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The Moustache Clutch with Pinion MGU gearbox motor is seemingly the answer to all our prayers. Benji ponders.
That weight. Yikes.
How much of a weight penalty is the Pinion MGU compared to an equivalent derailleur-geared e-bike?
How much of a weight penalty is the Pinion MGU compared to an equivalent derailleur-geared e-bike?
Pinion MGU is around 4.2kg for the unit on its own... A Bosch CX Gen5 motor is 2.9kg...
But then you have other things to take into account of course... Pinion batteries don't have the same power density I'm told, so the battery is a little heavier than the latest Bosch Powertubes for a given capacity.
Of course you don't need a derailleur, or a cassette, so you save some weight there, but you do still need a cog on the back and a chain tensioner on the front too.
Depending on the drivetrain you would have fitted, I suspect you're giving away 1-1.5kg on the overall weight of the bike going for an MGU instead of a Bosch CX setup like for like... But you have reduced the unsprung mass and centralised that mass too... I have only had a quick play on a bike with a Pinion MGU (Nicolai S16) but whilst riding it, you don't notice the extra mass at all but what you do notice is just how efficient the suspension is and how the centralised (and low down) mass makes the bike easier to move around than its weight would suggest it is.
I REALLY want a bike with an MGU... The 4th-5th shift didn't even bother me that much to be honest, nor did the extra volume in 1st-4th whilst pedalling. I do think 600% range is a little redundant on an eBike though (christ 520% range with T-Type is, 455% on an 11-50 cassette seemed about optimal IMO), and I think whatever way Pinion (and rumours of Bosch/ZF collaboration) go next, perhaps an 8/9/10 speed gearbox with 450-500% range could be made a little lighter and a little more refined, along with higher density battery packs and a more nuanced power delivery just like the latest Gen5 Bosch CX motors... I would struggle to find an argument against an MGU bike then even as good as the Eagle 90 I've just put on my current bike is!
Combined motor/gearbox still feels like the future to me but as an Orbea Rise rider I can’t get past that massive weight. I had a Pinion Nicolai for a few years - The suspension action and handling were great. But lifting this thing over a gate, or pushing it anywhere, even with walk mode.
I wonder what a “light “ MGU bike could get to?
Looking at all the belt drive gubbins is it actually saving any weight over a chain and simple tensioner? I’ve had a belt on a commuter alfine bike and would 100% have one again, but they’ve not made much impression off road. (Admittedly since they on work with hub or gearbox that’s a large part of it) but …
https://singletrackmag.com/forum/bike-forum/belt-drive-i-t-may-be-time-to-admit-defeat/
And having watched this since Nicolai first started fitting them there have clearly been issues - first the change to the centreline belt, then the addition of a snubber. (Nicolai’s own remains smaller and nearer than that roller, but I notice the position they fit them in has moved from the rear, where its completely out of the way to the bottom of the sprocket). And they’ve added a bashguard option as well
I want to like the idea of a belt off road but what is the real benefit? No need to oil/wax, possibly lighter (even after gubbins?) but more expensive, uncertain lifespan, seem fragile in some circumstances, and no way to fix on trail when they do fail
"Sure, there’s still a small derailleur-like tensioner off the rear axle"
Isn't it more of a snubber? Not actually tensioning the belt, but there to stop it trying to climb out of the pulley?
Anyone trying to lift that bike over a gate is going to have to rely on an ebike for mobility the rest of their lives
I don't care how heavy it is, or what the gearbox does or any of that. I could never buy a bike called a Moustache! 🤣
Combining motors and gearboxes is the future of ..... motorbikes. At 27kg this is a motor bike because you would never consider pedalling it anywhere without the motor being on. Apart from it being built from components that are recognised MTB brands, I'm not sure why this is being reviewed here.
Combining motors and gearboxes is the future of ..... motorbikes. At 27kg this is a motor bike because you would never consider pedalling it anywhere without the motor being on. Apart from it being built from components that are recognised MTB brands, I'm not sure why this is being reviewed here.
Give it a rest ffs
Glad to see that you are policing non-positive ebike comments
We get that some people don't like ebikes.
They are part of life now and quite a few people on here now use them, so why shouldn't the mag/forum review them?
If it hurts your butt, scroll past. No need to even click on the thread (plenty of others to read), never mind click on it, read it and subsequently moan about it.
Just saying
No need to even click on the thread (plenty of others to read), never mind click on it, read it and subsequently moan about it.
Sometimes you just gotta tell people you don't like something. Got to get it out there. I don't like mushrooms for example! (But there isn't a mushroom thread)
If/When i make the switch to ebike, itll be a combined motor/gearbox unit. the MGU looks brilliant.
Unforuntatly, only the Nicolai looks vaguely nice, and thats £11k!
The moustache looks ok, but its a helluva lot of bike, and mullet doesnt do it for me.
I think TAFKAASTR is right, even the hai bike looks better, but the REST of the range are proper hideous.
Orange did a prototype with the "other" Motor/Gearbox offering iirc, so keep watching the skies.
What is a 160/170mm travel bike these days? It’s not really enduro (remember that?) anymore. It’s arguably ‘more’ than a trail bike.
It’s most defiantly an enduro bike. No one is going to pedal a 160/170 bike as anything else.
Is part of the ugliness the weird curved water bottle? Looks better in a slimming grey on the Moustache website:
Does it come with a crane to get it on the car roof or is it for van owners only. It would take some effort to get it over a gate