I am planning a big trip around Aussi, NZ, Taiwan, South Korean, Japan. Iv been looking up different bike options and have focused in on a Rohloff hub or Pinion drive with a belt. I just found this deal of deals bikes that I am scratching my head at and wondering how the price is so good. Anything with a Pinion drive train usually is way more expensive than this. I am not too worried about the frame being Aluminum. I need just need to put some racks on this bike and and few more odds and ends to make it good to go.
Question to you:
1) Can I put a rack on those front forks, I only see one mounting point and wonder if there are racks that can fit on just one point.
2) Is there anything on the parts list that screams out as "cheap part, high chance of breaking," I am still learning about the quality of different components.
3) Any other comments and things I should be aware of on this bike?
Here is the bike, a Priority 600 with a Pinion C1.12 belt drive.
https://www.prioritybicycles.com/products/the600?variant=12100300046412
I was also looking at these bikes, but they are all significantly more expensive even though the only difference is either Rohloff or that they have racks that come with the bike:
https://viventebikes.com/our-bikes/barcoo/
https://tout-terrain.bike/products/blueridge-xplore-gt-select-3-1?variant=48444043985190
https://www.panoramacycles.com/products/boreal-pinion?variant=45005849428202
by Ogorovich
4 Comments
I have 2 Priority Pinion based bikes, both are great! I have zero issues with mine, but I do make sure people know that yes, it has a top of the line Pinion gearbox (well, a mid-line Pinion but they’re top notch) on a factory made frame…that said they are the cheapest Pinion bikes out there, so they do have somewhat lower end other things like hubs and whatnot. Most everyone has little to no issues with them but you’ll find people shocked that the cheapest Pinion bike on the market doesn’t have top of the line everything else on it!
I have this bike, and the short answer is yes it’s incredible, no it’s not too good to be true. The bike is relatively inexpensive because most of the components are pretty modest in quality/price, but the frame and the gearbox are rock solid.
1. The front forks actually have 3 attachment points per side. Priority just hasn’t updated the image on the website, which shows an earlier version.
2. There isn’t any component that’s so cheap that it’s garbage or needs to be replaced immediately. The fenders get the most complaints and many people remove them or replace them. I would feel comfortable assembling the bike and then embarking on a world tour without changing anything, just adding racks etc. Slowly over time you can upgrade individual components as needed/wanted.
3. Overall it’s a great bike and there’s nothing else quite like it. I have had mine for two years and taken it on tours very heavily loaded and it’s solid. My favorite upgrades were a set of Velo Orange Crazy Bars and a Redshift suspension seatpost.
I have a 600 as my daily commuter. I’ve only had a few small problems with the bike, but overall still great
1. I have to re-align the disk brakes EVERY TIME I remove a wheel because they rub. Since both axles are quick release, I think they just don’t have the rigidity to go back in exactly the same place every time, requiring adjustment.
2. It’s difficult to get the belt tension, wheel alignment, and brake alignment all happy on the back wheel. I’ve had issues getting the belt tension to be constant too, it just seems like there are low and high tensions points of the belt so something about the sprockets must be off center but I don’t know what.
3. This definitely isn’t a fast bike. The gearbox and belt have noticeably more drag than a well-maintained chain. For me, the low maintenance and good gear range are worth it, but YMMV.
I was looking at this bike too, like a year ago! I gotta say, reddit scared me away from it – have you looked into the negatives about the bike? Dont mean to mom you, but, do the places you’re going have mechanics who know how to work on the bikes? From what i recall, even changing a tire is a little more involved than a typical bike, i could be wrong, but i do recall there were a few things redditors commented on when i asked, that led me away from the bike.