You can always tell a professional by the lack of race car noises they make going down the trail 😂

the fact that you give such honest reviews makes your thoughts on this bike even more credible and interesting to hear. Nice one! Look forward to seeing more bikes like this and trying one

The first bike made by Deviate also had a gearbox. I don't know why they change to a derailleur. Probably not popular enough at the time. The pinion makes an electronically controlled gearbox with a small battery pact. No electric bikes, just electronic shifting. So no gripshit. You can change gears with your thumb. Simplon uses it on his bike. But I don't know if other companies use it. Another cool video Thank for sharing!

seen a rider on a nicolai saturn14 last year, said its a game changer for him, silent no issues if anything had less issues racing on belt then chain/mechs. it'll be interesting evolution if pinion gearbox had electric shifting

The "weird" shifting experience (shifting when not pedaling) brings you a nice effect too, you can shift from gear 1 to gear 12 in one lever turn.

for that type of riding you can use a bike with no transmission at all without any impact on the time 😁

Gearboxes will be a gamechanger for DH racing. The extra weight in the centre of the bike, low down, plus the reduced unsprung mass at the real wheel. All great for DH. Not sure about Enduro, certainly more robust than a derailleur though.

The newer version of the Pinion has electric shifting with paddle shifters and you can shift under power.....from what I hear.

Nice one. Interesting. Keep the videos coming. Thanks.

Cool comparison! Would be cool to see you ride a modern hardtail at some point! 👍🤙

Great Review. Could you make a video about getting into racing and what you would look to do doing your first enduro race/prep for said race

Cool showcase man, see you next time!

You made those run look effortless 😝

Love your videos keep up them

From your ig post I thought you broke Tommy’s bike…lol Sick video to I always enjoy this vs that videos.

Would love to see you ride their dh Bike ! Love the look of that bike !

Love your Content❤

Awesome video bro! That's pretty sick that you got a similar time on a bike yad only ridden twice, with 29er set up, single crown fork, and less travel.. Goes to show how planted it is.. Cant wait to see ya try out a G3 with the new electronic shift.. Ya only need to see Blenki & Taylor Vernon on theirs to see how well they handle.. It's going to be real interesting to see how they do as a small team in the UCI.. As a kiwi & Zerode being a kiwi made bike, it's going to be so good to see! Another thing that would be sick to see ya try out from NZ would be Radic Kaha, 3d printed brakes, they make both mineral oil & Dot versions. Apparently theyre really good.. As far as more well known bike brands, as a YT Tues 2016 owner, id love to see ya test out a YT Tues, theyre just such nice bikes & so planted, & a testament to their design that theyve hardly needed to be changed since then but theyre winning world cups.. It's going to be epic to see how Mush does this season, and Vali hoel, back on the bike she started on. Straight fire!

I love the idea of gear box and belt drive, but currently Pinion has deal-breakers for me, can't use oval, which is a must, or I'm in agony, the knees will hurt with round ring, and has massive dead zone. I've seen some vids that show the dead zone, cranks move a lot without engaging. I knew it was bad before, but your vid shows it well too at 5:35. So I will stick to traditional drivetrain. But if I things will change and what I want will be possible in the future, then I might buy one, but I will still keep my Geometron G1, as it's so good, too good to let go of it, Impressed with the quality too, so if it will be one it will be made by Nicolai. I contacted Gates Carbon drive via email, about about oval, they told me it's feasible, but no plans for it, I think it was 3 years ago maybe 4. But the issue is you can't take advantage of it as the cranks spin backwards, and the ring stays put. So solve that and it might be worth it for me.

I rode a mate’s Zerode G2 (DH) a few years back and LOVED the low centre of gravity. Felt so stable particularly in really tech and high speed stuff. HATED the grip shift, and that alone has turned me off getting one despite liking the look of their trail bike.

yes Lewis bro ur so good at mtb

I have tihe same Zerode and can tell you that the bad POE comes from the gearbox but is static = comes on exactly where your left it. Doesn't bother me when riding but feels bad for most people when jumping on the bike for the first times. Rear hub spacing is 12x142, I have a single speed DT swiss 350 ratchet hub. Strong wheels but also great swingarm clearance on the trail. Gripshift is good in a few spots but takes a long time to get good at. Gearbox shifting is a bit different than cassette. In bikepark i shift before corners and obsticles while rolling or jumping. On the trail you can get used to letting of power for a split second and have the right gear right away.

