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As long as this is now an "innovation of CVTs for bikes" thread, I think it's key to point out that the conventional 1x12 drive train is roughly constant efficiency in all gears, slight worse for cross-chaining, and slight worse for smaller cogs due to increased internal friction in the chain links bending around small cogs. There's data for this kind of thing online. When we are talking about gearboxes with and without CVTs, we still have to pay most of the efficiency loss that a conventional drivetrain sees, since we still need a belt or chain to reach from...

For what it's worth - here's Google's AI snippet asking about belt CVT efficiency: Belt-driven CVTs are 80% to 88% efficient in cars, and 70% to 75% efficient in scooters. They are less efficient than traditional manual transmissions (which hit 97%) because they rely on sliding friction to transfer power. However, their ability to keep the engine at its most optimal power zone balances out these losses.

excuse linking the "other site" but pretty funny given recent convo on gearboxes, especially claims about only being viable on ebikes https://www.pinkbike.com/news/gates-patents-a-cvt-gearbox-for-non-elect…

I could give this a go, would back to back race sim laps be enough to provide accurate results? At least in a way that it is consistently one way or the other?

Single speed is still relevant really. Like racing rally locally and drinking beers on the podium. Or just having a big day out alone. Stripped down to nothing but the machine and the quads. Shits brilliant. Wonder when we see some really shiny new single speed drops. Trek used to have one every year. But why wait for the big corpo trash when you can just take all The batteries and crap off your bike throw a Melvin or reverse on there and go get after that shit ???

All the reviewers who rode that bike (Priority) said it was a slog to ride, but got slightly better over time with miles put on so the gears break in. I wonder if there's a reason that Pinion doesn't pre break-in their gearboxes before shipping them out. It would likely make the consumer experience much better.

Long time lurker… longer than I’ve been an ‘official’ member… Phoenix local here… DH tires. Cushcore.. and a Neo Shock. I ride a 2023 Rocky Mountain Altitude and the Neo- has been an absolute game changer for me. I pedal a lot.. and it has made my enduro into a ‘trail-duro’ it’s been a huge innovation for me. DH tires and cushcore so I don’t get stranded in the desert heat and can bash the rocks back.. Neo to pedal all day. I’d recommend it for the type of riding I have out the front door from the house.

Maybe this isn't an accurate point of view, but I feel like pedal MTBs and e-bikes aren't really trying to solve the same problems. I think a pretty massive effort goes into the design of pedal MTBs so that they can be comfortably and efficiently pedaled, at least outside of DH-specific bikes. Even enduro bikes, especially those that are raced, need to pedal decently. For an e-bike, pedal performance is probably pretty far down on the list of design goals. I've watched a handful of folks with dead batteries or faulty electronics try to pedal their 50-lb beasts out of...

The later. I haven't spent enough time looking at how Pinion and others layout the internals, but I suspect that the requirement to have the input and output shafts concentric creates some challenging design constraints. A GB that replaced the second chain on dual chain bikes might free up some of these. on the other hand, it would freeze up the BB-to-pivot radius, so perhaps it would be far too restrictive for frame designers - kind of a one-off thing. Probably some people here will call this blasphemous, but I wonder if it might be too soon to know if...

I think part of the problem is that "MTB" covers a really diverse range of riding styles, and for the different styles, a variety of engineering requirements and interests. It's easy for people (myself included) to only consider the style(s) of riding they do when they promote or bash posts. I agree that there might be interesting trickle-down technology from the latest "moped" innovations in MGUs for predominantly gravity-driven forms of pedal MTBs. While the idea of a gearbox that is comparable in weight in efficiency to a conventional 1X drive train is exciting, from the engineering side of things...

Amazing pics, thanks! I just miss the captions, somehow it's more fun with captions...

pit bits la thuile - https://www.vitalmtb.com/forums/hub/pit-bits-2026-la-thuile-world-cup-d…

If you were looking for an O-chain compatible Shimano crank for DH, I've wondered before if you could just use XT 8130 (Superboost) cranks on 83mm shell bikes without the 4.5mm spindle spacers on both sides? How would a 73mm shell with 9mm of spindle spacers be functionally different than a 83mm shell with no spacers (other than the 1mm difference)?

I am going to be completely transparent here in that I work for FSA, but I will say I worked really hard on making the 31.8 40mm Gradient alloy bar one of the most compliant on the market. and here is the proof: (chart from PB article)

Shut the fuck up about drivetrain efficiency. Holy shit. Go find a different thread.

Not to get too off track, but people aren't buying it because of how it rides. They don't really care about how it rides, the geo or flex characteristics. They're buying it because of how powerful the motor is

I can't think of one company in the bike industry that, in two years, has launched its first-generation product, sold out, released two new drive units, dropped a new bike, and teased a gearbox. If that's me wearing rose-colored glasses, then so be it. The pace of iteration, the "rate of change," is what I'm really keyed in on here. I don't think there's much precedent for it in the bike industry, or the outdoor industry as a whole. It feels more like semiconductors in the '90s than anything bikes have done before. I never claimed the first-gen Amflow was...

and most people don't care. They just want the best thing at the best price. Again; and this is where I'm pretty sure your assessment doesn't universally apply. Over here, people sort-of do care and it will take companies like XDS years if not decades to lose the China-stigma - even if they offer a good product at a good price, backed by perfect after-sales support. You need real product management, strong engineering, credible distribution, at least some kind of dealer or service network, and a serious effort to show customers that you are going to stand behind the product...