Riding the Priority 600HXT, a gearbox MTB with electronic shifting [Review]

The Priority 600HXT trail bike marks several firsts. It’s the first production MTB in North America to specify the new Pinion Smart.Shift electronic shifting system, and it signifies the entrance of Priority Bicycles into the performance mountain bike market.

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Priority 600HXT key specs

• Pinion C1.12i Smart.Shift gearbox with 600% range
• Gates Carbon Drive CDX 111-tooth belt, 32-tooth CDX front sprocket, and 30-tooth rear sprocket
• 6061 alloy frame with internal routing
• Fox 34 Performance fork with 140mm of travel, OneUp V3 dropper post, 29 x 2.5/2.6 tires, TRP Slate T4 quad piston hydraulic brakes
• Weight: 36 pounds for a medium with tubes, about 34 pounds tubeless
• Price: $3,999
• Buy from Priority Bicycles or from their growing dealer network

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Priority is best known as the belt-drive bike brand that eschews chains and derailleurs in favor of low-maintenance drivetrains that pair the Gates Carbon Drive system with internally geared hubs and gearboxes. Priority launched the 600HXT hardtail due to customer demand for a shred-ready trail bike following the popularity of their 600X bikepacking rig, which features Pinion’s traditional grip-shifter gearbox.

Singletracks.com was lucky to obtain one of the first 600HXTs assembled and shipped in North America, and this is the first long-term review of the 600HXT to appear online.

Full disclosure: I worked for 10 years as a media consultant for Gates Carbon Drive, and I own multiple belt-drive bikes across many categories–from pavement to singlespeed cyclocross to electric cargo bike. I’m no longer on the payroll, but I still recommend Gates belts to anyone who will listen. Why? Because chains are a greasy hassle, and the derailleur is a fragile and temperamental component that dominates the mountain bike market due to historic, economic, and institutional forces rather than its performance attributes. 

If that statement exploded your brain, this review may not be for you. If, however, you are gearbox-curious and love hardtail riding, or you already own a belt-driven internally geared commuter and want that same simplicity for your mountain rig: welcome. We are in the dawn of a new era of advanced drivetrain technologies, and the 600HXT is at the vanguard of this evolution.

Frame overview 

Long and low with a slack headtube angle, steep seat tube, and short (439mm) chainstays, the 600HXT features modern hardtail geometry. The cool mint color and finish are dazzling, and multiple people complimented the bike’s aesthetic during my test rides.

Priority added a gusset at the seat tube and down tube connection for stiffness and rigidity above where the gearbox is bolted to the frame. There are bottle cage mounts on the topside and underside of the downtube, mounts for a top tube bag, and rack mounts on the seat stays should you want to set it up for bikepacking. 

The rear triangle has a split in the sliding dropout on the drive side for installing and tensioning the belt.

Component check

As someone who enjoys riding but dislikes bike maintenance, I was an early adopter of Pinion’s 12-speed C-Line grip-shift gearboxes. The system’s durability and huge 600% gear range (with even steps between gears) enables a modern style of high-performance trail riding and speed shifting. 

Pinion launched Smart.Shift in part to appease the naysayers who dislike grip shifters, and to address the primary concern related to Pinion — that it doesn’t shift under full pedaling force. Shifting the gearbox requires a micro-second pause in pedaling, especially when downshifting, as the steel teeth inside engage and disengage. 

Learning to speed shift with a Pinion gearbox takes practice, especially for riders who grew up mountain biking on derailleurs. The learning curve is fast, however, and the advantages of Pinion gearboxes — shifting while coasting or stopped — are highly advantageous. 

Moreover, the use of a gearbox enables the application of the Gates Carbon Drive belt system, which saves time on maintenance and doesn’t stretch. Sometimes the belt squeaks in sandy and dry conditions where chalky dust can accumulate on the belt. It’s an aesthetic issue rather than a performance issue, however, easily solved by squirting some water on the belt. 

The brakes are solid–four piston TRPs with 2.3 mm rotors for better heat dissipation. The Fox 34 Performance fork needs no introduction: It’s the gold standard of mass-market forks. 

Paired with the 180mm of drop from the cable actuated OneUp dropper post, the 600HXT is ready for rowdy descents.