Very cool to see all this new tech coming out!

Great video lewis. Interesting to see the times so fast Any chance of you getting a review on the lewis brakes that are doing the rounds. I see alex has some and he raves about them

Epic video, I was wondering why you two swapped bikes haha. Also, Sorry about the drone 😕

I kinda like it, but never ridden one.I think just for the fact of never having to deal with broken hangers,bent or broken derailers if it is a win financially?The delayed engagement would definitely drive me bonkers, but maybe you would get used to it.Not sold on it but not against it either.Thanks for the review Louis 👍 Peace and stay safe 🙏

The dh bike looks mint. I watching Adam Brayton follow one on his blogs and it was amazing.

I ride a pinion on my 27.5 freeride bike (peregrine bikes), took some getting used to but I love it! Pinion’s new e-shift looks like the way to go to get away from the grip shifter which is my only dislike with that system

I've got the older Zerode G1 that uses a Nexus internal hub instead of a Pinion, and used to ride a GT IT1 which used an older Alfine geared hub. I love my Zerode, but the IT-1 shifted much better. It had a fixed chainring on the back instead of the freewheel chainring the Zerode uses. That meant the hub was always moving when the rear wheel was moving, and you could shift without pedalling. It was always good to be able to shift while in midair or going around a berm and coming out of it in the correct gear. In my opinion, not having the fixed chainring is the one mistake Zerode made.

The upcoming pinion smart shift might be worth a look too… which gearing did you have on that bike?

Zeroed is best bike I have ever ridden! When in the right gear ⚙️ engagement is better

Seemed like you did a suspension test of a trail bike vs. a downhill bike when you were trying to compare the drivetrains? It’s hard to watch when I did more preparation for my breakfast than you did for your video. And I had an apple.

I love a quiet bike and that thing is silent drivetrain wise. Nice.

I am incredibly interested in a Zerode. How would you compare it to the dreadnought that you used to ride? I have a dreadnought and love it.

I’d be interested to see you try the Zerode G3 downhill bike so you could actually give a bike comparison which is DH vs DH.

Hey man, what’s your filming setup? Is that a visor mount ? Or helmet mount

Gripshift... Had the earlier stuff, the X Ray with clear plastic that was super brittle it cracked easy. Then I got some Sachs twisters much better. I got used to it pretty quick and honestly liked it. Never had issues with accidental shifts. That's just a myth really for anyone who's experienced with it you generally had all your grip on the grips with just a bit on the shifter and when needed a quick little twist is all it took for most shifts. What I really liked and miss was the ability to shift a bunch of gears in the time it takes to shift one. It becomes intuitive enough to brap up or down the cassette. You get used to getting to whatever gear you want in an instant without having to click click click. There's also a very mechanical connection you feel with the derailleur you lose with the internals of a trigger. You can feel the shifts as you move up and down the cassette... Jesus, I think I am seriously going to check out eagle gripshift now. I know it's not popular but, now that I think about it, it was pretty good.

Make sure Ant doesn't steal your dusties on that v10

Hi, thanks for sharing your experience. Yet review was like "yeah, feel good, confindent", but nothing about objective factor like "how it glues to the ground on the corner", I would suspect better center of maas because gearbox location. You only mentioned that gripshift limits your confidence in hand grip as it feels wobbly. I would say beside this engage delay the gearbox make it purrfect for the trail usage.

6:27 The website says it's made of: Material: Polyurethane / carbon tensile cords

If you want to try a gearbox driven DH bike you have to take a look at the Gamux Sego!

Been thinking about getting a zerode. They are expensive but it appears at first that there is less maintenance. Personally I'm looking at the grip shift. Me and electronics don't mix!!😂

Well, I’m riding kenevo expert full power and a kenevo sl expert and I love them both, except from the fact that my kenevo sl has only 35nm power

What trails that lewis ? Looks sick

Wonder if gearboxes will always be a niche thing or if they will take over the market at some point. I'd try it if it could shift while pedaling (ideally under load) and had a normal shifter without needing electronics.

NO GRIP-SHIFT. I’m currently running the same bike with a smart shift. So normal shifters Instant electronic shifting.

3 years riding the Gearbox from Kinderany (hydraulic shifting, wheel swap cage, more endgadment points the pinion atc.) The gearbox are so good if you dont want to mess with servising the bike to much :D But im looking for some pinion or Effigear bike because of center of mass is in the middle. How you feel the light rear wheel or its almost the same like on your DH Santa Cruz? So many people told its huge difference Thanks

Nice video man, seen Tommy C on that bike and it's certainly capable!. The santa cruz was a quiet bike but the zerode was another level. Keep up the good content!

