O ' Pinion - What's yours on it ?

[energyman]

Another hub gear system is gaining ground.  Is this the future one may ask ? OR yet another "that's a good idea" ?

[ians]

sorry - you've lost me.  More info needed to form an opinion.

[Danneaux]

I believe e-Man is referring to the Pinion gearbox, but it is a mid-frame mount, not a hub gear, and requires a dedicated frame:
http://pinion.eu/en/p1-18-gearbox/

Reviews have been good, but there are pluses and minuses compared to Rohloff. Briefly: Porsche engineering, wider range overall with finer steps, and -- at present -- a smaller dealer network and less market penetration, and requiring a dedicated frame that cannot be converted to or from derailleurs and the continued need for a tensioner or sliding dropouts (an eccentric BB is not possible with this design). The rear wheel has a single freewheeling cog. Because they require a dedicated frame, the Pinion gearboxes are not available for sale to the public, but only to approved framebuilders as OEM products.

Best,

Dan.

[energyman]

Thanks Dan.

Van Nicholas are soon to be offering one, might need a second mortgage though....

See  http://www.vannicholas.com/84/Deveron/bike.aspx

[Andre Jute]

Whole lotta bike manufacturers offer Pinion-equipped bikes: http://pinion.eu/en/bicycle-manufacturers/ I'm impressed by the box but then I would be -- I drove Porsche until I became a middle-aged respectable citizen -- but not so keen on a dedicated frame that is good for nothing else. One of the great advantages of the conventional bicycle is that when you get fed up with one supplier, the goodies of most other suppliers fit the frame, so the consumer is in charge of the bike's future. Buy a bike with a Pinion, and you're locked into them for life. Same with the Bosch mid motor.

PS Lurv your pun, Energyman.

[Bill C]

..................not so keen on a dedicated frame that is good for nothing else. One of the great advantages of the conventional bicycle is that when you get fed up with one supplier, the goodies of most other suppliers fit the frame, so the consumer is in charge of the bike's future. Buy a bike with a Pinion, and you're locked into them for life. Same with the Bosch mid motor.

Yup that's why no mech mount on the new thorns is a deal killer for me,
yellow Nomad with black xt drive train  said it before say it again, i'd be interested, but not with a rohloff specific frame,
but i got called a troll for saying it in another thread lol
by a strange coincidence Troll sprang to mind when thinking of a good tractor bike for pulling my BoB

[ians]

thanks Dan - and I hope you have a good Christmas.

Looks very clever, but as others have pointed out - some disadvantages.  Swops greater choice of rear wheel for limited frame options.

ian