At Bespoked we got a close look at a Kavenz downhill build with a Pinion C1.12i Smart.Shift drivetrain, featuring a slick plug-and-play Zirbel Grip Shifter that’s way smaller than Pinion’s own bulky trigger shifter. And it’s easier to use, too. Plus, if you prefer a thumb shift paddle, Zirbel also has a sleek solution for that.
This Kavenz cockpit also had some slick 77designz bar-end mini-protector prototype handguards, too…
The Kavenz VHP X is a unique, modular mountain bike that can be built up with 132-201mm of rear wheel travel for Trail to Enduro to DH riding, mullet or full 29er builds, and either a threaded bottom bracket with a conventional rear derailleur or a Pinion gearbox. It’s a modular platform that Kavenz truly can customize to how you want to ride.
Let’s get a close look at that shifter first…
Low-profile Zirbel Twister P01 & Grip Shifter P02 Pinion shifts
The standard wired electronic Pinion shifter is pretty big and chunky. It’s almost the same size as the latest MTB Di2 shifters, even though it doesn’t need a battery or wireless comms. (Check it out below on Priority’s 600HXT.) But if you want a cleaner, less cluttered handlebar, the electronic shift hackers over at Zirbel have some much nicer Smart Cockpit controls.
Two new Pinion Smart.Shift-compatible Zirbel shifters clamp onto your bar just next to a grip, offering minimalist electronic shifting control that’s just a tiny bit thicker than a lock-on clamp for easier shifts.
The Twister P01 features a smooth shift ring with a small raised paddle shifter tab. Lift it up to upshift, push down to downshift. Or if you prefer more of a grip-shift style shifting experience, the Grip Shifter P02 gets the same shift ring with two rows of grippy raised dots all around so you can just reach over past the inside of your grip to shift.
Both feature the same electronic internal switching hardware, and are a simple plug-and-play upgrade to the standard Pinion Smart.Shift wiring. Plus, the 3D-printed shift rings are interchangeable, so presumably if you try one (paddle or grip shift) and decide you want to change, Zirbel should be able to easily sort it out.
How well does it work?
I got the chance to try out the Zirbel Grip Shifter P02 upgrade on Kavenz’s VHP X DH bike outside Bespoked this weekend, and it was clearly an intuitive upgrade. While the stock Pinion trigger is fine for Smart.Shifting their own gearbox, the Zirbel shifter just felt nicer to me. No, it’s not quite like Grip-Shift of old (which is good). Instead, the light shifting action of the wired electronic Zirbel shifters is easy to operate without moving your hand – I could easily just reach over with my thumb no matter how my had was positioned on the bar.
The nice thing about the Grip Shifter P02 vs. the Twister P01 is there is no need to hit the shift paddle precisely. Anywhere on the dotted ring was plenty grippy to spin the shifter up or down, delivering precise up & down shifts since each actual shift happens down on the left side of the gearbox powered by Pinion’s electronic shift actuator.
Zirbel electronic Pinion shifter upgrades – Pricing, options & availability
Both Zirbel’s new Twister P01 and Grip Shifter P02 for Pinion Smart.Shift electronic shifting are available now for 93 Swiss francs (~$108 / 93€), directly from the Zirbel online shop. Both shifters plug directly into the standard Pinion shifting wiring harness – replacing Pinion’s TE-1 trigger shifter. No system modification or extra parts required. They are made in Switzerland, featuring CNC-machined aluminum housings and sealed internal controls, ensuring long-life and all-weather shift reliability.
Zirbel also sells separate Nasoni Finger Links designed to integrate with the raised gripper dots of their Grip Shifter for mountain bikers looking to further customize their minimalist electronic shifting controls.
Now back to the bike, and those guards…
Kavenz VHP X modular high-pivot carbon & aluminum mountain bike
The Kavenz VHP X is one of the most customizable mountain bikes you can buy. Made in Germany, it combines CNC-machined aluminum lugs & frame junctions with Czech robo-filament wound carbon tubes bonded in. Carbon tubes made by the same company that produces Festka & C/Duro‘s frame tubes.
Gearbox or Derailleur
One of the biggest ways to change the character of the VHP X is its ability to run a Pinion gearbox like we see here, or a machined aluminum insert that bolts into the same frame that you can thread a traditional BSA bottom bracket into.
“The goal is not to force one drivetrain ideology. The goal is to allow riders to choose the system that best fits how they ride.”
This is a frame you can build as a gearbox bike now if you want, and still go back to a conventional drivetrain if you aren’t satisfied. Or the other way, if you aren’t ready to commit just you to a Pinion, stick with a derailleur now, and be free to upgrade down the road.
DH, Enduro, or Trail
The high-pivot VHP X suspension design can be set up in three different travel modes based on three different shock lengths (and strokes).
- 225x75mm is for DH, offering 193-201mm of rear wheel travel – depending on wheel combo size & high/low flip chip position.
- 205x65mm is Enduro mode, with 171-178mm of rear wheel travel
- 185x55mm is the Trail configuration, delivering 150-154mm of travel
- each overall length can also be run with shorter-stroke shocks in 2.5mm steps to further tune reduced rear wheel travel
Modular interchangeable dropouts, mean the Kavenz VHP X can be easily reconfigured for mullet 27.5/29″ or full 29er builds. You can even simply add chainstay length for more stability if you prefer – 0 to +30mm, in 10mm increments.
Your final bike is pretty much up to your imagination.
The intricately machined Kavenz VHP X lugs build in lots more possibilities themselves. Like a Pademelon steering damper, angle-adjust headset, and modular internal cable routing.
The Kavenz VHP X frame is available to customize online now. It comes in four stock sizes (S-XL), with delivery times around 10 weeks. Pricing begins at 3660€ for the most basic module (with a BSA bottom bracket insert), before you add a gearbox, rear shock, or any of the other customizable features.
77designz prototype mini-handguards
77designz is the design and engineering parent company of Kavenz. They wanted to create a handguard design that protects your outside knuckles from branches, trailside trees, and the occasional crash. And they liked the add-on benefit of a Joe Breeden-style bar-end that helps keep your hand on the bar through the rough stuff, without a death grip.
Plus, they also didn’t like the idea of a full brushguard in front of your hand and brake lever.
Their working solution is this 3D-printed mini bar-end prototype. It extends over your two outer knuckles to protect from impaFor. It keeps your hand from sliding off the bar on rough sections of trail. And it serves as a deflector, that should glance off an object if you hit it, and won’t catch on small branches.
For now, they’re still very much in development. 77designz is working to refine the shape – to make sure there is plenty of room for a wide range of mountain biker hand sizes – while still keeping them as small as possible. I tried them out, and think it would take a little while to get used to. I ride with my hands quite far out to the end of my grips, so I may even want 1cm wider bar setup to run these. But interestingly, finely adjusting their angle to suit my preferred hand (and brake lever) angle made solved any clearance concerns I had at first.
Now, 77designz is soliciting tester help. Hit them up on Instagram if you want to help them refine their shape to fit all riders. Just be advised, the 3D-printed prototypes are not designed to offer the full ‘flex & protect’ security of the final design.
