Zerode G2 – Review
Are gearbox bikes the future of mountain biking? Fionn Griffiths loaned us a Zerode G2 so we could find out.
Here is a brief description of Zerode direct from their website –
_”Zerode have gone back to the basics of suspension design. The revolutionary use and placement of a gearbox allowing Zerode to revisit concepts such as optimised wheel path, sprung to un-sprung ratios and mass centralisation…. concepts long ago discarded by the competition because of the limitations of the drive train we all know and hate.”
I’d been looking forward to trying this bike ever since I’d heard we’d be getting one and I have been wanting to try one for a lot longer than that. Ours came as a complete bike rather than the frame only as you would buy directly so I can’t comment to much on the set up. I have heard that is relatively straight forward though and the bike we got came with a reasonably comprehensive instruction manual covering everything from installing the gearbox to regular maintenance and complete overhaul.
Geometry and specs from Zerode website –
Headtube, 125mm x 1.5″
Headangle, 63.4 degrees
Reach, S – 375mm, M – 405mm, L – 425mm
Seat Tube, 404mm
Seat Post, 30.9mm
Chainstay, 422mm
BB Shell, 83mm
Rear Wheel, 150 x 12mm
To get the gearbox placed correctly it leaves this area of the bike quite wide, this was initially an issue and I kept catching my leg on the bolts that stick out. This didn’t last long though and I soon got used to it. One of the advantages I’d heard about gearbox bikes prior to trying this was the ability to change gear in a corner and it be ready for when you wanted to pedal out. This never struck me as a major deal as I try to get all that sorted before the corner anyway. I can now say from experience that it is a fantastic feature. While we can all plan to sort our gears out before a corner but it doesn’t always happen and not all goes as intended. With this system, if you stall in a corner or struggle to engage the correct gear in time, a couple of quick clicks mid-corner and it’s ready to pedal away out the end.
One other benefit of a gearbox bike is the ground clearance and lack of dangly bits. With a 32 tooth ring up front and a 21 tooth ring at the rear it keeps things neat and tidy. The lack of rear mech can be nothing but a bonus, how many of us have had a race or riding weekend ruined thanks to a rock or foreign item busting a mech in half? I remember one race weekend I got through three of the things before calling it a day. Chain tension is kept under control via a small spring loaded tensioner which is housed behind the chain/seat stays. This goes further to keep everything out of the way of peril and helps finish off a neat package.
Zerode suggest using a 32th ring up front and a 21th at the rear. In the manual that comes with the frame they suggest the recommended different chain lengths needed using these ring sizes. If you want a different setup the chain lengths would obviously be different so it may be a good idea to contact Zerode. Extra tension can be added to the initial drive chain via the bolts that connect the gearbox hub to the frame.
Gearbox bikes I have seen in the past have come with gripshift style shifters. While this may suit certain people, I’m not a fan. I’m glad to that the Zerode comes with a regular thumb/finger shifter. This works in a similar way to Rapid Rise rear mechs in that it is the opposite way around to how most of us run our gears. To shift into a harder gear you push the big thumb lever and to shift into a smaller gear, you press the smaller lever. This immediately offset the advantage of such quick gear changes as I continued to get them the wrong way around. This soon stopped though and I was quickly on top of it.
For those of you out there who maybe worried about the complexities of having a ‘gearbox’ on your bike, you needn’t worry too much. This is actually a Shimano Alfine rear hub, a relatively common item here that can be serviced by a UK shop that specialises in urban and folding bikes. This type of hub has been used on folding bikes for years and even has the backing of UK giant Madison. As previously mentioned, the hub can even be serviced and maintained to a certain extent using the provided instructions as mentioned earlier. While the hub maybe a heavy item, with it’s location in the front triangle, the weight isn’t so much of an issue. It takes weight away from the unsprung part of the bike, this offers better suspension performance, allowing a more sensitive rear end through the rough stuff.
The Zerode is not a light bike by today’s standards, with a typical build it will come in at around the 40lbs mark. This could obviously be made lighter depending on the build but I didn’t find this weight to be a problem once on board. The weight is placed fairly central and once up to speed it wasn’t an issue, it actually felt quite lively and playful. It was only really noticeable on the slower and flatter sections of trail.
At just over $4000 for the frame it isn’t the cheapest option out there. Once you bear in mind though that that includes the shock, shifter, gearbox, tensioner, rear sprocket, spacer kit, axle and shock guard, you are getting quite a lot. If you add up all the parts you won’t have to buy on top of that, it goes someway to offsetting the additional cost. Especially if you are a rider who breaks quite a few rear mechs, the savings will come.
All in, I am very impressed with this bike, not just the gearbox idea (which is excellent) but the Zerode as a complete bike. Given more time I’d like to hit a larger selection of trails to give it a thorough go but from this limited test I can already tell I like it. Teasers are out there of a 650b carbon enduro bike with a gearbox. Let’s hope it makes production, fingers crossed on that one.
Don’t forget that currently you can get the G2 Frame Set for £2,100
Which includes:
Zerode G2 Frame
Shock (Fox or Cane Creek)
Gearbox
Axle
Seat Clamp
Two gear shifters (Shimano and Sram)
Pics – Jerry Clelford and Chris Lazenby
