Soma Saga Running A Prototype Efneo Gearbox

Efneo is a Polish company that has been developing a three-speed crank/bottom bracket gearbox. They picked up one our frame to test their latest prototype on. And they sent us this picture. The design is very minimalistic and compact. The gearing is equivalent to a 45-33-24t crank. It is compatible with conventional rear gearing or you can run it by itself -- say on a fixed gear. You can shift with the pedals still, something difficult to do with a front derailleur. Also the shift action is much quicker than with a front derailleur, says Efneo.

We don't know when this will make production or what the price will be, but they are doing pre-sales at 15% off the regular price. www.efneo.com