That’s a good question.

Gearboxes have a few great advantages over traditional drivetrains.

The biggest advantage is that removing the cassette and derailleur removes nearly 2 lbs of weight from the back wheel, which is nearly 2 lbs less of unsprung weight that needs to move up and down with every bump.

In a world where suspension companies shave grams off the lowers (unsprung weight) of their forks, removing 2 lbs makes a massive difference.

The back wheel tracks faster, it’s a smoother ride with less harshness and more traction, your shock doesn’t need to work as hard, and you get a ride that’s faster and far more intuitive than you’d think.

Then there’s the fact that you can shift instantly without pedalling so you never have to do the pick-up-and-pedal to change gears, and the fact that you can get up to 600% range (Sram Transmission is only 520%).

That means easier easy gears and faster sprinting gears.

Then there’s the maintenance (or lack of it). Because there’s no sideways load on the chain, they don’t break or wear. So your only maintenance is chain lube, or a wash with water if you pick a belt. Gearboxes only need maintenance every 10,000 kms, and that process is as simple as draining 60ml of oil and then filling it back up with a syringe.

Additionally, gearboxes wear in (not out), so they only get smoother and more efficient with time.

And to put the icing on the cake, there’s no derailleur to smash, no dropout to bend, no shifting issues at the end of a gnarly lap.

Just a bike that’s ready to ride day in and day out.

Gearboxes have more drag than a traditional derailleur, so why use them?

Well, a 2015 study claimed Pinion gearboxes were 90.5% efficient.

Which sounds bad out of context, until you realize that the efficiency of an 11-speed 1x system is only 95.1% efficient on average.

Meaning there’s only a 4.5% efficiency difference between a gearbox and the 1x11 system tested.

(12 speed systems are less efficient still)

But the difference between gearboxes and drivetrains gets even smaller when you consider that drivetrains are less efficient under load and in highest and lowest gears, while gearbox efficiency increases with load and has constant efficiency.

And when you add in the 600% range a Pinion C1.2 gearbox gives you over the 520% range from a Sram transmission?

The marginal loss in efficiency is more than made up for by the increased gearing range.

So while there’s technically more drag in the bike stand, the difference is almost impossible to notice in the real world, and the weight distribution benefits and unsprung mass more than make up for the slightly reduced maximum efficiency.

Technically we have 4 available gearbox options.

Pinion 12 speed electronic.

Pinion 12 speed mechanical.

Pinion 9 speed mechanical.

Effigear 9 speed mechanical.

Pinon Gearboxes:

Pinion is offers the most ‘premium’ feeling gearboxes and offer a 9 speed or 12 speed option. The pedaling experience is smooth, and you can get them in a mechanical grip shift or an electronic bar shifter, depending on your preference.

The 9 speed Pinion gearboxes have a 568% range, and the 12 speed gearboxes have a 600% range. (For reference, a Sram Transmission 52 tooth cassette offers 520% range).

If you want a traditional shifter interface, your best option is the Pinion 12 speed electronic gearbox. You’ll have to charge the battery ~once per season, but the shifter is the closest you can get to a traditional thumb shifter.

If you want a mechanical Pinion, you can choose between a 12 speed and 9 speed option, both of which use a grip shift.

All pinion gearboxes can shift up and down without pedaling and under light load.

Effigear Gearboxes:

Effigear offers a more ‘budget’ option at nearly $5oo cheaper than Pinion. You’ll feel a more pronounced ‘gear meshing’ feeling as you pedal, but this can be largely mitigated with a belt drive instead of a chain drive.

Effigear gearboxes use a traditional 9 speed Sram shifter pod, and have a 469% range.

These gearboxes can shift up under full load, but in order to downshift you need to backpedal by a few degrees to let the shift happen. The good news is that you can dump the whole range at once so you can go from gear 9 to gear 1 with a single backpedal.

Because the efficiency between a belt and chain is extremely close, this is really a question of maintenance and preference.

Because of our straight chainline, chains on our bikes wear 5-10x slower (they never have sideload for hours when climbing or shifting).

Chains are readily available everywhere, but do require lubrication to keep them quiet and efficient.

On the other hand, belts require zero lubrication at all.

Just spray it down when you wash your bike and it’s ready to go. They also have a maintenance interval of 30,000 kms or more.

The only real downside is that most places don’t stock Gates belts (yet), so finding spares can be tricky.

We recommend you buy a spare right away, and keep with with you bike trips etc.

Our frames have a mix of bearing and IGUS bushings, which have all been designed for easy replacement and maximum durability, and our gearboxes have a maintenance interval of 10,000 kms.

60ml oil out, 60ml oil in. Good to ride for another 10,000 kms.

Your body is unique and your bike should be too.

For example: Alex is 6’4 and has a 36” inseam, while Matthew is 6’4 and has a 32” inseam.

These two riders need different bikes, even though most brands would simply put them on an XL frame..

By custom fabricating each frame here in Vancouver BC, we’re able to make sure you get the best fit possible.

While we may offer more ‘standard’ sizing later, for now all our bikes are welded to fit you specifically.

Absolutely. Our bikes come with a chain by default, but if you want to upgrade to a belt drive later on, we’ll have conversion kits available.

Yep! We have a few demo bikes available on request if you’re local to Vancouver.

We also coordinate demo days, and have a few factory riders who would be more than happy to show off their bike.

Of course.

You can read our Pinkbike First Ride Impression HERE.

You can check out our Production Read Announcement HERE.

You can see Ollie Lowthorpe’s Bike Check HERE.

Watch Dale Stone’s Video Review of an earlier version HERE.

Absolutely we do. We have riders all over the world, and couldn’t be more stoked that our bike is already on other continents.

If you need a quote on shipping, add your AC1 to the cart and then enter your address into the Address Bar to get an estimated cost.

Note that we are not responsible for any local taxes, duties, tariffs, or import fees.