The 7 Best Pinion Bikepacking Bikes & Touring Bikes in North America (USA)

Pinion bikepacking bikes are becoming increasingly popular as they eliminate one of the most frustrating parts of any bike – the derailleur.

If you haven’t heard of them before, a Pinion gearbox is a fully-sealed oil bath of cogs located at the crankset that usually offers 12 different gear ratios.

Compared to derailleurs, Pinion gearboxes are less susceptible to damage, they don’t require any tuning or adjustment, they reduce bicycle maintenance, and they are unlikely to ever wear out. The only maintenance is the 6,000-mile oil change which takes no more than 15 minutes to complete.

A great thing about a Pinion gearbox is that you can achieve lower climbing gear ratios than most bikes with derailleurs, which allows you to ride up the steepest hills with minimal effort. The gear range is very wide too (600%) so you will still achieve a fast top-end speed (40 mph+).

Pinion gearboxes pair very well with belt drivetrains. Belts are notably clean, silent, and long-lasting compared to chains. Through our real-world tests, we’ve found they typically last 3-4 times longer than a chain (that’s about 20,000mi / 32,000km).

Belt drive is designed to very effectively shed mud and grit, which makes it better than chain drive when the weather conditions have turned bad. While belt drivetrains don’t technically require any grease or lubrication, in dry and dusty conditions I recommend a few drops of silicone to keep the belt quiet.

Right, let’s take a look at North America’s best Pinion bikepacking and touring bikes. Please note that we also have a list of the best Pinion gravel and commuter bikes that you can find HERE.

Note: We may earn a commission when you purchase a bike through our links. This directly supports CYCLINGABOUT.com and allows us to continue providing high-quality cycling information to you.

The Best Pinion Bikepacking Bikes & Touring Bikes

Priority 600ADX – $3,499

The Pinion Bikepacking Bike For The Price

Crafted with the spirit of adventure, the Priority 600ADX boasts an upright geometry tailored for all-day comfort, an abundance of mounting points, hydraulic disc brakes, and a suspension fork for maximum front wheel traction and an indulgently smooth ride.

If you haven’t heard of Priority before, they specialize in bikes that are equipped with low-maintenance components and an easy-to-use design. This results in zero of their bikes coming with derailleurs or chains – in fact, they are the biggest distributor of Pinion gearboxes and belt drive products in North America.

The Priority 600ADX is the evolution of the Priority 600X, which my partner Laura spent 18 months riding throughout North America, Asia, Australia, and the Middle East. The bike now comes in four sizes and will accommodate riders from 5ft3 to 6ft5 (160 to 196cm). It also has notably long chainstays that ensure extra ride stability and ample heel clearance for panniers.

Don’t let the 600ADX’s relatively low price fool you; this bike offers top-notch performance without breaking the bank. It’s perfect for any adventure whether that’s bashing around local trails, going on an overnight trip, or crossing a continent or two.

The Priority 600ADX comes adventure-ready with tire clearance for up to 29” x 2.8” tires, tubeless compatibility, and plenty of rack, bag, or bottle cage mounts.

Priority will ship their bikes the same day directly to your door for US $30. They are also known for their customer service – we’ve heard from many customers who have been helped with spare parts no matter where they are in the world!

You can order a 600ADX directly from Priority HERE.

Priority 600HXT – $3,999

The Best Pinion Bikepacking Bike For Mountain Biking

REASONS TO BUY

1. Great frame geometry for technical MTB trails
2. Electronic gear shifting with a trigger shifter
3. Incredible value-for-performance

The Priority 600HXT brings Pinion Smart Shift to the trails! This hardtail mountain bike has a high-performance build, that will allow you to tackle steep off-road climbs or technical descents.

Engineered for versatility and durability, the 600HXT features modern MTB geometry with a forward riding position. The 140mm travel Fox suspension fork provides ample traction and stability, enhancing ride confidence on challenging trails.

The new Pinion Smart Shift gearbox features electronic shifting that can change your gears in just 0.2 of a second. This 12-speed gearbox will shift gears under a full pedal load, while coasting, and even while stationary at the traffic lights. If you’d like to learn more about the Smart Shift electronic shifting, make sure to check out our detailled article HERE.

