Pinion P1.18: The facts about the gearbox
System: Two-stage spur gearbox
Number of gears: 18
Overall transmission ratio: 636 %
Gear gradation: 11,5 %
Weight Gearbox incl. sprocket 24 teeth: 2700 grammes
Crank weight left/right: 420 grams (CNC)
Rotary handle: 96 grammes
Rear sprocket 21 teeth: 34 grammes
Few innovations have caused as much of a stir recently as this little aluminium box. A gearbox for your 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. The derailleur is prone to wear, requires a lot of maintenance and the rear derailleur is in an unfavourably exposed position. As a long-time test rider, I have experienced Shimano and SRAM components of varying quality and in all stages of degradation and can say: Both sides are right. And yet I still ride around with a rear derailleur and curse quietly when it clicks or rattles. But what should I do? Only absolutely convinced derailleur haters stuff the lead-heavy Rohloff hub into the rear triangle. As a first tester a few years ago, I dismantled the 7-speed gearbox from SR Suntour, which was introduced with great fanfare, into its individual parts several times. And the Hammerschmidt gear crank unfortunately combines the disadvantages of both shifting systems quite perfectly: heavy and frictionless like a gearbox, and only usable in combination with the fragile shifting system on the rear wheel. And then, two years ago, there was this little aluminium box from Pinion at Eurobike. Hope sprouted once again. But one thing was certain for me: if it didn't work this time, then that was it. No matter how plausible the theoretical advantages of an encapsulated gearbox may sound, the desire and reality of off-road bikes simply don't match up. It's the last chance. Pinion was probably also aware of this. The small forge took its time. Last year, the P1.18 was actually considered ready for series production, but was never launched on the market. Suppliers were unable to maintain the high quality standards. The reliability of the two-stage spur gearbox was jeopardised. It wasn't until autumn 2012 that the first real production gearboxes reached the end customer - and thus also us at the BIKE editorial office. As a living endurance test bench of the sister magazine FREERIDE I was entrusted with the Alutech Fanes Enduro Pinion after I had perfected the ability to age components quickly.
The customer pays an additional € 1450 compared to the alternative version with Shimano XT gears and otherwise identical equipment. The wallet is therefore significantly lighter, but the geared bike is a lot heavier: the box weighs 3120 grams including cranks. The scales display shows a total weight of 16.55 kilos including pedals. That's 1.5 kilos more than the XT bike. However, these pounds are all in the bottom bracket area. The rear wheel is half a kilo lighter because the rear derailleur, sprocket set and some chain links have been removed. Light at the front, light at the rear, massive in the centre. How does that feel?
Tough test conditions in the bike park, on tour and in the snow
In order to gather as much meaningful experience as possible in the relatively short test period, it was necessary to abuse the bike from time to time. Instead of just cranking out tours, I also gathered impressions of durability in the bike park, including five metre drops. Here and there, the Pinion did an impressive job. Overweight or not, twist grip or not - the ideal weight distribution and the extremely low centre of gravity are THE innovation when it comes to downhill fun. In the snow, slush and ice of the last few weeks of winter, I was out and about every day, wilfully ignoring all the well-known care guidelines for mountain bikes. And the P1.18? It runs. Yes, it weighs a lot and yes, it doesn't shift under load. But it shifts reliably. It works. And that is a sensation. A small, black sensation. If the box passes the endurance test without further maintenance and without defects, then - yes, that's it. Then Pinion will have made it!
The advantages and disadvantages of the Pinion P1.18 at a glance
+ Mass concentration has a positive influence on downhill behaviour
+ Very fine/even gradation of gears
+ Low noise and wear
+ No sensitive parts that stick out/high ground clearance
+ Subjectively high efficiency
+/- Twist shifter
- Fits only on special frames
- High system weight
- No downshifting under load
- Price
Ride report: The Pinion P1.18 impresses on enduro tours
Sure, you get a shock when you heave it out of the cellar. Into the mountains with it? Thank you. But the shock quickly gives way to fascination: the Pinion gearbox works completely silently. Only in gears 7 and 13 does it click quietly like clockwork, otherwise there is silence. It's hard to believe that there are 18 gears in the small, black box. And they are also extremely finely graduated. The system is immediately impressive on the flat. When starting off from a standstill, you can feel the greater free travel of the system, but unlike with a Hammerschmidt crank or a Rohloff hub, you don't have the feeling that power is being lost through internal friction. The power transmission is direct and very similar to a derailleur system. Under load on the mountain, however, the gearbox only shifts into heavier gears. Otherwise, active relief is required, otherwise the twist grip is virtually blocked. You do get used to this, but you still miss the shifting comfort of a modern derailleur system. The gear spread is theoretically wider than with a 3x10 drivetrain, but the higher system weight makes you sweat a lot in the standard set-up. A slightly larger rear sprocket makes sense (and will soon be possible). Downhill, the Pinion-Fanes runs a class smoother than its twin with conventional gears. The positive effect of the mass centred in the bottom bracket is truly enormous. Smoother running, great handling and minimal noise - the geared bike is better and faster on descents. I like it!
Conclusion Christian Schleker (BIKE tester) on the Pinion P1.18
"I find a high-tech product like the Pinion P1.18 gearbox fascinating per se. Although I don't like bikes that are (too) heavy, I really wanted to give the Pinion gearbox a chance. And even if it really is still quite heavy and can't hold a candle to a modern derailleur in terms of shifting comfort, the potential of this black box convinced me. The P1.18 definitely makes sense on an enduro bike!"
