Archwhorides 

Hard to imagine such a plan could work out.

Archwhorides 

NEWS FLASH: 45nrth now has a Gravdal 650b x 38mm tire: https://45nrth.com/products/gravdal_650

JonathanGennick 

Not wide enough. Where's the 47 mm model for bikes like the Kona Dew, the Raleigh Redux, and the Priority 600?

I'll try a set, but I sure do wish that 45NRTH had also released a 650b x 47 mm version.

They did release a 27.5 x 2.1 Kahva. I'll be checking a set of those as well. Maybe I can finesse them in somehow.

Magnum PI

Just curious, will 26 x 1.75 tubes fit the 650B x 47 tires?

JonathanGennick 

I wouldn't be afraid to stretch them to fit if they were all I had laying around. I've put 26er tubes onto 29er wheels and had it work. Normally I prefer something sized to match the wheel and the tire.

secutanudu

For anyone who has the Priority 600 - how annoying is the loud sound from the rear wheel when coasting?

JonathanGennick 

Adding a layer of grease to the inside of the hub where the pawls live will quiet things down a bit.

secutanudu

Yup - priority actually wrote me back (I had emailed them) with a video showing how to do just that. Thanks!

LittleG

I just ordered mine. I am so looking forward to riding it. It will be my commuter/touring/gravel bike.

I plan to ride the Trans Virginia Trail with it.

secutanudu

I just got mine this week. It’s awesome! Already getting used to the shifting.

LittleG

The Priority 600 that I ordered arrived yesterday (Labor Day). I was so excited that I started the assembly right away, but after installing the handlebars, front wheel, and seat, I noticed that the bicycle was big and high when I straddled it. They shipped a Large (21"), which is the wrong size. I specifically ordered a Medium (19"). Needless to say, I had to disassemble and repack the bike into the box that it came in. I was so disappointed.

One thing I can say about Priority Bicycles, their customer service is excellent. I texted and emailed them about the situation and they responded the same day, which I was not expecting since it was Labor Day.

So, they are shipping a replacement. Let's hope it is the correct size.

lavalamp

love the tout terrain, steel frame, pinion gearbox, built in rack. i asked priority if they would consider making a steel frame-it would be very popular

Payton1221

Any idea how it compares from an efficiency standpoint to a chain and sprocket drivetrain or from a Nexus drive? I have their bike with the Nexus which is an awesome, simple, versatile setup but it is noticeably less efficient than a bike with a regular chain and sprocket drivetrain.

Archwhorides 

I have had several bikes with Alfine hubs and the Pinion seems similar in efficiency (which is a tiny little bit less than a conventional derailleur drive). In extremely cold weather below 15F that factor may increase a little bit in my experience, although I suppose a thinner lubricant in the IGH could resolve.

seinberg 

BTW, have you folks tried doing anything to make the Priority 600 a bit, well, less sluggish? I've been using it as a commuter for a bit after a summer of working-from-home and riding a road bike recreationally and now I find the Priority a bore to ride, sadly. It's heavy, unresponsive, and just feels like a lumbering tank. Of course, that's kinda what it's meant to be, but I've been considering removing the fenders & rack and replacing with more lightweight alternatives, and possibly replacing the wheels with 700c and thinner tires. Drop bars would be an even nicer thing to add, but that would look a bit franken-monster with the twist shifter on it Anyway, curious for your thoughts on all this and if you have examples. The other alternative is to sell the Priority and buy a gravel bike -- Checkpoint or Diverge, for example.

alloo

Just so you know you can also purchase Priority bicycles from Costco if you have a membership. I haven't seen them in stores just on the website. https://www.costco.com/priority-bicy...100662675.html Ryan Van Duzer also has used his priority bike on long treks across the country.

I hope this helps you to get your dream bike.

jcl123

Hello, I was searching around for first-hand experiences with the Priority 600, and this thread seems to have the most current or former owners.

So, having owned your 600 for awhile now, would you recommend it?

I was a year-round bike commuter into Boston (hey Archwhorides, I am also in Arlington), about 8 miles each-way and even in the winter if the snow is not too deep. But, after CV19 I am working from home permanently, and I sold my old Frankenstein Gary Fisher. So now I want to get something just for exercise and cruising around with the family, but I am still going to appreciate a good bike.

