Fitting a gearbox to a bike is not a new idea; Honda created a huge stir with its RN01 DH bike in 2004, while more recently Zerode, Nicolai, Cavalerie and Deviate have all produced machines using Pinion’s system. But in our minds the modern Pinion-equipped bikes we tried were all held back by the twist-grip gear change design, which limited the appeal of the ingenious gearbox it controlled.
Step forward Instinctiv, a small bike brand from The Netherlands with a new range of gearbox bikes, and crucially a trigger unit to make shifting a more natural affair. Couple that with a carbon frame design that’s made from seven per cent recycled material (you’ve got to start somewhere), with a bespoke chain tensioner adorning the Pinion gearbox, and you have a gearbox bike we could really fall in love with.
Called the M-series, there are three bikes in the new range: the M7 with 27.5in wheels and 150mm travel and a 160mm fork, the M9 with 29in wheels, 140mm travel and a 150mm fork, and the M97 mullet bike with 150mm travel front and rear. They all use the same Horst Link suspension design, with a system of rockers and linkages to keep the frame compact, Instinctive says, delivering a bike with a progressive feel.
The system of linkages brings the shock shaft alarmingly close to the linkage but Instinctiv says there’s enough space. “We took into account enough tolerances, with at least three to four millimetres space,” says Andreas Knol from Instinctiv. The compact design does limit the bike to just a few shocks though – the layout doesn’t allow enough space for any Öhlins shocks, for example, while there are just two options from Fox: the DPX2 and Float X.
Esta historia es de la edición March 2021 de Mountain Bike Rider.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor ? Conectar
Esta historia es de la edición March 2021 de Mountain Bike Rider.
Comience su prueba gratuita de Magzter GOLD de 7 días para acceder a miles de historias premium seleccionadas y a más de 9,000 revistas y periódicos.
Ya eres suscriptor? Conectar
Best places to ride with your kids
Five top venues to keep the nippers entertained this summer
CANNONDALE MOTERRA NEO CARBON 2
It’s got more suspension tunes than a Hitchcock movie, but will this Moterra thrill us or chill us?
100% GLENDALE GLASSES
When it comes to eyewear, having a large lens not only offers a lot more protection from trail splatter, it puts the frames further out from your field of view, allowing you to focus on the terrain in front of you. The Glendale is absolutely vast, and actually has a lens size akin to a full downhill goggle, so you literally can’t see the top or sides of the frame.
DMR STAGE 2 MTB RAIL SADDLE
DMR's new Stage 2 MTB Rail is one of those new/old products. The shape and construction are identical to the existing Oi Oi saddle, but the company has wrapped it in a new skin and added some harder-wearing reinforcement to the edges. It's also toned down the lairy graphics; this saddle only comes in plain black.
STRAIGHT TORQUING - GUY KESTEVEN
Has tech taken the hard work and fun out of mountain biking, or should we embrace evolution and roll with it?
STORM FORCE
Manon Carpenter may have retired from downhill competition, but her new role as a trail advocate is achieving results far beyond the race track
SWEAT AND SLATE
We ride 140 miles through Snowdonia on Cycling UK's newest and gnarliest long-distance trail
HEAD SPACE
New guidance reveals how to spot concussion, and how best to treat it
LATE SUMMER LOVIN'
Classic UK holiday hotspots that really shine when the crowds have gone
HOT STUFF
WHAT WE'RE EXCITED ABOUT THIS MONTH