On the trail 

The 600HXT is solid, surefooted, and ready to fly downhill and on rolling terrain. The beefy 2.5- and 2.6-inch tires, paired with 140mm of travel on the Fox fork and 180mm of adjustable drop from the OneUp post, inspire confidence on rocky, sandy, or sloppy conditions. Downhill, it flies as well as or better than any hardtail I’ve ever ridden.

The Fox 34 and OneUp are reliable performers, but it’s the drivetrain that is the star of the show. The bike’s balanced feel is thanks to the Pinion’s placement between your feet rather than behind your center of gravity on the rear wheel. 

One of the first things you’ll notice is how quiet the bike is when banging downhill. There is no chain slap and no worry about a derailleur snagging on a boulder or tree branch. Feather the brakes and fly the quiet skies.

The Pinion really shines when transitioning between fast descents and steep climbs. You can shift without pedaling while bombing downhill, going from your biggest gear to a smaller climbing gear without pedaling. 

It takes 0.2 seconds from the time you hit the shift lever until the gearbox is ready again for full pedaling force. It’s a different style of riding than on a derailleur bike, and with every new ride I learned how to avoid mis-shifts by timing them to when my feet were vertical at 12 and 6. 

At 34 pounds, the HXT is a horse rather than a jackrabbit on climbs, but the Pinion’s lowest gear is crazy low and allows you to spin up the steepest climbs so slowly that you might almost fall over sideways. Eddie Meek, Priority’s director of product, says the Pinion’s lowest gear is equivalent to a 32/58 cassette and cog. 

Shifting takes just a fraction of a second, with no ramp up. Just tap the electronic shifter paddles with your thumb. Tap once for one gear or tap tap tap multiple times to shift multiple gears. One paddle down-shifts and the other up-shifts, and you can swap the order in the Pinion smartphone app.

The app also allows you to check the battery. Pinion says a fully charged battery is good for thousands of shifts. The battery charges via a port on the top tube. 

Pros and cons of the Priority 600HXT

Pros

• Low-maintenance and grease-free drivetrain for grab-and-go riding.
• Thumb tap e-shifting with the Pinion Smart.Shift
• Gates Carbon Drive CDX belt and sprockets never need lubrication.
• 600% gear range with even steps between gears
• Shift while coasting
• 140mm Fox 34 fork 
• OneUp 180mm dropper for fast descending

Cons 

• $3,999 is pricey for a hardtail. 
• No gear indicator. You must remember which gear you’re in when coasting.
• It is heavy 

Bottom line 

The 600HXT represents a literal paradigm shift in hardtail mountain biking. Riders with a bias toward chains and derailleurs may not like the 600HXT because it requires you to re-learn some shifting techniques that have been developed over many years of using derailleurs. 

For those willing to take the red pill and step outside of the mainstream matrix, however, riding with a Pinion gearbox opens doors to a new style of fast and efficient performance mountain biking. Immediate shifting without pedaling helps you adjust to unexpected obstacles on the fly, such as a steep uphill around a blind corner. 

Pinion’s only mistake in launching Smart.Shift was claiming their new system allows you to shift under load. It takes a fraction of a second for the tiny motor in the gearbox to disengage and engage with the higher or lower gear, and for that split second you have to ease off the pedals or the gearbox won’t shift. When spinning uphill you learn to shift when your feet are stacked at 12 and 6–the weakest point in your pedal revolution. 

Many bike reviewers weaned on derailleurs try to do an apples to apples comparison of the Pinion gearbox to derailleurs. It’s impossible because they are different beasts. When I rode my wife’s derailleur mountain bike recently, after not riding a bike with a derailleur for several years, the shifting felt awkward, strange and slow. 

The point is that every shifting mechanism has its eccentricities. Practice makes perfect. For me, the Pinion system’s unique attributes are preferable and advantageous for fast and hard riding.

While pricey for a hardtail, the 600HXT is worth the $3,999 cost when considering its high-quality components and drivetrain specification. 

Overall, the advantages in time savings and in shifting efficiency make the Priority 600HXT a worthy lifestyle upgrade for anyone seeking to maximize their time on the trail, learn a new style of precision shifting, and minimize their time at the bike stand.