It seems mainly the long distance guys who like them, especially the overlanders.
aye, I think so.
Really Rusty. Firstly the additional cost was a lot less as I needed a new rear hub anyway and a decent tandem hub is a couple of hundred minimum - and my total cost was only a thousand so additional cost £750. Chains now last years - wear slower and less need to replace when worn as it does not affect the shifting. I am not sure exactly how long I have had it. I was spending around £150 - 200 a year on chains, cassettes and chainrings. ie one complete drivetrain plus an extra chain a year. Now its a chain every couple of years and still on the same chainring and sprocket. I worked out around 5 years to pay back in less maintenance spend
Lots of misinformation in the discussion above. I've actually been riding a Pinion-box MTB for nearly a year now, using the 12-gear version and belt drive.
Facts:
1. There is a weight penalty of about 1kg netting the gearbox and belts/singlespeed hub against a derailleur and chain set-up.
2. The system has been near-100% maintenance-free through a year of British weather and about 3-4 rides per week; just a hose-down after each ride and a little spray-lube around sensitive points (probably not even needed).
3. There's a theoretical efficiency deficit of about 2-3% compared to derailleur. In practice, this is more than offset in offroad use by the ability to switch to any other gear near-instantaneously and the lack of crashing changes and chain-drops. I routinely overtake co-riders at the bottom of sudden hills whilst they mash through their gears and curse...
4. The need for a (really minuscule) back-off from pedalling to make the gear-change is in practice just not an issue. It takes a couple of rides to adjust, but is fully offset by being able to change when the bike is stationary.
5. The use of a gripshift rather than triggers seems to excite naysayers; in reality it just isn't an issue after you get used to it. In the first couple of weeks I made one or two unintended changes, but that never happens now I'm used to it.
The main downside so far is that take-up of the system by MTB makes outside Germany has been slow, but the choice is growing if you're happy with hardtail (I am). So far, full-sus implementations have been slow to take off (basically Nicolai and Zerode). With the new lighter and cheaper C-line Pinion boxes arriving later this year, I think that could rapidly change.
