# Pinion at Two Years



## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

Got my Pinion two years ago. It was built for me by Solace Cycles who are one of the best companies I've ever dealt with if any of you are in the market for a top end bike.

I've learned a bit about the Pinion and belt drives in general. I have the C1.12 and a Gates Carbon belt with front and rear 32-tooth steel chain...er...beltrings. The first thing is that you don't need to run the belt at the tension recommended by gates on the Centertrack belts. Drivetrain power losses are relevant to gearboxes and IGHs. The Pinion runs a lot better with a slacker belt. Not sloppy slack but well below the recommended tension. I think Josh Ibbet also advocates this. I have ridden the bike for two years and only dropped the belt once when some mud and rocks wedged between the belt and the rear sprocket. You still have to remove the wheel to reinstall the belt. I don't run it that loose and wedging it back on can damage the belt. They're not fragile but they have a few quirks. 

The only maintenance I have done in two years is an oil change which took ten minutes and I removed and cleaned the cranks to get rid of a creaking noise. I don't even hose it down...just let the mud dry and fall off. Runs perfectly and the Pinion, with a belt, is indifferent to rain, snow, dust, and most mud.

The belt makes a faint chirping sound if it is bone dry and dusty but I just ignore it. 

I swear it wears in. After two years and several thousand miles it just seems smoother. I really don't even notice it, actually. You pedal and it goes. I do mostly gravel and dirt roads so the twist shifter is fine. Not that great on the infrequent singletrack.


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

I love the thought of a gearbox, but just… can’t with that grip shift. If they dropped a thumb shifter I’d seriously consider it on my next frame.


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## BadgerOne (Jul 17, 2015)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I love the thought of a gearbox, but just… can’t with that grip shift. If they dropped a thumb shifter I’d seriously consider it on my next frame.


BOOM. It's gonna cost you though. 

Shift:R Tour Pinion Thumb Shifter


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## 834905 (Mar 8, 2018)

BadgerOne said:


> BOOM. It's gonna cost you though.
> 
> Shift:R Tour Pinion Thumb Shifter
> 
> View attachment 1998105


Hadn’t seen those before. They’re nice… and a steal at only 419 euro (yikes)


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## senorbanana (May 11, 2017)

BadgerOne said:


> BOOM. It's gonna cost you though.
> 
> Shift:R Tour Pinion Thumb Shifter
> 
> View attachment 1998105


not a viable option imo. paddles on both sides seems like a lazy design. The instinctiv shifter looks great but they wont sell it as stand alone.


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## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

SingleSpeedSteven said:


> I love the thought of a gearbox, but just… can’t with that grip shift. If they dropped a thumb shifter I’d seriously consider it on my next frame.


Certainly if you want a versatile, do anything bike. I just use mine for dirt, gravel and Tour Divide style stuff. The grip shift is fine for that.


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## prj71 (Dec 29, 2014)

The Pinion gear box has always intrigued me. I've been reviewing this hard tail MTB as a potential purchase in the future 









PRIORITY 600X ADVENTURE


The Priority 600x Adventure bicycle is our belt drive Pinion hardtail designed for cross-country and bike packing adventures.




www.prioritybicycles.com





Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

I ride a Nicolai Argon Pinion, hardtail enduro, the gripshift is fine for aggressive trail riding, no issues shifting on the fly when going fast and taking chances.

if the shifter is the only thing holding someone back from getting a Pinion, then there’s more to their reluctance … 

I love my Pinion, but I think I’m gonna up my game and get an FS frame 🤙


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## Bikesbikesbikes (Apr 4, 2021)

I’ve had the pinion c.12 in a co-motion bike for two years. Originally I had the cinq drop bar shifters. They were finicky to set up and I broke the shifter box it in the first week. So, I bought the co-motion drop bar twist shifter and, well, it worked but you have to mount it way up by the stem so not ideal. The repaired cinq shifter box showed up and it promptly failed again. I finally bought a Jones carbon loop bar and the pinion grip shifter and it’s been perfect from day one. By far the best set up.
I use the bike as my commuter 4 days a week. Sometimes it gets taken for actual rides. Rode around crater lake a couple weeks ago… Changing the oil is easy and I also run the belt way looser than they recommend. If the belt starts to squeak from being to dry/dusty I squirt some water at it, fixed. Other than checking tire pressure I rarely do anything. 
I have an I-9 Hydra single speed hub in it, but because there are “points of engagement” in the gear box itself, overall it’s not great. It’s perfect for a commuter / gravel / touring bike, but I wouldn’t want it on a mountain bike because of that and the minor amount of drag it has. And you can’t shift under load but what ever I don’t do that to any bike.


