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G-BOXX Planetary, first pics

Wilhelm

Monkey
Aug 10, 2003
444
19
I hope so. Now we beg for many, many beautiful pics ... :thumb:

One of the very first ИICOLAI Helius AM PINION production frames that was delivered today. Courtesy of guru39.



 

dilzy

Monkey
Sep 7, 2008
567
1
Damn they look good. Tell me, can you use a fixed rear hub, making the pinion box free-wheel do all the work? Would make for a silly light rear hub, you get symmetrical flange spacing and you could use a 20mm through axle.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Damn they look good. Tell me, can you use a fixed rear hub, making the pinion box free-wheel do all the work? Would make for a silly light rear hub, you get symmetrical flange spacing and you could use a 20mm through axle.
You get symetrical flange spacig with a 135 single speed hub anyway.
 

Wilhelm

Monkey
Aug 10, 2003
444
19
Sweet, Alutech should have their order too, so mine will be coming soon, WOOT!
no skid marks,

ALUTECH relaesed a news update today. They received the first PINION gearboxes by this time and will finish and ship the first Fanes PINION frames as well as complete bikes soon after EuroBike 2012 resp. in September.



Cheers
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
no skid marks,

ALUTECH relaesed a news update today. They received the first PINION gearboxes by this time and will finish and ship the first Fanes PINION frames as well as complete bikes soon after EuroBike 2012 resp. in September.



Cheers
Damn, can't see my Blue one in the box. September. F#@* that. Not sure who's dragging the chain, but that's a rediculous wait. Pinion need to get their sh!t in gear. I should've got a Nicolai, very similer but they seem to have their bikes good to go now. Waiting sucks balls.
 

EVRAC

Monkey
Jun 21, 2004
757
19
Port Coquitlam, B.C., Canada
ИICOLAI Helius AC PINION



Courtesy of cyril_88.


ИICOLAI Ion 18 PINION





Courtesy of drurs.
So I am stoked on the pinion gearbox in general, and that last bike looks absolutely sick, but that tensioner looks horrible. Really defeating some of the key benefits of gearboxes in general. First jump cased, or ride over a log, and that thing is toast. Also, with a spring-loaded tensioner, the chain is still very likely to derail at either cog or chainring. Need some delrin guides at least to direct the chain.

Sure this is armchair engineering from me, but these look like very large oversights.

....plus I'll bite my tongue about the gripshifter.

Otherwise, very stoked to see these coming together, especially that DH rig.
 

joelsman

Turbo Monkey
Feb 1, 2002
1,369
0
B'ham
time to sell my car so I can buy one of these! too bad that is the only way I could actually get one right now.

the Ion reminds me of a knolly.

need to extend the chain tension-er bracket so the pulley's are protected by the rear wheel. short chainstays would help too.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
It's not just that the Nicolai is set with the chain too long? You'd think there would only be 10mm or so chain growth sou you should be able to pull that second roller up some, as it is there you'd think a good sized flying rock could slacken the chain enough for it to fall off.

It's German, it must be user error.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Th tensioner goes backwards if you hit it. And the chainring is probably only a 32, so it looks lower than it is. I very much doubt it'd get damaged. But yeah, could be a better design, top roller could maybe be higher, arm shorter, and chain shorter.
 

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
I am really surprised and disappointed by the look of it... Maybe if it was mounted more horizontally, but then chain growth could be too big for the chain tensioner...

What these brakes are?
 
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UiUiUiUi

Turbo Monkey
Feb 2, 2003
1,378
0
Berlin, Germany
the bike has been put together just for the pic, chain is still too long same goes for the the steerertube of the fork and the brake hoses.

still i did not know they even build the ion with a pinion box rather interesting bike.
 

Wilhelm

Monkey
Aug 10, 2003
444
19
Here comes a more proper chain set-up of the green anodized "Helius AM". In contrast to the rather provisionally built-up "Ion 18" the lower pulley of the chain tensioner seems to be quite good protected.



Nevertheless it looks weird.
 

frango

Turbo Monkey
Jun 13, 2007
1,454
5
Here comes a more proper chain set-up of the green anodized "Helius AM". In contrast to the rather provisionally built-up "Ion 18" the lower pulley of the chain tensioner seems to be quite good protected.



