634% 18 speed 'hub' gear

[onmybike]

Now here's something...
http://www.pinion.eu/

Any good translators out there? My German's stuffed.

[Paulson]

http://www.pinion.eu/en/produkt.html

Just click the 'en' link and it's all in English!!!

PINION P-1 Gearchange

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18 fully usable gears with no overlap.
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Constant gear ratio steps with an optimum 11.5% increment from gear to gear.
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Overall gear ratio: 634%. This is unique and outclasses all other bicycle gearing systems.
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Maintenance-free design – insusceptible to environmental conditions, such as dirt, water, mud, sand, branches, etc.
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No protruding gear components. No more rear derailleurs becoming detached, chainwheels and sprockets getting bent or chains jumping off.
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The gear unit is extremely compact. Paired with a small chainwheel, the system offers terrific ground clearance.
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Positioning at the centre of the bike + lightweight rear wheel with just a single pinion = maximum riding dynamics. For full-suspension bikes, this means more spontaneous response from the suspension and better grip.
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[blair]

Looks good, but "Made in Germany"+"Non-standard frame"=>Expensive!
Also, note the last sentence of the Background section:
"It won't take us much longer to progress from the prototype stage to series production – but it'll be worth the short wait."
Many a good product disappears between prototype and production.

[sloe]

It would need to be pretty chunky to cope with the torque. Someone correct me if I've got this wrong but the best place for a gearbox is at the back wheel because the torque is already reduced by the ratio of chainwheel to sprocket so the gearbox can be built lighter.