The 18-speed Pinion gearbox is currently revolutionising the high-end touring bike market. No self-respecting manufacturer wants to do without their own model. However, there is still a lack of long-term experience with the new technology. Reason enough for the Trekkingbike editorial team to take every opportunity to gather borderline experience in addition to normal testing. We chose two tried and tested touring bikes as test candidates. The Tout Terrain Silkroad with 18-speed Pinion gearbox. As well as the same model with 10-speed derailleur gears for direct comparison. The journey should also show whether one system is clearly ahead of the other.
To summarise in advance: There were no fundamental problems with either bike. And: I would go for the Pinion again. The advantages of an encapsulated shifting unit are impressive on extreme bike tours. The shifting when stationary, the robustness and invulnerability of the moving parts as well as the low maintenance and wear and tear clearly outshine derailleur gears, which require a lot of care. With 18 gears, there is no gear missing. Neither on the steepest climb nor on the fastest descent. The additional weight of around one kilo plays a subordinate role on the road.
The almost 1700 kilometre long test route from Vientiane in Laos to Chiang Mai in Thailand was an extreme challenge for man and material. The route leads almost exclusively on poor, sometimes dusty roads through the mountains. The climbs in the tea plantations in the Golden Triangle are the steepest trekking bike routes I have ever had to master.
I should also mention a marginal phenomenon. Never before has a bike attracted so much attention on a trip. Not a day went by when I wasn't asked about the new technology. At every longer stop, interested men of all nationalities gathered around the Pinion bike. Everyone was fascinated and asked questions.
Nevertheless, there is also criticism. Right from the start, our test gearbox made significantly louder noises than the derailleur, especially in the higher gears. Sensitive ears may be bothered by this. This was obviously exacerbated by the chain tensioner fitted to the Silkroad, which, according to developer Christoph Lermen, was designed more for use on mountain bikes. Shifting under load also did not work in all gears on climbs with a loaded bike. Especially when changing from 7th to 6th gear, the crank has to be significantly relieved. The same applies to the change from 6th to 7th gear. In addition, a loud cracking noise was heard four times on the steepest climbs under load over the 1700 kilometres. As Lermen explained on enquiry, this is a peculiarity of the gearbox that occurs extremely rarely. It only occurs when the gearshift pawl has not yet gained a proper foothold after a shift and then unexpectedly jumps one tooth further. However, there is no risk of a defect. As far as noise development and shifting performance under load are concerned, Pinion is now one step ahead. The freewheel will be adapted in the next generation in 2014. "Then there will be no more annoying noises," says the developer.
The full-length article from issue 2/2014 is available as a free PDF download.
