Posted by Bill Wilby on Nov 15, 2018 in News, product review | 0 comments

Efneo Gearbox for Strida Update, Spring 2019 So Spring has sprung and there are no Efneo gearboxes in stock, but there is some good news.  Efneo are in the process of moving there manufacturing to Poland, Efneo’s home country. The new Efneo manufactured in Poland will be lighter and cost less than the original Efneo gearboxes, we just need to be patient. I hope to receive my first stock of the new design gearbox in August. Original Post I have been following the development of the Efneo Gearbox for Strida for the last six months.  A friend Chris, a regular contributor to the Strida Forum, brought it to my attention. Chris worked closely with Efneo to develop the Efneo Gearbox for Strida kit. Chris’s posts to the Strida Forum can be found here. The Efneo GTRO three speed gearbox is designed to fit into a standard bicycle bottom bracket. A kit has been developed to add the excenter and belt wheel needed to adapt the GTRO to the single speed Strida. The Efneo belt wheel has 80 teeth which is smaller than the standard Strida 100 tooth belt wheel. The standard Strida 1440 mm belt is replaced with a shorter 1360 mm belt. The gearbox design is a planetary design that spreads the load over several gears. This design is lighter and possibly stronger than the Strida Sturmey Archer EVO gearbox. Gear Ratios The Strida gear ratios are dependent on which wheels you have mounted on your Strida and the ratio is also dependent on which tires you have mounted on those wheels. This is because there can be a big difference in the  diameter of tires which fit the same wheels.  The following information is borrowed from the Strida Forum. Using 16 inch 1.5 tires. low gear: 16″ x 80 x 1 ÷ 30 = 42,7″ middle gear: 16″ x 80 x 1,43 ÷ 30 = 61″ high gear: 16″ x 80 x 1,79 ÷ 30 = 76,4″ Compared to a Strida EVO,   with 16 inch wheels,  low gear 42″,  middle gear 53.3″,  high gear 67″ My First Ride My first ride was around my neighborhood. The gearbox shifted smoothly and it felt good. Low gear is a direct drive and it felt very good. Up shifting from first to second and third was very fast and positive. Down shifting with the rapid fire shifter I installed took a little bit of practice until I mastered it. This shifter did not fit the standard Strida handlebars. I will order future gearboxes with the grip shift option. Test Rides After this short 4 km ride I was ready for more. I have a favorite hill climb that I used when I received and was testing the first EVOs, it is detailed in this blog post. I stopped climbing this hill when I realized that I was stronger than the EVO gearbox! So I headed up...