On the outside there isn't anything to separate this bike from the pre-production version we tried on an Alutech Fanes earlier this year.
At the shifter you can notice a few refinements, but these are only a small tidying up of the graphics.
We genuinely don't know what to make of this Mi:tech bike. A Pinion gearbox mated to a carbon belt drive is something we've seen discussed a few times as the next progression of drivetrain technology. We aren't so sure though - to make the system work there must be zero chain growth as the belt needs to be under constant tension. To achieve this, Mi:tech have resurrected something that we thought had died out along with the Hammerdance and Global Hypercolour t-shirts: the unified rear triangle. For anyone too young to remember these bikes in the 90s, the premise is simple - the bottom bracket is on the swingarm and the whole assembly moves about under the bike. What this means is that the bottom bracket isn't in a fixed position in relation to your hip and they died out (we hoped) some time ago. Having said that, we haven't spent time on the bike so maybe it will be a triumphant return for the URT. Or maybe not...
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At first I was thinking the same thing about the price... but you need to realize, that the production cost of this extra-pinion-frame are not to be sneezed at... and the quantity of frames to be sold are significantly lower, since it's still a niche product.
In respect to that, it's obvious that the price has to be considerably higher in order to get the costs in... especially since the pinion gearbox alone retails at what.. 600€ ?!
To the service i didn´t mean a litle oil change, what youre doing when a gear jumps or if you can´t switch the gears anymore? you have to send the whole pinion gear box to germany to fix it.
otherwise the fannes frame is damm sexy for a gearbox frame especialy with the carbon rear triangle!
they could look into a crank mounted bash guard (Lexan like E13) to add additional protection to the crank area so the bash takes the smash of a rock or log (especially on full suspension bottom out) rather than any risk to the chain tensioner
have to say though, this is EASILY the neatest gearbox design I have seen in years...best of luck to the team behind this development
Looking at the sifter, it looks like you currently need a pull-pull twin cable system to make it work reliably. That means Shimano and Sram shitters wouldn't work. That could give them a bigger headache than the tensioner thing. How do you get people to buy it when they hate twist shifters? I've been a die hard gripshift user for about 20 years and even I'm fully into triggers now as of about three months ago. I wouldn't consider getting a bike with some twisters on again now, especially unproven ones with loads of friction caused by having two cables.
An idler could be used, but again would create a touch more friction. I'd like to see a higher virtual pivot point with an idler there to negate chain growth and tensioners. Definitely not because of looks though, that's just crazy. Function before fashion. Chains on gearbox bikes last over 3 times as long than with a mech anyway, because they're not being rammed into other sprockets, or bent sideways constantly.
Grip shift has more benefits with a gearbox than a derailleur, as you can shift as many gears as you like cleanly, and quickly.
I like more friction on the grip shifter to make it more obvious. On my Nuvinci shifter, you can adjust the friction, and I run a more than less. Not sure how you put up with twit shifters with mechs for so long.
Opinions based on experience should be reserved until at least 1 hour has been spent ridding a gearbox bike IMO, otherwise your just selling yourself short, and spreading misinformation/ideals/truths. This isn't a criticism on Jaame, but more a comment to all with doubts on gearboxs. My only minor concerns with the Pinion is the closely spaced gears, great for XC, and All MTN, but might be a pest for descending or hammering. All depends on how obvious the clicks are for shifting two gears at a time. I suppose even if you shifted 3 when you only wanted 2, it's still going to be closer to perfect cadence than with a 9 speed mech set up. I should add that I'm used to and like the wide spacing on my Zerodes Alfine shifter. Might influence my concern some what. Most people will probably like the close ratios if coming from 9, or ten speed set ups.
here's the interesting thing about hub gears (which are sometimes used in gearbox frame designs), they definitely have a finite service life
recently, my commuting customer with 18 month old Shimano Nexus hub brought his bike in for service, was "slipping in every gear", was not the chain, chainring or rear cog as we quickly discovered.
Shimano received the wheel for service, and cannot service as the hub is completely worn out (I think their tech said something about clutch plates..) 18 months of life for a sealed hub and its toast?
I have customers with 4 year old bikes using derailleur gears that have started slipping....
customer is not too happy, as the Nexus is discontinued and he is looking at major $$ to upgrade to Alfine with wheel rebuild and new gear shifter, etc.
The 8 speed Alfine has a much stronger clutch system than the 11 speed.
