With the Pinion MGU, Automatically in the Comfort Zone in Future

No sooner said than done. In April, Pinion announced the expansion of its Smart.Shift technology for the MGU drive to include an automatic gearing system. Now the drive manufacturer is presenting its new product to the public at Eurobike 2024 in Frankfurt am Main.

For most cyclists, shifting gears is one of the basic things they do while riding. For many, changing to a different gear ratio has become so second nature over the years that they no longer consciously perceive this process. Nevertheless, it is not an absolute matter of course. Especially when the situation requires simultaneous steering, indicating a change of direction or braking. A fully automatic gearing can take the pressure out of these situations. In addition, well-timed gearshifts reduce the strain on the drive and enhance the riding experience.

From semi-automatic to fully automatic

Pinion had these advantages in mind from the outset when it developed its motor and gearbox unit. That’s why the MGU has always been able to shift semi-automatically. This means that as soon as you were in freewheel mode with the Pre.Select function activated, the system compared the current riding speed with the currently selected gear. If they didn’t match, the MGU automatically shifted to the more optimal gear. In addition, Start.Select ensured that you would start in a previously defined gear once you had come to a stop.

While Smart.Shift was previously limited to Pre.Select and Start.Select, in the future you will be able to experience the fully automatic gearing of the MGU from Pinion under load – and you can do so in two ways. At the trade fair, Pinion introduces two versions of the automatic system: “Auto.Shift” and “Auto.Shift.Pro”. In both cases, you can define certain parameters individually. From then on, you are no longer at the mercy of these settings. Instead, you can intervene via the shift lever while riding, activate the automatic system at all, and change certain parameters.

Auto.Shift for Pinion MGU: constant comfort

What Pinion calls Auto.Shift is similar to the solution offered by its competitor Enviolo under the name “Automatiq”. The function allows you to set a desired cadence at which you feel most comfortable while cycling and therefore want to pedal constantly. The gearbox then automatically selects the appropriate gear to match. The advantage of Auto.Shift is most noticeable on longer distances. The kilometres pass by very relaxed, while you are moving as permanently as possible in your comfort zone.

The cadence can be adjusted up or down at the touch of a button on the shift lever. The new cadence selected appears briefly on the ebike display. Otherwise, you can recognise Auto.Shift by the fact that a large A is displayed in the riding mode.

Auto.Shift.Pro for Pinion MGU: intervene at the decisive moment

The name suggests that both automatic modes have certain similarities. According to Pinion, however, the focus of the development of Auto.Shift.Pro was more on sporty, dynamic riding. The starting situation remains unchanged. You determine a preferred cadence, which the system uses as a reference value for all shifting processes. However, as soon as you press the shift lever in this mode, you effectively override the automatic system and determine a specific gear ratio yourself. In the background, however, the system determines the cadence that results from the gear change and treats this as an updated reference value for automatic shifting. In theory, this sounds like more agility when riding. However, without having ridden it so far, we are not yet in a position to make a judgement. Incidentally, an “A+” symbolises this second automatic mode on the display.

Improved overrun

Both Auto.Shift and Auto.Shift.Pro are part of a software update that all users can have installed on their ebikes free of charge from a specialist dealer from the third quarter of 2024. The update even includes a third new feature. This concerns the overrun of the MGU. So far, this has not really existed. In other words, when you stop pedalling, the motor also stops. Other drives solve this differently, which many cyclists apparently find pleasant. Pinion probably considered a similar solution. In the future, the motor will continue to run even if you stop pedalling. It should not do this linearly, but rather in proportion to what you have just invested in the system. Pinion expects this to result in the more harmonious riding behaviour, which will, for example, enable you to overcome that last one bump or that last one root a little more easily.

Pictures: Pinion GmbH