Think its way to mutch slack on the pedal catch to use on like a enduro for those small uphills sprints. Can you do something about that? Maybe not that much of a problem for downhill bikes..

Is the lack of engagement due to gearbox or rear hub? Do gearbox bikes even use the same kind of rear hub as an MTB with a traditional drivetrain?? So many questions. What’s not up for questioning is how silent that thing is!

perhaps the lack of engagement is what contributes for the suspension feels more planted, as you don't feel pedal kick back?

This is the first review I've seen that points out the 2 features of engagement and grip shift play. I would hate that. All I've been seeing is hype. I wonder if the ebike has the same huge engagement gap?

My question: how do you fix the belt on the trail? A chain only needs a bit of chain and a tool, easy to carry and light. I don't see how fixing a belt on the trail is going to be easy.....

I've only had my Zerode G3 2 months and now I'd never go back to a derailleur.....mine is thumb shift

So quiet but I hate grip shift. Interesting

A little too "gimicky" for my taste, however, I like the idea of how quiet the bike sounds and not having a derailleur

Just goes to show nearly all high end bikes are the same now a days and its down to the rider!!

It's true grip shift sucks from personal experience the rest of bike looks top notch gear box and drive belt no rear mech sounds good to me..... low maintenance?

My friend has a Zerode and it is a solid bike. The pinion has it's drawbacks though. The engagement is not good and you can't shift under load. He had a breakdown on the gearbox his first season, and guess what - he had to send the entire gearbox to Germany for sercice and repair. That took a month. Last year he (second season) he snapped the belt on a bikepark weekend. You won't find a new belt in any bikeshop. It's something to think about. A new derailleur and chain is something you can replace easily.

If I had to guess…you had the fastest time with the Druid. Hands down, which was the fastest on these trails so far?

The effigear gearbox apparently has 48 poe where pinion 14 or 22

Would love a belt/gearbox if it wasn't frame specific and expensive af

no deraileur, no worries 😂

interesting!

Can a drive system really be tested on fire roads and downhill? Aaron Gwin confirms it does not 😉

Rapid 💥

Only a big technological shift (no pun intended) like gearboxes will pull the industry out of this rut. I predict the industry tries to pretend it’s 2018 again for the next few years, except with higher prices ($4k for Norco Sight carbon frame sheesh). The difference between 2018 and now is we all have great modern bikes so most people won’t take the bait. The industry stays in its low sales sorry state it’s in now until SRAM or Shimano develop a gearbox. What about e-bikes you say? Most people who want one, have one now (go get a Canyon or a YT for $3.5K already!) and for lightweight eebs the industry is the mercy of battery technology. How do we get people to spend $4K on a frame or $5K on an entry level build when the bike they have now is pretty amazing at everything they ask it to do? Solve the one part of the bike that is simultaneously the most unrefined feeling/sounding and unreliable, the derailleur. Oh, and a something something unsprung mass. /rant

Hoo no😮 that poor engagement is a no go for me! Horrible feeling sprinting out of turns or riding very tech and low speed/trial sections!

I really wanna see gearbox bikes to become the norm. It just makes our bikes a little more simple and effective. Only upside down forks are missing afterwards but I dont think that will be a possibility anytime soon

Bien ! Zérode sont pas mal comme bike la courroie peut-être un peu fragile si tu prends un rocher ou une racine , a voir dans l extême ride

Sorry, but that engagement is a no go, next!

Brave company’s try to break new ground in tough territories, their tribes are created by industry Pros! As an ordinary mortal my opinion is worthless so I have only questions for my fellow riders, would you ride with out a dropper? Or without tubeless? Why replace drivetrain every year? Who doesn’t want a 600% gear ratio? Why wouldn’t you want to select any gear without turning the cranks? Why wouldn’t you want a 5year warranty on parts? Why wouldn’t you prefer just doing an oil change once a year? Why wouldn’t you want an alternative to traditional drivetrain? Engagement = insignificant to the seasoned subconscious ! Deviate Guide 4 years on not going back.

Sooooo quiet.

Cool video but I couldn't understand where you are...Enerleaf??? Just scrolled down..Innerleithen

The video provides a clear overview of the topic.