Few innovations have caused as much of a stir recently as this little aluminium box. A gearbox for the bike. 18 gears. Made in Germany. "So what?" ask those who appreciate the advantages of derailleur gears. "Finally!", cheer those who criticise the disadvantages of the exposed link chain. Both camps have valid arguments. In favour of derailleur gears: They are highly efficient, shift perfectly under load and are lightweight. Even very cheap versions work perfectly. Cons: If heavily soiled, both efficiency and function suffer. Derailleur gears are prone to wear, require a lot of maintenance and the rear derailleur is in an unfavourably exposed position.
Theoretically, the advantages of an encapsulated gearbox on an off-road bike are plausible. The BIKE Innovation Check of the Pinion P1.18 gearbox, which you can find below as a PDF download, clarifies whether desire and hard reality can be combined.
