ViralBikes

I think this is a very relevant complaint and worth addressing: belt length is the reason. We don't have any control over which belt lengths Gates offers, so we have to choose one and figure out the belt in conjunction with the kinematics of the bike. Because you need a certain length belt, because it needs to be taught even without pre-load, and because there is belt growth and a set amount of belt take-up in the pulley, there are some constraints here that are not considerations with chains. All of these things come into play, especially as you change the chain stay length. For this reason, we chose to stick with a constant rear center to insure that all of this stayed within tolerance and kinematics stayed consistent. So, like the hardtails, we change CG with seat tube angle instead of chain stay length. It's why the size V5 actually gets a steeper seat tube angle than the V4, so that CG is pushed more forward and it limits 'ass over wheel' issues with larger riders and taller saddle heights.

Just so you know, that shock basement goes right through the downtube so nothing will collect down there. Now, the shock cover? Yes, it will collect stuff thrown in there but you just have to take it off and clean it once in awhile. No big deal. No tools required as it's also the way to get to the shock adjustments.

@wolfowner: Thank you!

Definitely not thrown around here at all. The cable port is just a feature of the fully 3d printed head tube lug. 3d printing is allowing complex structures and internal supports to be defined and designed to maximize stiffness and strength while reducing weight and, in this case, complicated miters with head tube and top tube joints. The section just behind the lower bearing race is one of the highest stress loads on any frame and we are able to do things with 3d printing that can’t be done with traditional manufacturing. In addition, the entire BB area is 3d printed, so ALL shock mounts and suspension pivots are built into a single piece as well as the Pinion bridge. This does require some post CNC machine work, but it saves a LOT on tooling costs, CNC bits (CNC machining titanium is wildly expensive in part because titanium is a hard material and difficult to CNC machine, so the bits necessary for this type of machining are more expensive and get dull a lot quicker). We are in no way just throwing around the term 3d printing but genuinely embracing an additive design process (at least with the front triangle), and creates a more compelling design in the process. It’s still very expensive, especially in titanium, and these parts are pretty large, so part of the price tag is getting on board with this design philosophy and the technology behind it.

@blackpudding: thank you!

No marketing people, just me and my dull brain. Forgot to add it to the PR. 35 lbs is the weight without pedals.

Changing the chainring/belt ring is pretty easy. It does require a tool (that comes with our frames). I believe Gates is making a bash guard for the front Pinion cog although I haven't seen one yet. That would be the best way to go. So far, I've bashed a few belts against the front cog and caused some cosmetic damage to the outside of the belt, but it's all pretty stout stuff and I haven't had anything break as a result (or bend).

I would say, of the things people have gripe about on the gearbox, this is one of the very valid ones. The engagement isn't great. They do not use a sprag clutch system and instead use a set of keys to engage gears together. Hanging in the stand, you can get a pretty long amount of engagement angle (maybe 10 degrees). I do believe this is a place that Pinion could improve on, but I have to say, out on the trail, it rarely comes up in my day to day riding. Only on super technical, punchy, rocky terrain where you're pausing pedaling and pedaling again to get up and over or through a rock garden is this something that affects the ride.

It doesn't really have a 'range' of chain stay lengths, because we are only able to put the rear wheel where the belt will be properly tensioned. We actually manipulate seat tube angle for different sizes to account for the lack of chain stay length we have control over. The 'actual' chainstay length with a 32/32 cog configuration and a 113t belt is 445mm. This just barely allows for a 2.6" tire to clear the Pinion bridge (chain stay width is easy to clear on a big tire, it's the height of the tire and the bridge that the Pinion mounts to that is the limiting factor). So, for the XL bike and the S (sizes V5 and V3 respectively) we actually increase the seat tube angle. For the XL, it's because we want to push the front and center further forward and effectively push the center of gravity forward without the ability to make the CS longer (without going too long, as the next belt size up would increase the CS length by 10mm). On the size small, we do this to also increase the front center and decrease toe overlap issues.

Frame weight is listed and is 7.5 lbs. Complete bike is 35 lbs. with the RS Pike Select, Industry 9 1/1 Enduro wheels, and 29 x 2.6" tires.