After officially launching the MGU (Motor Gearbox Unit) system last year, German brand Pinion has announced that customers will soon be able to benefit from fully automatic shifting. This ‘Smart Shift’ feature will be available free of charge to those with bikes that utilise the MGU from summer 2024.

The MGU can be found on a range of premium e-bikes including brands like Bulls, Rotwild, Pegasus and more. It’s not made a massive mark on the UK market just yet, but perhaps this new feature will entice more UK brands to adopt it.
 

What’s new with the MGU?

The unit currently utilises semi-automatic shifting with a ‘Pre-Select’ function that triggers an automatic gear change once a speed change is detected while ‘rolling’ without pedalling. But this update will see a new ‘Smart Shift’ feature, which will apparently change gear at ‘lightning speed’ under any situation – including full pedal load.

If you want to see it in action, you’ll have to get yourself over to Frankfurt in July for Eurobike where the brand will be demonstrating the new technology. Test rides will also be offered for those interested in getting first-hand experience of the MGU.

While it sounds like it’s perhaps not that big of an update, it does signify that Pinion is keeping up with others in the market. Brands like Valeo already use similar technology, with their Smart e-Bike System. It will likely continue to be popular on urban e-bikes as riders can then focus more on their surroundings and have less to worry about when riding.

It’s also worth noting that the technology will be rolled out via a software update at a customer’s local dealer for free – so even existing customers will be able to benefit from the update.

The Smart Shift update is slated for release in Q3 of 2024.