Death of the derailleur? New motor gearbox tech reimagines e-bike shifting

It’s war! Avinox and Gobao are rewriting the rulebook on motor gearbox units (MGU) and it’s a high stakes battle for domination of e-mountain biking. Both brands have publicly revealed that they are working on new MGU drive systems incorporating advanced eCVT internals. What this means is the potential for seamless, step-free shifting within a fixed range, with no lag and very little in the way of drivetrain losses. And, of course, all the benefits of an integrated motor gearbox unit: reduced maintenance; no vulnerable derailleur; less unsprung mass to help the suspension performance; reduced noise; and better weight distribution for dynamic handling. All those things were patently obvious when we range tested the Pinion E1.12 MGU recently. All the advantages listed above made it sublime on the descents, but the clunky shifting in certain gears also frustrated the experience. So if this new technology can improve the shifting performance, then we could be looking at a truly game changing development that changes the face of e-mountain biking forever. Haibike with Pinion MGU range test:    • Gearbox E-Bikes. The future?... Not yet! W...   Clearly you will all be familiar with Avinox thanks to its phenomenal M1, M2 and M2S motors, but what about Gobao? Well they are a giant in the e-scooter market, making sophisticated microprocessors that let you twist and go with seamless acceleration. Their systems control the way the two motors in a eCVT work together in perfect symphony to eliminate clunks and jolts, keeping both motors spinning at optimum revs. They have been making e-bike motors for a while, and it’s clear with the new X1 and X1P that they are not messing around. The stats are as follows: 1,500W peak power; 150Nm peak torque; 3.85kg motor weight; 500% gear range. In other words, Avinox-rivalling numbers. But then throw in 500Wh, 750Wh and 900Wh batteries with very high energy density and you’re looking at what could be the whole package. And incredibly, Super Fast charging is claimed to take the 900Wh battery from 0-80% in just 32 minutes!! On the Avinox side, details are really sketchy, but the MG concept has a 520% gear range and at least as much power as the M2S. Judging by the super cool concept bikes from Mondraker, Forbidden, Commencal, Megamo and Canyon on the stand, it feels like the Avinox might be closer to production, but actually the opposite might be true. Gobao is stating that production is due to start in early 2027, and we actually got to ride a prototype of the X1P in the car park, whereas Avinox is very non-committal on timings. Either way, it’s a really exciting development and we can’t wait to ride the finished versions and never lube a chain or replace a bent derailleur ever again. We may earn a commission when purchasing through affiliate links in this description. Click here to subscribe: https://www.youtube.com/user/MBRmagaz... More at: MBR: http://www.mbr.co.uk/ Facebook:   / mbrmagazine   Twitter:   / mbrmagazine   Instagram:   / mbrmagazine   #mountainbiking #MTB #mountainbikes