The 600HXT aluminum frame will accommodate wide 29” x 2.6” tires and will suit riders from 5ft5 to 6ft4 (165 to 193cm).

As previously mentioned, Priority will ship their bikes the same day directly to your door for US $30. They are also known for their customer service – we’ve heard from many customers who have been helped in sticky situations all over the world.

You can order a 600HXT directly from Priority HERE.

Tout Terrain Outback Xplore II – $5,549

The Best Pinion Bikepacking Bike with Wide Tire Clearance

The Tout Terrain Outback II is an off-road Pinion bikepacking bike that’s just been updated. The 2nd generation version has even more tire clearance, a more stable frame geometry, and even more mounts across the frame.

Premium-quality steel tubes are used in the construction of the Outback II frame, and it’s treated with a special interior coating for better rust prevention. There is a very neat belt tensioner built into the gearbox mounting place, and you’ll find a steering limiter near the stem to ensure the handlebars cannot turn too far.

The Outback is built stiffer than most so that it can ride without side-to-side flex even after you’ve loaded it up with a ton of luggage. This makes it a great option for off-road touring with front and rear panniers.

There are numerous mounting options on the frame for luggage racks, panniers, and bikepacking bags – the Outback is built for any adventure. The frame will clear 27.5 x 3.0″ or 29 x 2.6″ tires.

If you like, you can even configure the Outback II to the most minute detail. There is a carbon rigid fork or 130mm travel suspension fork option, a choice of wheel size, and even the ability to add in a dynamo light and USB charging system.

You can order the Outback directly from Campfire Cycling HERE.

Tout Terrain Tanami Xplore II – $5,664

The Best Pinion Touring Bike for Extended Trips

Tout Terrain has been a standout for many years in the European market for its customizable bikes that are ready for long-distance touring. Now, they are bringing their bikes directly to the North American market.

The Tanami Xplore II is a rugged touring bike with an upright, stable geometry that’s ready for long days in the saddle. It has an integrated luggage rack that is both stiff and scratch-resistant, and the bike comes with all the touring goodies ready to go, including full fenders and dynamo lights.

Like the Outback II, this bike features a very neat belt tensioner at the gearbox, and you’ll find an integrated steering limiter near the stem. This frame is built especially stiff so that it can still track straight with a full touring load.

Unlike the Outback II, the tire clearance maxes out at 2.0″ with fenders, so this bike is most suitable for a mix of pavement and gravel roads, with a few rocky mountain trails thrown in on the side.

You can order the Tanami directly from Campfire Cycling HERE.

Panorama Boreal Pinion – $4,366

The Best Pinion Bikepacking Bike with Classic Styling

The all-new Panorama Boreal has already conquered the Baja Divide and completed a winter crossing of Quebec, so you can rest assured that this bike is designed for adventure. It has wide tire clearance, tons of mounting points, and a stable but quick steering frame geometry.

Panorama has paid close attention to the Boreal’s design, giving it a slack head tube angle and notably a long fork offset to ensure maximum ride stability while keeping the steering responsive. The long rear chainstay length further increases stability – especially when climbing – as your front wheel can remain planted to the ground even on steep pinches.

Like many bikes on this list, the Boreal is quite customizable. Panorama offers a choice of colors, a choice of brakes, and even a choice of wheel/tire sizes. Choose 29 x 2.0” tires for predominately smooth road riding, or 27.5 x 2.6” tires for off-road terrain.

You can order the Boreal Pinion directly from Panorama HERE.

Co-Motion Tumalo Pinion – $8,445

The Best Full Custom Pinion Bikepacking Bike

Co-Motion has been building tandems and touring bikes that can withstand the rigors of hard riding since the 1980s. Every bike is handmade in the USA with customizable geometry, components, and paint options.

The Tumalo model has been designed as an upright dirt road tourer. You can choose between flat bars or drop bars, a rigid fork or a suspension fork, and electronic shifting or manual shifting for the 12-speed Pinion gearbox.

