novocaine
Old School Grand Master
So what we really need is a system that's light weight, doesn't need exposed parts that are easy to damage doesn't require a bespoke frame, is backwards compatible and doesn't add yet another standard to the crazy list of standards?I agree with a lot of the points, but have you ever ridden properly tech off road with an IGH? I have and the bike feels awful. All that weight lumped right at the end of the bike felt like a sledge hammer. Kept it like that for 3-4 months then put a 10 speed cassette on the bike felt 100x better. That was on a hardtail, it would cause even more issues on full suspension.
Pinion have the right idea mounting their gearbox low in the front triangle. Unfortunately it doesn’t have a reputation for efficiency of great shifting. I think that’s why you only really see them on long travel bikes where downhill performance is key. Obviously you need a bespoke frame as well, so you’re stuck with it, unlike my easy swap to a new wheel.
I think the birth of a properly usable gearbox will come out of ebike development. Weight won’t be such an issue and it makes so much more sense for durability. Then again, the big players would need to try to come up an agreed mounting pattern otherwise the frame could be tied to one make. They can’t even do this with ebike motors yet.
I hope we all agree with this list.
in which case, I crown single speed the drivetrain winner.