Nevertheless it looks weird.
It looks much better :)
 

Wilhelm

Monkey
Aug 10, 2003
444
19
... plus I'll bite my tongue about the gripshifter. ...
Falco MILLE (PINION brand communication):

"The cable length that is needed to shift 18 gears in a row does not allow a common thumb shifter design. We are aware that many riders (including myself) are averse to grip shifters, as we might know them from some bad riding experience back in the nineties. So we really put some effort in designing a better grip shifter, excluding the known disadvantages. May be you give it a try. Besides we are working on an alternative solution. Hydraulic, mechanical or electric – we are checking all options."

"We are checking different shifter options, also for future gear boxes with less gears, but by now it's too early to publish any forecasts. We've not done any research on automatic shifting."


(Neutral position) ; (Downshift) ; (Upshift)

In addition to it I´m curious if the PINION P1.18 would work with a tweaked MITTELMEYER trigger shifter.
 

HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
I understand that to shift 18 gears requires quite a bit of cable but surely the cable could pass through the shifter and go in to a plastic flex tube or similar. The shifter would need multiple points to bite on to but something like old car electric window mechs would work.

It's late and I'm trying to be an eEngineer, bad move.
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
Grip shift should suit the close ratio 18 speed gearbox well. Multiple shifts fats in one movement. I doubt it will bother me. I'm even going to try a twit shifter on my Zerode.
It's not like with a mech if you do mis shift(which you don't)you don't have to grind through any sh!t, it's just in a different gear.
Set up inboard so your hand just touches it. they work fine from my experience with Rohloff, and Nuvinci.
Pionio, if you go electric, for Gods sake, just put one button on each side for up and down. Maybe two, the second one is for double gear shifts.
 

Wilhelm

Monkey
Aug 10, 2003
444
19
The "Bright White" gloss powdercoated ИICOLAI Ion 18 PINION (drurus) once again, now with a more refined build-up including a shortened chain.



 

leDude

Chimp
Sep 2, 2004
51
0
Where can I buy one in the USA?
I've been asking the same question...I don't think an American distributor/dealer currently exists...

I've even emailed Nicolai directly 2 wks ago but no one has responded to my multiple emails - which is pretty sh!tty if you ask me as I'm contacting them to buy one of their products

Only luck I've had is finding a UK distributor but that means crazy high customs fees on top of an already super expensive frame.

Anyone have info on how one of us 'Mericanzzz can get hold of one of these without having to order from abroad?
 
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HardtailHack

used an iron once
Jan 20, 2009
6,628
5,443
I've been asking the same question...I don't think an American distributor/dealer currently exists...

I've even emailed Nicolai directly 2 wks ago but no one has responded to my multiple emails - which is pretty sh!tty if you ask me as I'm contacting them to buy one of their products

Only luck I've had is finding a UK distributor but that means crazy high customs fees on top of an already super expensive frame.

Anyone have info on how one of us 'Mericanzzz can get hold of one of these without having to order from abroad?

Wow seems odd, I received immediate replies when I had to order new dropouts for my frame. Also it is way cheaper for me to get pivot bearings from Nicolai than to get them at trade price from a supplier in Australia.
 

leDude

Chimp
Sep 2, 2004
51
0
Thanks for the tips guys,

Vinc was the first person I emailed, then Moritz

..I just emailed Mr. Nicolai himself. Hopefully the bossman responds...
 

IH8Rice

I'm Mr. Negative! I Fail!
Aug 2, 2008
24,524
494
Im over here now
Those brakes are TR!CKStuff´s "The Cleg 4 Mk II".
i dont think ive noticed any flexiness in any brake ive owned
None stiffer either
It’s incredible that the stiffness of the brake caliper could still be increased even further.

Two-part, extremely stiff bolted caliper halfes, CNC-machined from alloy 7075 T6

I'm even going to try a twit shifter on my Zerode.
i didnt think you could use a gripshift with the Alfine
 

no skid marks

Monkey
Jan 15, 2006
2,511
29
ACT Australia
i dont think ive noticed any flexiness in any brake ive owned But you notice the power, and that's waht the stiffness helps with. All adds up, I GUESS. Most companies go to a one peice caliper to add stiffness though.
i didnt think you could use a gripshift with the Alfine
Nexus one works I'm pretty sure.