about 8.5 miles each way every weekday and found the bike to be a great ride, with super smooth shifting, no noise, and can go reasonably fast. I love adding a lot of pedal power without gear slippage. It is great to shift both while stopped and while in mid-stroke pedaling to add more speed quickly. There is a little man on a bike which goes flat when in high gear and ascents a little hill when in low gear. Constantly twisting your hand to shift took some getting used to. The bike feels fast and absorbs the bumps reasonable well although I did add a cheap seat-post suspension. The silence is something I did not anticipate but love. Even with two paniers, there are no rattle noises, just the tires spinning on the pavement. Also, the belt has no grease so tucking in a pant leg or finding random grease spots on hands later in the day is a thing of the past.

I took the Priority bikepacking and found it a good tourer too. It carried a lot of gear without complaint and still handled smoothly and silently. The only issue I had were the grips which tired out my hands quickly.

The bike has a mix of high end components and extras and a few less high end ones. The grips, rims, tires/valves, and fenders feel a little cheap but this may be Priority trying to meet the $1,000 price point and all except the rims could be replaced cheaply and easily. The seat, headlight, clip-on rear-light, brakes, kick-stand, and pedals are definitely on the high-end. The pedals have threaded studs in them and provide fantastic grip, even in the rain, and take full advantage of the belt’s lack of slippage. The Priority logo and a few other gray lights are reflective. The black paint is smooth and has a matte finish rather than a glossy one, which looks super sharp.

Assembling the bike was relatively straight-forward as the company has a Youtube video telling you exactly what to do. The tools are all provided and the most difficult components are pre-assembled.

Positives

• Riding the Priority is a silent endeavor because the NuVicci hub makes no noise. Shifting is smooth, the NuVicci hub quickly adds or removes power with a twist of the handlebar grip. There are no gears but several balls which translate into about the equivalent of an 8 speed internal hub. While stopped, it will shift through about half the gears. The silence is neat and calling one’s pass is essential because the only sound is the tires and occasional braking. Creeping up on people walking and running is fun but discerning for them. One recent morning, I heard an odd sound and thought it was the hub only to realize that it was my new tights crinkling. While a bike chain may slip a cog or two a couple of times during a ride and more so as it becomes loose, the belt slips a cog maybe once or twice a week.
• The hydraulic disk brakes provide a lot of stopping power and like the belt, are high-end and low maintenance.
• The dynamo headlight projects a fantastically bright beam.
• The bike itself looks super sharp and the shift cables are routed through the frame.
• Mounts for front and rear racks plus water bottle holders. 
• Great price point with some high end components and extras. 
• The flatbars had plenty of space for my GoPro, speedometer, Loud Bicycle horn, and flashing light.

Negatives

• If you are looking for a wide range of gears, internal hubs generally have less range than a typical chain-powered one. The Continuum’s NuVicci hub has 330% which means its highest gear is 3.3 times steeper than its lowest gear. This means that at about 20-22mph, you start to spin out, meaning you cannot pedal any faster to attain higher speeds. The lowest gear is a little taller than a chain-powered bike but this is less noticeable. If you regularly go faster than 20-22mph, look elsewhere, but the vast majority of commuters do not regularly attain those speeds on a hybrid-type bike. Hopefully, Priority will add an 11 speed equivalent at some point or even a 14 speed one someday when prices come down ($1,400 will get you a 14 speed hub alone). 
• Flatbars are fine for shorter commutes but longer ones and touring rides, different hand positions are helpful which could remedied with bar end inserts. The stock grips are not great either, they feel thin and cheap, and I recommend replacing them. 
• The bike has a slick black matte coat of paint. However, it chips easily, mine fell on a sign pole and dinged up, but Priority includes a tube of touch-up paint which on one hand, is very thoughtful but on the other, an acknowledgment that their paint chips easily. 
• The twisty gear shifter is a throw-back to my old kid’s mountain bike and my wife’s Schwin Cruiser. Twisting up and down frequently will wear out hands until muscles and skin get used to it. While I miss the trigger mechanism from my old bike, the NuVicci’s lack of gears would not match with a trigger. 
• If you love rims with presta valves, the Priority has Schraders just like a car and most low end bikes. Replacing the rims would be expensive because the front wheel has a dynamo while the back has the NuVicci hub. The only major difference is that presta valves supposedly lose less air than Schrader valves. Speaking of rims, I also miss my Schwalbe Marathon tires because the stock Continental tires will not last as long. 

Bottom line, this is a fantastic bike for the money and I would definitely purchase one again. If you commute and do not need a huge range of gears but are sick of frequent and expensive maintenance, the Priority Continuum Onyx is for you.