Can somebody describe a CVT simple terms?

[Year's_End]

Well, I know how the concept of a CVT works, and I even looked at a few articles on the internet to try to get a hang of how it works, but I'm not able to fully grasp all the mechanics involved.

Reason I'm bringing this up now is b/c a friend of mine asked how they work, and I pretty much failed at giving a clear answer. If someone could describe in a way that could be used in everyday conversations I'd be grateful, thanks.

[Nyulak]

Think of a ten-speed bicycle, except you have an infinite stepping of speeds courtesy of two cones instead of two sets of gears. The band slides along the cones and the ratio of cone diamters determines the 'gearing' of the CVT.

[533ogetnom]

Originally Posted by Nyulak

Think of a ten-speed bicycle, except you have an infinite amount of speeds courtesy of two cones instead of two sets of gears. The band slides along the cones and the ratio of cone diamters determines the 'gearing' of the CVT.

good explanation, but change amount to infinite stepping of speeds or something like that, amount is misleading

[Year's_End]

Originally Posted by Nyulak

Think of a ten-speed bicycle, except you have an infinite amount of speeds courtesy of two cones instead of two sets of gears. The band slides along the cones and the ratio of cone diamters determines the 'gearing' of the CVT.

Perfect. That's a whole lot better than the example I could come up with, thanks.