This bikepacking bike is optimized for 29″ wheels and accommodates tires up to 3.0″ in width. This makes it most suitable for rough and loose dirt tracks, and it’ll handle some rocky mountain trails thrown in on the side.

Co-Motion has added many thoughtful touches to the Tumalo, like a classy chainstay yoke, and polished stainless steel dropouts. The bikes come with rear rack mounts, cargo cage and water bottle mounts, and eyelets for a direct mount top tube pack.

In addition to the optional custom frame geometry, you can customize your paint in hundreds of colors, and add frame couplers, a steering stopper, a metal head tube badge, or a kickstand mount. This will ensure your Co-Motion Tumalo is exactly how you like it, making it a true ‘forever bike’.

You can order the Tumalo Pinion directly from Co-Motion HERE.

Viral Wanderer – $9,795

The Best Pinion Bikepacking Bike in Titanium

The Viral Wanderer is a titanium bikepacking bike that has a futuristic look and an equally futuristic frame design. It features a unique and innovative seat tube design that can provide 10-20 mm of vertical travel at the saddle – this is going to be great for any long days over rough terrain.

The Wanderer employs the new Pinion C1.12i gearbox that features electronic gear shifting via TRP drop bar levers. This 12-speed gearbox will change gears under a full pedal load, while coasting, and while stationary at the traffic lights.

The frame itself weighs under 2kg (4.25lb) making it comfortably the lightest on the list. In terms of geometry, the Wanderer features a slack head tube angle, long wheelbase, and long frame reach to ensure maximum confidence while descending. The frame and fork will clear 29 x 2.4” tires, which gives you lots of gravel and MTB tire options.

When it comes to complete builds, Viral only offers a top-of-the-line spec. You do however get to choose between a lightweight carbon rigid fork or a RockShox SID SL Ultimate suspension fork with 100mm suspension travel.

You can order the Wanderer directly from Viral HERE.

The Pros and Cons of Pinion Gearboxes

The Advantages of Using A Pinion Gearbox

Wide Gear range – One of the major benefits of Pinion is the unparalleled gear range, the C1.12 has a 600% gear range. Compared to almost any other drivetrain, you’ll have easier gears for the steep mountain roads (3 mph) while also having harder gears for the high-speed descents (40 mph+).

Maintenance – Pinion gearboxes have few parts that are susceptible to wear, they stay in tune by design, and they eliminate the most fragile part of any bike, the rear derailleur. Plus, with the annual maintenance consisting of a simple oil change, they can last a lifetime.

Sealed Gearbox – If you spend a lot of time riding in harsh conditions, a Pinion gearbox may just be your savior. These gearboxes are weather-sealed from water, mud, grit, dust, snow, and sand, allowing them to last a lifetime.

Shifting – A very handy feature is that you can shift gears anytime with a Pinion gearbox – including while stationary. This means you can quickly shift to the perfect take-off gear while waiting at the traffic lights. You can also shift 5-6 gears at once, thanks to the Pinion gearbox twist shifter.

The Disadvantages of Using A Pinion Gearbox

Weight – With a gearbox, there is no question that you are making a weight sacrifice. The components required to build up a Pinion C1.12 gearbox drivetrain result in a weight penalty of around 3.3 lbs (1.5 kg) compared to a top-of-the-line SRAM Eagle derailleur drivetrain.

Price – Pinion gearboxes are more expensive than derailleur drivetrains. You can somewhat justify the cost of buying a bike with a Pinion gearbox knowing that you won’t need to replace anywhere near as many cassettes/chains/chainrings – but you’ll have to ride your bike for many years to get that payoff. Luckily, the gearbox will probably last as long as you do!

Drive Efficiency – Pinion gearboxes have a higher drive resistance when compared to a clean and well-lubricated derailleur drivetrain. We’ve estimated it to lose 3-4 minutes per 100km when compared to a Rohloff hub or derailleur gear system. You can read our full analysis HERE.

Gear Steps – The Pinion C1.12 gearboxes have larger gear steps than most derailleur drivetrains. This essentially means that the change between each gear ratio is more pronounced. This is not a big problem in practice, but something you may notice on flatter terrain.