Gearboxes have some clear advantages for more gravity-oriented mountain bikes — less unsprung weight, the ability to shift while not pedaling, no derailleur to damage, and more — but have yet to reach widespread adoption. Zerode is perhaps the company best known for making gearbox mountain bikes, and we sat down with founder Rob Metz and Ali Quinn of Zerode to hear the story of Rob founding the company, and the homemade gearbox that kicked it all off; why they’re fans of gearboxes; their new World Cup DH race team; and a whole lot more.

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TOPICS & TIMES:

Zerode’s backstory & history (3:46)

Why gearboxes? (6:29)

Early production bikes (12:58)

Ali’s introduction to the company (17:01)

Pinion vs. Effigear (25:01)

Standard Pinion vs. Smart Shift? (28:50)

Selling gearboxes to the public (35:33)

The G3 & the DH team (43:01)

Future direction and new products? (45:58)

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