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## DeoreDX (Jul 28, 2007)

prj71 said:


> The Pinion gear box has always intrigued me. I've been reviewing this hard tail MTB as a potential purchase in the future
> 
> 
> 
> ...


I wish they made a version of that with a rigid fork. Something in between the 600 and 600x. 29" wheels and rigid fork with mounts.


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## Ailuropoda (Dec 15, 2010)

Bikesbikesbikes said:


> I’ve had the pinion c.12 in a co-motion bike for two years. Originally I had the cinq drop bar shifters. They were finicky to set up and I broke the shifter box it in the first week. So, I bought the co-motion drop bar twist shifter and, well, it worked but you have to mount it way up by the stem so not ideal. The repaired cinq shifter box showed up and it promptly failed again. I finally bought a Jones carbon loop bar and the pinion grip shifter and it’s been perfect from day one. By far the best set up.
> I use the bike as my commuter 4 days a week. Sometimes it gets taken for actual rides. Rode around crater lake a couple weeks ago… Changing the oil is easy and I also run the belt way looser than they recommend. If the belt starts to squeak from being to dry/dusty I squirt some water at it, fixed. Other than checking tire pressure I rarely do anything.
> I have an I-9 Hydra single speed hub in it, but because there are “points of engagement” in the gear box itself, overall it’s not great. It’s perfect for a commuter / gravel / touring bike, but I wouldn’t want it on a mountain bike because of that and the minor amount of drag it has. And you can’t shift under load but what ever I don’t do that to any bike.


I have an Onyx Racing Products single speed hub. It uses a sprague clutch so it has virtually zero engagement. Plus it's whisper-quiet when coasting. A little pricey but I have been very happy with it. I had an I9 Hydra to start. Nice hub on a great wheel. I use it on one of my trail bikes now.


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## piyleirbag (6 mo ago)

Nurse Ben said:


> if the shifter is the only thing holding someone back from getting a Pinion, then there’s more to their reluctance


agreed, I actually think the gripshift is better suited for this application. It’s intuitive and just as quick, if not quicker, than a thumb shift. The indexing is clear and leaves no doubt as to how many gears you have changed once you get the hang of it.

if there is a downside, the rubber grip ring gets slick and difficult to turn when it’s wet, so one has to ride with gloves.


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## canyoneagle (Sep 27, 2007)

DeoreDX said:


> I wish they made a version of that with a rigid fork. Something in between the 600 and 600x. 29" wheels and rigid fork with mounts.


I've done just that, and love it. I pretty much built it anew from the frame/Pinion/Belt, and ride it on fun green/blue desert/foothills singletrack. Highly recommended.

The shifting is easy to adjust to (easing up on the pedals for a split second to shift) - I had a head start from having ridden numerous IGH drivetrains in the past.
I love the Pinion system, and have no desire to go back to derailleurs. And I came from XTR 12 speed.

The grip shift is no biggie for me, since I ran grip shifts all through the 90's and into the early 2000's. Sure a trigger would be awesome, but the grip shift is not a deal killer for me. Hopefully more options open as these systems gain popularity.

Do it!


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## rich_thecorner (3 mo ago)

Good day, everyone. This is my first Pinion build. In the UK there is a small smattering of independent frame designers who have an interest in accomodating Pinion (and Effigear Mimic). I found Olsen Bikes in East Sussex - Steve Olsen has a similar view of MTB-ing to me, i.e. minimum fuss, more reliability and more riding. The gearbox is a dream on and off-road and, having used it for 7 months in most weather conditions, it performs near-flawlessly (don't forget NO machine is 100% perfect). I am an independent bicycle mechanic who got fed up of telling people how much it would cost to repair their 1x12 system OR that I could not repair their 1x11 system cheaply as parts have just stopped being manufactured for their bike. Any questions, please ask...


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## Sanchofula (Dec 30, 2007)

Nice looking bike 👍


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## rich_thecorner (3 mo ago)

Sanchofula said:


> Nice looking bike 👍


Thanks very much. It goes as good as it looks!


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