But if you then talk about Rohloffs, that are reputed to last over 40'000kms(maybe miles) with a service(40ml oil change)anually or every 5000kms, or a Nuvinci that doesn't need servicing and is meant to also last as long, then your deraileur becomes a very weak and frail looking piece of dated equipment.I'm guessing the Pinion will have similer durability. And this is only taking durability into consideration, not all the other huge benefits of geared hubs or gearboxs.
My Zerode needed one barrel adjustment shortly after assembly to take up some cable stretch as it settled in, and then another barrel adjustment about a year later, and that and lube the chain, is the only maintenance it has needed on the drivetrain in over a year. I'll do the half hour oil change on the Alfine soon. But the new Zerodes now come with an oil port, so you don't even need to remove it or strip it if you don't want.
Regarding the Zerode, they are just my observations from someone who has been interested in bikes, but not ever super immersed in the industry, for many years. It is definitely on my shortlist of next bikes to get. I love the looks, the gearbox idea and the high pivot idea. I don't like the bespoke nature of it. Everyone likes to changes bits here and there, it's a good way for me to hide money wastage from my wife, and I think that is more difficult with such a system. Also I don't like the gear range and certainly would never choose it over an 11-23 or 11-26. I always bang my knees on the top linkage whenever I ride my friends' Giant bikes (the main reason I didn't get one last year) and I think the same would happen with the Zerode. Still, I'd take it over anything else with the exception of the Devnci Wilson Carbon, which incidentally has the same design minus gearbox.
Gearbox is definitely the way forward. I would love to see Shimano get heavily on board with a DH targetted offering sooner rather than later.
thanks for your input, its good to open these discussions. The customer assured me they had simply commuted to work and back during this time period, and from the state of their bike it was obvious it had not really been cleaned, let alone jetwashed.
We get a lot of uneducated customers in London shops who literally commute and have no other interest in servicing or maintaining their bike. I agree about the annual service on the Alfine system, its basically an oil soak bath for the hub guts, in a bathing drum from what I understand?
your comments about derailleur systems are valid, but perhaps from a commuters point of view, a simple 8 speed derailleur system is going to be much cheaper to replace when it goes wrong?
We commonly do transmission replacements on these bikes (Trek, Giant, Specialized hybrids) its only £30 for Shimano triple 171 crankset with trouser guard, £25 for Alivio rear mech, £20 for 8 speed cassette and £10 for Shimano chain.
agree with your gearbox comments though for MTB riding, makes so much sense...
That is fkn brake in progression to me. And there are very few convenient ways to make that connection
Around here people constantly get derailers ripped off by trees, sticks, stumps and logs.
I was once told that Specialized charge$25 a bike for other brands to use the Horst link. That was a long time ago.
The main reason they use it though is there's a lot of cable to pull, and no return spring.
Up button one side, down the other is where it's at, trigger shifters suck also.
Grip shift sucks for changing when braking, but you can usually change before once you're used to it.
I'm about to ditch the trigger shifter on my Zerode and try a Nexus grip shifter.
1. Gripshift (why o why o why) there goes half your market.
2. Concentric crank and output sprocket means this bike is constrained in terms of suspension in exactly the same way as a derailleur bike. I.E. in order to have no chain growth you must have a crappy URT or at least a low pivot centre to minimize growth (and this still requires a chain tensioner and eliminates belt drives).
Pinion, redesing your gearbox with a trigger and a sprocket that is above the crank (like a G-boxx or the same configuration as the zerode) and you can have my money, but I would never buy this.
Tell me you wouldnt want to rip round the woods on this
www.wired.com/playbook/wp-content/gallery/handmade-bike-show/img_9719.jpg
Shock horror its a URT.
Im definitely not saying that i want to see URT dh bikes. But for a 100mm travel 29er trail bike i think that what they have done is create a good engineering compromise.
I think this as the future. No heavy crap weighing down the back wheel, nothing being torn off by a stick, nothing being messed up by a single random rock.
My only question is how much energy is being lost in the gearbox? The derailleur system is very efficient. I don't want to put more power into the pedals and get less out than I already do.
I don't know why it's not in the article in the first place... but for those who want to check them out: alutech-cycles.com/alutech-rahmen
It seems they are coming in different options; enduro and allmountain which mainly defer in weight and range of travel.
As far as the gearbox goes, disassemble a Rohloff Speedhub & examine it if you can't figure it out.
SMH
grip shifts, it will be heavy too, lossy and very £££££££
who needs this?
LazyCash38.com