I spent a couple of months on a zerode until it got stolen. I was completely sold on the pinion benefits. I honestly couldn't feel any hit to efficiency when I was climbing, which is really the only time efficiency matters, in my opinion. The reduced maintenance, increased clearance, and unbelievable traction were amazing. It was sooooo much faster and easier to shift than a derailleur system, too. I found myself shifting way more often, even when climbing, than I do on my hardtail bike. Alas, a bike thief took it away, so now I'm back in the old paradigm. Cycling is no less fun, but I've been stalling on replacing my worn chain and front chainring for almost a month now, and my shifting is going to shit.
Honestly, I think if pinion was able to get a pound out of their design, most of the neigh sayers would evaporate. Less gears might mean less drag. The C1.12 range was completely unnecessary for me.
I could be completely happy with an 11-42 equivalent pinion that weighed roughly the same as current eagle drive-trains, had higher engagement, slightly less drag, and only 6 gears.
Oh, and I also didn't mind the grip shift, kinda liked it, actually.
Oct. 23, 2019, 9:53 a.m. - Morgan Heater
I spent a couple of months on a zerode until it got stolen. I was completely sold on the pinion benefits. I honestly couldn't feel any hit to efficiency when I was climbing, which is really the only time efficiency matters, in my opinion. The reduced maintenance, increased clearance, and unbelievable traction were amazing. It was sooooo much faster and easier to shift than a derailleur system, too. I found myself shifting way more often, even when climbing, than I do on my hardtail bike. Alas, a bike thief took it away, so now I'm back in the old paradigm. Cycling is no less fun, but I've been stalling on replacing my worn chain and front chainring for almost a month now, and my shifting is going to shit. Honestly, I think if pinion was able to get a pound out of their design, most of the neigh sayers would evaporate. Less gears might mean less drag. The C1.12 range was completely unnecessary for me. I could be completely happy with an 11-42 equivalent pinion that weighed roughly the same as current eagle drive-trains, had higher engagement, slightly less drag, and only 6 gears. Oh, and I also didn't mind the grip shift, kinda liked it, actually.