What was already apparent in this article, can now finally be released: Pinion actually combines its gearbox with an electric motor, together it becomes the so-called Motor Gearbox Unit, or Pinion E-Drive MGU in short. This makes the dream of many users of a fully integrated and encapsulated drive come true, which promises a high level of low maintenance, a perfect weight balance and a flawless interaction between gear and motor!

Being virtually maintenance-free has always been one of the advantages of Pinion’s gearboxes, especially since they can also be perfectly combined with a belt drive instead of the conventional bicycle chain. Inevitably, however, this system was only usable in e-bikes with hub motors in the rear wheel — actually a good combination, but hub motors are often inferior to mid-mounted motors in terms of power. Thanks to the new MGU, however, you no longer have to compromise, because the new system has a lot of power! 

Full power with up to 160 Nm torque

According to Pinion, the motor offers extremely high efficiency and highly dynamic power density without sacrificing shifting performance. Thus, the new motor gearbox unit is based on 48-volt technology and offers a torque of around 85 Nm compared to conventional motors without integrated shifting. However, the torque values are not directly comparable with those of conventional mid-range motors due to the integrated gearshift. Because in the first four gears, the MGU even brings up to 160 Nm of torque to the rear wheel! The maximum power is said to be 600 watts at the peak, and even 800 watts in the variant for the S-pedelecs. The maximum support is up to 400%, and that with a permissible input torque of up to 250 Nm. 

In addition to the version for regular pedelecs with up to 25 km/h support, the MGU is also available for S-pedelecs with up to 45 km/h support. But that’s not all: Depending on the intended use, different software configurations are available with “Comfort” and “Performance”, which are noticeable through different characteristics of the drive — so the drive and shifting performance should fit perfectly both for sporty mountain bike use and for efficient touring.

How much would you like? Pinions 9 to 12 course menu

There are differences not only in the motor, but also in the integrated transmission. Pinion offers the new MGU with either 9 or 12 gears, each equipped with the Smart.Shift technology presented last year. This means that the gearshift here also works electronically and no longer by wire. In addition, there is a semi-automatic transmission that enables automatic downshifting when stationary, for example. In addition, the system can automatically shift to the right gear for the current speed when freewheeling — for example when going downhill.

The bandwidth of the gearbox should be in the 12-speed version at 600%, which even current 12-speed derailleurs for mountain biking are surpassed. With a bandwidth of 568% Pinion’s 9-speed MGU is almost on par, by the way, inevitably the individual gears are not quite as finely graduated.

Controls, batteries and app — the whole system around Pinion’s MGU

While Pinion emphasizes the advantages of gearbox and motor from one source and from one producer, they have joined forces with the partner Fit for the complete system around the E-Drive. The only exception is the E-Trigger, with which the gear shift is operated and which was developed by Pinion itself. All other components then come from Fit and contain an extensive range: There are batteries in various capacities, displays and controllers for the motor. In addition, app connectivity with the smartphone must not be missing, of course. Hopefully, the compatibility between the Fit components and the Pinion E-Drive will then actually be perfect.

Conclusion

The idea of an e-bike mid-motor with integrated gearbox is not entirely new — after all, we already know similar systems from Continental and Valeo. But while the former manufacturer has already discontinued its product, the Valeo drive is aimed at a different target group simply because of its chunky appearance. The new Pinion MGU, on the other hand, has dimensions that are within the range of familiar mid-mounted motors – and the weight is a maximum of 4.1 kg, which is only slightly heavier than the combination of a current mid-mounted motor and derailleur.

Thanks to these attributes, the wide range of gears and Pinion’s many years of experience with these gears, it is safe to assume that the E-Drive MGU could become the first popular and successful motor-gearshift-combination for ebikes! Inevitably, success also depends on the bikes equipped with it — at the start, there will be e-trekking bikes, e-cargo bikes and e-compact bikes from Kettler, Flyer, Tout Terrain, Pegasus, Zemo and i:SY, as well as e-MTBs from Rotwild, Simplon and Bulls. And some S-pedelecs should also follow shortly!