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Anyone have any experience riding them? What are they like?
I will be splashing out on a new dream machine in the near future and wondered if I should be considering a gearbox based bike, such as the Deviate Guide.......
I’ve ridden a guide. It’s incredible. I will be buying one. The gearbox is ok. It’s a different way of shifting that takes a bit of getting used to (especially with the gripshift, but I’ve heard a trigger is being worked on)
try one, see what you think
No experience of gearboxes but I had a Rohloff equipped bike. I loved the shifting and minimal maintenance. So I'd be keen to try a gearbox bike. C of G issues look minimal too. Always enjoy reviews of pinion equipped bikes.
Will look into test riding a Guide. Anyone ridden a zerode taniwha?
The zerode is the same gearbox as the guide. Weirdly I took to the pinion gearbox straight away. Not a massive fan of the gripshift but not a major issue for me. Shifting was seamless.
Ive car park tested a Deviate, even that was enough to make me want one. Gearbox is the future
Nosedive, i had a test ride on a Deviate Guide today. It really is something else. I have never encountered a bike with so much traction. It just climbed. Stand up pedaling there was no bob at all, i couldn't really get to grips with the descending though but ill put that down to having a frame too large for me.
The gearbox really impressed.
They are quite a big bike. The one I sat on was a medium and that felt about right. My current bike is a large. Is it the deviate that has a double row of bearings at each suspension pivot? Clever idea. I also really like the dishless rear wheel
What are you expecting a gearbox to do for you ?
What problem does a normal bike have that you think a gearbox will solve ?
If you can satisfy yourself with some answers to those then go ahead and get a bike with a gearbox. Seems all the reviews i've read end up admitting the box was not helping the bike. Seems like its always a bit of a solution that's still looking for a problem.
Pinkbike had a good review of some a while back.
Had a gearhub bike since 2003, gearhubs are awsome, except for two things, weight location and short term outlay.
Managed to finally get a Nicolai GPI with pinion gearbox in 2016, geabox is perfect, as good as a rohloff hub but centred in the middle of the bike.
I really wanted to love the taniwha and the gearbox was mostly okay. However, I couldn't get past the fact that the "freehub" mechanism on the gearbox end only has about 12 points of engagement. 30° of nothing before the drive would engage. It just wasn't going to work for the technical rocky riding I like to do.
There just seemed to be too many compromises around what was supposed to the the USP of that bike - ie, the gearbox.
Onzadog
....the “freehub” mechanism on the gearbox end only has about 12 points of engagement. 30° of nothing before the drive would engage...
That was the same on the only gearbox bike I have ridden too. However that was about 8 years ago, so they were still in the very early stages of evolution. I thought it had more to do with backlash in the gear train than the freewheel mechanism, but that is just a guess because obviously I didn't get to dismantle it. 🙂
My understanding is that some backlash is necessary to allow easier gearchanges. Perhaps one of STW's Mech Engs could explain (or correct me).