I have wanted to go belt drive for years as I would go through a chain and cassette every year.
I was considering the $1,800 Montague Allston (with an Alphine 11), but since I don't commute anymore I don't really need a folder.
The local bike shop has very few belt drive bikes, they recommended a $1,500 BMC Alpenchallenge One (Alphine 8), saying it is much better than the Allston, but.....of course they don't have any and don't know when they will. So, this led me to the Priority bikes.... I would probably be happy with the Alphine 11 if I could find one for sale with a belt drive anywhere, but I have read allot about the Pinion and Rohloff hubs.

The 600 is very attractively priced, so much so that I fear that they are sacrificing other things to make it affordable. It does have all the commuter trimmings, and hydraulic brakes.
That being said, I don't mind upgrading parts over time, the only thing original on my Gary Fisher after 12 years was the frame. So as long as the frame is good I am OK, I actually kept my titanium handlebars because they were too expensive to sell with the bike.

If you go this route you are committed because of the custom frame. By that I mean if I were to get an Alphine or even an Eviolo, I could change it out to a Rohloff later (although they aren't perfect either).

Thoughts? If I ordered a 600, it looks like I might be able to get one some time in August. Not great, but maybe it is worth the wait?

Thanks

-JCL

seinberg 

It's a nice bike. Some components are lower end as you say, probably to save money to keep overall cost down on a Pinion drive. Like the fenders are pretty flimsy and rattle around a bit. Many people have experienced the wheels going out of true and broken spokes very early in ownership (I'm one of them and the Priority FB group has many others). Still, where it counts in the drivetrain, it seems very solid. The brakes are ok - not great, but fine. The Pinion and belt have been bomb proof. I rode a lot in NYC this winter through all kinds of gunk - snow, slush, all very salty, and plenty of rain. The bike is dirty but completely unaffected. I think it's an incredible value. The frame seems fine - it's aluminum and a bit on the heavy side but nothing sticks out as bad about it. I've heard of no issues with it.

That all said, see my message above about it being a bit uninspired to ride. It's slow and steady and very planted, which I appreciate on a touring / commuter. But if you're used to a road or gravel bike, it may feel boring. It does to me. So I generally don't ride it very often anymore - mostly sits in our bike room waiting for really nasty days that I don't want to take the road on gravel bike out in.

jcl123

Thanks very much for the reply.

This is helpful, and roughly what I was expecting / hoping. The original rims on my Gary Fisher lasted just six months, I was commuting through Somerville MA, which has potholes that are considered free parking, I still avoid driving there because it is like going off-road. The only solution really was to have custom wheels built that were double-walled and had twice as many spokes for about $250 each. The original brakes were the mechanical-disk type with one piston that pushed from only one side.... I upgraded them to dual-piston hydraulic (another $500) and it was night-and-day. The BMC bike that my local shop is recommending has just an Alphine 8, but even then at $1,500 total just how good can all the other components be? I think the only way I would be happy with everything on a bike from the start would be with a $5K custom titanium bike. And I would probably do that if I used a bike more often than I do.

This is certainly more concerning, I think I know what you are talking about, but I don't know if there is much that can be done about it. I don't see racing bikes and similar using Pinion, it probably weighs more than their whole bike! Only on mountain and touring bikes. But, I wouldn't take a light racing bike commuting either. Priority themselves describe it as a hybrid/jack-of-all, and the tires are certainly big. I don't know if stripping it down to lighter components would fix that or not. On the plus side, if thinner tires would make this better (which I think it would make a noticeable difference) this would be easy to do not having the drive train in the wheel.

Without riding it I can't say if it would bother me, or if you just really prefer lightweight gazelle-like bikes compared to me. I think that is probably the case.... you say you have 5-6 other bikes and only take this one out in adverse conditions. On a clear sunny day it probably feels amazing (by comparison) to hop on a different bike that weighs 1/2-1/3 as much. This would be my only bike, I don't have storage for more than this plus the bikes for my kids and wife.

My wife is 5'2" and 100lbs soaking wet, and not a serious biker. I just bought her a Specialized Turbo Vado SL, it's an e-bike but the "SL" stands for super-light, you really wouldn't guess it was an e-bike at first glance. It only has a 30-mile range but that's way more than she needs, and I can lift it with one hand. I did this so she can turn up the assist and keep up with me, I am even hoping I will have to keep up with her. It took me close to a year to finally get my hands on one though and I finally pick it up this week.

