# MiTech custom bikes. Anyone dealt with them?



## shwinboy (Jan 13, 2004)

As the title says. Anyone else got one of their bikes? I have a frame on the way.
Epsilon Rohloff - MiTech


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## gulljammer (Oct 15, 2010)

i am considering purchasing a MiTech bike. Did you receive yours? Are you happy with your purchase? Also interesented in you decision to go with Rohloff instead of Pinion. I’m on the fence with this, both systems have advantages.


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## shwinboy (Jan 13, 2004)

Yep I got mine. There was a bit of a delay because the paint didn't meet their QC standards and had to be redone. 
I am really happy with mine so far. It rides better than I expected and you can read my write up here.
https://forums.mtbr.com/internal-gear-hubs/mitech-epsilon-650b-rohloff-awesomeness-1091356.html

The reasons I went with the rohloff was because:
I already owned a hub.
I've never ridden a pinion and I was already in unknown waters with the URT design and a builder that was hard to find info on. 
The price of entry for a pinion was an extra $2300 AU. Hard to justify when I had the rohloff.
The attraction for me of getting a pinion was mainly to get the gearbox weight of the rear hub and into the frame. This is something I'm less concerned about now since riding the bike with the rohloff as my concerns about the hub weight noticeably affecting suspension performance have proven to be unfounded. I'm sure the pinion version would perform better in that regard but I'm not sure it'd be $2300 worth of improvement.

The German to english language barrier was a small hurdle. I just kept my emails simple and dot pointed what I wanted. I Got exactly what I ordered. One nice touch that I wasn't expecting is that the frame appears to have been clear coated after painting and decals were applied. For a basic paint finish the clear coat is a nice touch to stop the decals pealing.
Also of note is the really well though out and painless internal cable routing.
Having bought one I think Mitech offer excellent value for money custom frames. If I ever have the money down the track I'd like to get a pinion version of the epsilon.


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## Pat2A (Jan 20, 2008)

I received my MITECH Tyke P1 650B+ custom geometry frame for 1 month with Pinion Gearbox.
I also have a Rohloff hub on my Jones bike.
If I had to make a choice I would take the Pinion without hesitation even if I prefer the Jones frame and fork.


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## shwinboy (Jan 13, 2004)

So what are the qualities of the pinion that make it your preference over the rolhoff? I almost went for that frame with a pinion but decided to invest in the suspension instead.


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## Pat2A (Jan 20, 2008)

shwinboy said:


> So what are the qualities of the pinion that make it your preference over the rolhoff? I almost went for that frame with a pinion but decided to invest in the suspension instead.


Shifting is more easily and without noise.
Operation of the Pinion gearbox is less noisy than the Rohloff hub.
Less resistance of the Pinion gearbox compared to the Rohloff hub.
Pinion : Better center of gravity ; less feeling of heaviness of the rear wheel.


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## fokof (Apr 24, 2006)

Pat2A said:


> Less resistance of the Pinion gearbox compared to the Rohloff hub.


What's The Difference In Speed Between Gearbox Systems? Rohloff, Pinion, Shimano - CyclingAbout.com

4% difference in efficiency between the Pinion and the Rohloff , that's a lot !

Your perceived difference has probably a lot more to do with frame design and component choice than the gearbox resistance.


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## Pat2A (Jan 20, 2008)

Perhaps you're right or maybe the difference between the chain and the belt too ?
And my Pinion gearbox is the P1.12 not P1.18 as in the test.


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## anga (Aug 22, 2011)

Pat2A said:


> I received my MITECH Tyke P1 650B+ custom geometry frame for 1 month with Pinion Gearbox.
> I also have a Rohloff hub on my Jones bike.
> If I had to make a choice I would take the Pinion without hesitation even if I prefer the Jones frame and fork.


Is that a Lauf fork? How is the ride?

What rim's are those?


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## Pat2A (Jan 20, 2008)

anga said:


> Is that a Lauf fork? How is the ride?
> 
> What rim's are those?


Yes it's Lauf fork. 60 mm of travel with 27,5 PLUS tire is perfect for my actuel terrain but too limited for the big mountain.
Rims are BIKE AHEAD Biturbo RS.


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## anga (Aug 22, 2011)

Pat2A said:


> Yes it's Lauf fork. 60 mm of travel with 27,5 PLUS tire is perfect for my actuel terrain but too limited for the big mountain.
> Rims are BIKE AHEAD Biturbo RS.


Looks good. Thanks


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