The chain is also arrow-straight. This minimises wear and tear; unlike a bike with a rear derailleur with the chain often out at an awkward angle, inevitably diminishing reliability and efficiency.
Surely, this adds overall weight, I hear you say. Well, not as much as you might think. Rear derailleurs and clusters are lighter than the gearbox. However, it's where the weight is focused that makes the difference with Taniwha - low down and right in the heart of the centre of gravity, not flapping around at the back, outside the axle width. My Taniwha weighs only 13.5 kilos.
Gear changes are via a grip shift. It took a ride or two to get acclimatised, but it is fast, smooth and pin-sharp. Going up or down, you can grab a big handful of gears in an instant.
You can even change gear standing at the trailhead having a yarn to your mates. What you can't do is change while the gearbox is under any load at all. I always try to back off when changing gear with a derailleur to put as little stress on the drivetrain as possible, so this is no issue for me.
Six weeks since the bike arrived and some fine-tuning of the suspension and handle bar width and this Taniwha is definitely my Taniwha.
Rob Metz isn't just a very clever engineer and designer, he's passionate about how much better internal gearbox technology is and how much it improves the riding experience. He's also stubborn.
Getting the Taniwha to production was a very long process.
It's definitely been worth the effort. Chapeau, Rob: www.zerodebikes.com.
