Pinion P1.18 details:

Smaller package, 18 gears:

Photos courtesy of www.mtb-news.de

Less expensive gearbox:

Stay tuned for more from Eurobike 2011

Pinion's P1.18 gearbox attached to the bottom of a Nicolai Helius AM. It offers 18 sequential gears and a 600% range that can be adjusted to suit the terrain by swapping out the drive sprockets.• 18 gears without an overlapping gear range• Sequential shifting• 600% gear range• Capable of shifting under load or while coasting• Uses a twist shifter• Total weight: 2.6kg (• MSRP: Helius AM frame w/ Pinion P1.18 gearbox - $3399 EURThe Pinion is bolted to this purpose made Nicolai frame, but expect it to show up on a number of other manufacturer's bikes as well.Nicolai was showing off one of their Helius AM all-mountain bikes that has been manufactured to accept a Pinion P1.18 gearbox. While the Pinion has been around in prototype form for more than a season now, it appears to be nearing production and looks quite promising. The fact that Nicolai, who have long championed their various G-Boxx gearbox designs for many years, are now looking to have their bikes fitted with the P1.18 speaks volumes about their confidence in the design. Not only is the P1.18 lighter than the G-Boxx, it is also much smaller.It offers 18 sequential gears that don't overlap and a 600% gear range that can be fined tuned by changing out the drive sprockets on either the front or rear. Shifting through the gears is done with a twist shifter and much like other gearbox designs on the market, it uses a dual cable arrangement. The gearbox will only accept Pinion's own crank arms.The gearbox's cogs are housed within a sealed aluminum housing and fully protected from the elements, making for a reliable and and nearly maintenance free system.The P1.18 is quite a bit smaller than other gearbox designs on the market and will also be less expensive. The 160mm travel Helius AM shown above weighs in at a respectable 15.3kg, complete with the Pinion gearbox.Gearbox bikes are known to be quite expensive, but the P1.18 looks to be more affordable than what has been available in the past. For example, the standard Nicolai Helius AM frame retails for $1899 EUR, but required a whopping $4700 EUR if you wanted it with the G-Boxx. Equipped with the Pinion P1.18 it will retail for $3399 EUR, a full $1300 cheaper. While still not inexpensive by any means, the price is coming down.