Fat bikes thrive in harsh riding conditions, offering a great ride in snow and mud, but they do have a potential weak spot: the drivetrain.
German bike builder Nicolai applied some unique engineering in the new Argon FAT Pinion 2014, just unveiled via video yesterday.
This bike has a Gates Carbon Drive and internal Pinion gear box housed in the bottom bracket.
The Pinion gearbox is sealed, keeping crud out of gears and running smoothly. It does have disadvantages; for one, the gearbox weighs 5.95 pounds.
While few details have been released by Nicolai, the gearbox used is the Pinion P1.18, which has a ‘spur gear’ type transmission with 18 speeds at 11.5 percent constant gear ratios to achieve a gearing range of 636 percent.
It also has a 120mm Carver Trans Fat fork, which should make for a cushy ride over those big tires.
More info coming soon, but for now enjoy the video. It looks like a blast! —Sean McCoy