Maybe an e-bike is the only way to get the best of both? I don't know. You could add one of those rear-hub e-bike retros onto the Priority 600, it would add allot of weight, but with that gear ratio it might completely fly. I am sure this is already endlessly debated on this forum and others.

Well, tell you what, if you are in NY, if you want to unload your Priority 600 I might be interested. My biggest issue right now is that I have no bike at all, and I am starting to wonder if I am going to find one before the summer is over. The bike shop says they don't think supplies will return to normal for a couple of years! They said I might be able to get the BMC bike they recommend in maybe a month or two, they get them sporadically.

Part of the reason I am still thinking of going forward with one even with your concerns is that it is still just $2,300.... my Gary Fisher was $1,100 stock about 15 years ago and I probably put at least $2,500 into it in upgrades over the years, not including replacing worn parts. It won't me my last bike for sure, and maybe with different wheels it might be exactly what I am looking for.

Very frustrating though....

-JCL

seinberg 

Yeah, what you say about different riding styles may very well be true. There are a lot of very happy 600 riders on the Priority Facebook group. If you're not used to zipping around on a super light road/race bike then it probably won't make much of a difference to you. I did explore trying to lighten up the Priority but in the end decided it'd be easier to just get the gravel bike, which is now my primary commuter (except in really bad weather). I also do a bit of racing so really like the feel of a super fast bike.

The Specialized ebike will definitely have you playing catch up by the way, assuming she cranks up the assistance - they're shockingly powerful, especially up hills, so I think you'll enjoy the rides with your wife as you try to keep up

I'll let you know about selling the 600 Certainly not opposed to the idea given it mostly sits unused these days.

donoharm

Hello from Toronto. What is the widest tire that you can get on your 600? I'd like to put winter tires on one I'm thinking of buying when it starts to snow...

jcl123

Yeah, since I am not commuting anymore, just fitness and rides out with the family, I would probably be OK.

That's good to hear, I want her to be encouraged to ride.

Yes, let me know if you are serious about this soon, I could meet you half way or in CT somewhere.
I almost got a BMC Alpenchallenge w/Afine 8 IGH yesterday, but someone beat me to it by like an hour.
I have several bike shops keeping an eye out for me. So right now, I am debating if I should put in a reservation for a new 600 for August, or just say ^%$%! the belt and live with another chain drive so that I at least have a bike at all to ride with the family.

-JCL

Archwhorides 

My experience was that the WTB 650b x 47 Road Plus tires that come with the bike pretty much fill out the fork and fenders. The 45Nrth Gravdal studded 650b x 38mm leaves room to spare.

I noticed that Schwalbe is making a 650b x 2.25 Ice Spiker Pro studded, but that translates to a 57mm wide tire, which (I'm guessing) may have too much volume.

Also noticed that 45Nrth is making a new Kahva 27.5 x 2.1 studded, which translates to 53mm wide, which potentially could fit.

Priority is very helpful, they would probably worth checking with.

Archwhorides 

Greetings jcl123 !

The 600 is a great bike; I think the component compromises made for price-point were very smart.

Pluses:

1. Pinion shifting
2. Excellent cruiser - lower the 650b tire pressure and make those Somerville potholes disappear!
3. Very stable, predictable ride
4. Bombproof in all weather conditions.

Negatives:

1. Heavier and more sluggish than it's urban hybrid brethren (=boring)
2. I did have a few broken spokes before long - replaced them and re-tensioned the wheels; were fine ever-after.

I replaced the 600 with an e-bike, but I still have and ride my BMC Alpenchallenge 01 Alfine 8, now five years old, which has held up remarkably well through many harsh winters, and is still a buttload of fun to ride. Something to note is that the less expensive Alpenchallenge frames (One and Two) are quite different from the 01, which is lighter and more maneuverable. On the other hand, the One and Two both accommodate more conventional fenders, which addresses my biggest knock on the 01 (the extremely tight tire clearances and flimsy Curana fenders). I load up my panniers and broke many spokes on the BMC until I rebuilt the rear wheel with triple-butted Alpine III spokes.

donoharm

I just pulled the trigger on a Priority 600. I've never purchased something where I was cross shopping an item with others that cost 3 times the cost. Compared to every single other pinion gearbox bike out there it is such a good deal, my plan is to ride it and if I don't love it, get a custom (titanium?) frame made and gradually build my dream bike on the pinion/gates platform. In the meantime, I will definitely experiment with changing up the tires and ride this year round in Canada's winter.