Simplon is one of the first manufacturers to install the "Motor Gearbox Unit", or MGU for short, from Pinion in a mountain bike. The MGU is a mid-engine with an electronic gearbox and a V-belt drive. Ciao rear derailleur. Ciao chain. Ciao maintenance. Hello future.

Pinion has already caused a sensation with the motor gearbox unit, or MGU for short, and a long overdue innovation: the motor and gearshift form a single unit. Semi-automatic shifting is already included in the range of functions, but the existing MGUs can be set to automatic via an update.

It is rare that the world of gears turns upside down, but it does happen: In 2011, the Pinion drivetrain entered the market; in 2022, the Supre drivetrain was launched, which packs the rear derailleur into the rear triangle. At the same time, Sram and Shimano rationalized the front derailleur and shift cables and perfected the existing systems. But now a rideable prototype is on its way, with an automatic shifting system that functions purely mechanically and offers a virtually infinite number of gears.  

A chain is easy to shift, but prone to wear and tends to get dirty. Not so a belt. However, belts rely on a gearbox to shift gears and cannot move back and forth like a chain. But this is now changing: the manufacturer Veer is already producing belts that can be opened and closed. And now a belt gearbox is in the starting blocks that still needs start-up funding.