Totally agree. I think people are thinking of some old crappy gripshift they used on a derailleur bike and it didn't work. This is not the same thing on a modern gearbox. I would be disappointing if Pinion went trigger shift. You'll get trigger thumb from trying to shift 18 gears

I've heard this before, and don't get me wrong: 1x10, 1x11 are a million times better than the gear systems of 5 years ago, but once you have used a gearbox system you will never, ever want to go back to a derailleur system. Trust me. It's so much more than not dropping chains. It's so much more than not snagging your drive chain on rocks. You can change gears without pedaling - which means at the last second just before a techy rock climb or mid bombing to prepare for the uphil you can already see coming but there are too many rocks to navigate to get a pedal stroke in. You can optimized the suspension. You can centralized the weight, better balance. You can grab a handful of gears in one swift motion.

This is by the way a great benefit of grip shifters. I've only ever used a gripshift on a gearbox bike and it was fantastic. Quickly change 3-4 gears at a time, which you do surprisingly lot. Pay attention next time you ride and you go from a downhill to uphill section how many gears you actually change and how many body actions that requires.

Plus the wear on 1x10 and 1x11 systems is pretty bad. The chains and gears have all gotten thinner to cram it all into the same space and its exposed to all the mud, water and sand. Changing it all when it wears out is expensive... very expensive. Compare that to a gearbox that is sealed and needs just the occasional love to keep it running smooth and it is well worth the initial outlay to get the gearbox instead.

I've also heard some people say that a gearbox means needing a custom frame built for it, but that is true of 650b and 29ers as well.

You will also see comments from other frame manufacturers saying exactly the same thing when asked why they are not building gearbox bikes: "current derailleur systems are fine". But the honest fact is that those manufacturers have patented suspension designs that work around the derailleur shortcomings. None of those designs are really needed if you use a gearbox. That means a lot less money for them and they can no longer say "buy my bike because it has VPP or DW or DELTA" which is there current marketing strategy. I would take their opinions with the skepticism.

Really there aren't any good reason NOT to go with a gearbox.

Reasons to get a gearbox:
* Less expensive in the long run (broken derailleurs, wear on chains and gears)
* Less maintenance (isolated from elements)
* Smoother shifting
* Shifting at any time for critical moves (no pedaling required for shifting)
* Massive range that doesn't overlap
* Centralized mass
* Improved suspension designs
* It's quite
* Perfect chain line, all the time
* No dropped chains

Reasons to get a 1x11 setup:
* It removes the need for a 2x setup thus dropping weight
* Removes gear overlap from 2x system (but loses overall range)
* It's quieter than a 2x setup
* No dropped chains

I was surprised that Steve Peat wasn't in it...