So my replacement ring arrived. It is the production model and a far nicer arrangement than the carrier and ring approach. One ring. Lots of metal. No bolts to loosen off. I am a happy bunny!

As niche as the Deviate is, it is no match for the electric recumbent trike I was testing in the snow today. Now THAT is niche. An HP scorpion FS. It is practically designed for drifting.

From an engineering perspective, the Deviate is a thing of beauty…

I’ve always been a sucker for a high single pivot with an idler and am well impressed by their approach to the tensioner; though systems such as the Zerode are unlikely to come a cropper in the real world, the Deviate is a cut above.

That said, I’d be tempted to slacken the head angle a bit and stealth the graphics, but all in all, seems to be a top job and I wish them the best of luck.

The frame is £3399 which includes the Pinion gearbox and DB inline shock, so actually not that expensive considering a Santa Crux Nomad frame is only £100 less with a lower spec shock
sure, but… SC are a well established brand with a pretty good dealer network, excellent back-up and warranty, great reviews, and a strong reputation.

Friend of mine is on his 3rd warranty frame, another has had the same issues!!!
All well and good having good customer service but zI would prefer not to have to test it!!!!!
Pace forks, RM bikes, Cove bikes, Orange bikes , Hope products esp quick release and seat clamps etc, etc have all had their issues over the years……

It’s wiered how the issues surrounding washing machines, tumble driers, Toyota, VW etc make headline news but crap bikes and components don’t???????

Please, will someone tell where my thinking is going wrong…

Gearbox bikes are becoming more popular, but why is this seen as a new thing? Surely Nexus, Alfine, Rohloff etc are doing the same job? Why not work one of these into a frame design to get the desired effect.

Obviously, I must be missing the point somewhere along the way.

Hub hears put a lot of weight into the rear wheel, which is bad for balance on hard tails off road, and terrible for full sussers. A centralised gearbox is miles better, particularly for FS as the year wheel can move up and down more freely, as there is less weight at the wheel.

GT tried your idea, look up the IT1, I had one, it was pretty far from ideal (weight wasn’t as low as it could be with a GB, overly complex drive system) zerode tried it too with their dh bike, more successfully. The gearbox is just a more suitable, refined design

seadog101 – Member
Please, will someone tell where my thinking is going wrong…

Gearbox bikes are becoming more popular, but why is this seen as a new thing? Surely Nexus, Alfine, Rohloff etc are doing the same job? Why not work one of these into a frame design to get the desired effect.

Obviously, I must be missing the point somewhere along the way.

You’d be using a hub to do the wrong job and therefore building unnecessary weight into the system because there’d be loads of redundant bits or they’d be sized or configured incorrectly for the job they were being asked to do.

iirc GT tried fitting an alfine in a frame and it wasn’t well received though that could be more about the dodgy geometry and the I-drive than the installation. I believe Zerode had more success with theirs and Lahar was a bit of a cult thing something like 10 years ago.

Looking again at the Lahar the fundamentals are eerily familiar.

Carbon
High Pivot
Gearbox

So it has been done but I think it’s perceived as a bodge and therefore hasn’t really caught on.

Well, I’ve had a go…

Utterly grim conditions, effectively riding down a rocky river, bike performed beautifully, equally good on small stuttery stuff as bigger hits, felt very stable. Despite the supposedly ‘too long seat tube’ it certainly doesn’t feel it, this is very much a bike you sit ‘in’, rather than ‘on’

I wouldn’t say climbing was a strong suit, but that’s not what this bike is all about, the pedals go round, the bike moves up hill.

Order will be going in imminently. 😁