The Priority Gemini is a tough, low-maintenance, and easy-to-use gravel bike that will conquer the steepest roads.
This gravel bike is built around a weather-sealed 12-speed Pinion Smart Shift gearbox that can electronically shift your gears in just 0.2 of a second. The gearbox will change your gears under load, while coasting, and even while stationary at the traffic lights.
The Priority Gemini will be best suited to bikepackers, commuters, and gravel riders who want the lowest-maintenance and easy-to-use bike.
The New Pinion Gearbox With Electronic Shifting
The new Pinion C1.12i gearbox with electronic shifting could be the best available gear system for bicycles.
Compared to derailleurs, gearboxes are less susceptible to damage, don’t require any tuning or adjustment, reduce bicycle maintenance significantly, and are unlikely to ever wear out. The only maintenance is the 6,000-mile oil change, which takes no more than 15 minutes to complete.
Thanks to the Pinion gearbox, the Priority Gemini features a 30-40% lower climbing gear ratio than most gravel bikes with derailleurs. This allows you to ride up the steepest hills with the least effort.
The gear range is very wide too (600%), so you will still achieve a fast top-end speed. This is the equivalent of using a 1X drivetrain with a 40-tooth front ring and a 10-60T rear cassette!
Learn more about the Pinion Smart Shift gearboxes HERE.
Why I Love Belt Drive
Belt drivetrains are clean, silent, and long-lasting. Through my real-world tests, I’ve found they typically last 3-4 times longer than a chain (that’s over 30,000km).
Belt drive is designed to very effectively shed mud and grit, which makes it better than a chain drive when the weather conditions have turned bad. While belt drivetrains don’t technically require any grease or lubrication, in dry and dusty conditions, I recommend a few drops of silicone to keep the belt quiet.
You can learn more about Gates belt drive in my in-depth resource HERE.
Priority Gemini: Aluminium or Titanium
The Priority Gemini is offered with two different frame materials, depending on your budget.
Priority has made a name for itself by building its frames using reliable 6061 aluminium. These frames don’t have advanced tube shapes, fancy welding, or special paint. Instead, they are engineered to be tough and durable at the best possible price.
I would recommend the aluminium frame to anyone who wants the best price-to-performance possible.
Priority has more recently started building frames using 3AL-2.5V titanium tubes. Titanium frames are often 30% lighter than steel frames, they do not rust, and any scratches can easily be buffed out. These characteristics allow titanium frames to look great after many years of use.
Titanium frames can also be engineered to have slightly more side-to-side flex than aluminium when accelerating, giving them the ‘springy’ or ‘lively’ feel that many people wax lyrical about.
I would recommend titanium to those wanting a gravel bike with a timeless look, those seeking the ‘lively’ ride feel, or those wanting a ‘forever bike’ that’s high cost can be justified over the long term.
The Priority Gemini Frame Specs
The Priority Gemini frame has characteristics typical of most modern gravel bikes.
The steering speed is stable, the frame geometry is designed for all-day comfort, and the four frame sizes will accommodate riders from 5’2” to 6’4” (157 to 193 cm). You can find the frame geometry details, as well as recommended leg inseam lengths, on the Priority website.
The Priority Gemini frame clears 700 x 50mm tyres, which is a width that an ever-growing number of gravel bikes are available with. Should you wish to use full-length fenders, the frame will still clear 40mm wide tyres.
The wheelbase of the Gemini is slightly longer than some gravel bikes. This is in part due to the new mounting plate for the Pinion gearbox, which requires slightly longer chain stays. The good news is that a gravel bike with a longer wheelbase is more stable at high speeds.
The rear sliding dropouts are designed to easily tension the belt. These dropouts feature an integrated bolt that will make very fine adjustments to the belt tension, suiting your power output and riding style.
You will find rear rack mounts on the Gemini, along with four bottle cage mounts above, below, and inside the frame triangle.
The Components of the Priority Gemini
Both Priority Gemini bikes utilise identical part specifications.
The Pinion C1.12i gearbox is paired with TRP Hywire electronic shifters and fully-sealed hydraulic brakes. The small integrated battery for the shifters will make 10,000 shifts before needing a recharge (about 100 riding hours).
The wheelset is lightweight and tubeless compatible. It features WTB KOM Team rims, laced with Sapim stainless steel spokes onto sealed bearing hubs. Both hubs are standard thru-axle (12x100mm and 12x142mm), and the rear hub has a notably high number of engagement points.
The wheels are wrapped in WTB Vulpine 40mm tires for a fast-rolling setup. If you’d prefer even more comfort and speed, Krzysztof over at the Comfort Lab has found that the Soma Cazadero in a 50mm width is the best available.
Both Priority Gemini models employ a full carbon rigid fork to keep the overall weight in check. Should you want a bit more comfort from the front of the bike, I would recommend a suspension stem by Redshift, Vecnum, or Kinekt.
The seatpost is made from carbon fibre, which should take some buzz out of the road. That said, the diameter of this seatpost is quite large, and it will likely be stiffer than most. If you’d like to maximise your ride comfort on this bike, we like short-travel suspension seatposts like the Redshift ShockStop PRO or carbon flex seatposts like the Ergon AllRoad Pro.
You can see the full component list over at Priority Bikes.
The Priority Gemini Bike Weight
The weight of the Priority Gemini Aluminium is 26.5 lb (12.0 kg), and the Priority Gemini Titanium is a touch lighter at 25.3 lb (11.5 kg).
Gearboxes incur a small weight penalty compared to derailleur drivetrains. When we add up the required components to build an entire drivetrain, a top-tier SRAM 1X wireless derailleur setup works out to be about 2.9 lb (1.3 kg) lighter than a Pinion C1.12i gearbox.
This might sound like a lot, but my real-world testing, along with the numbers from the mathematical models, suggests that a kilogram of extra weight adds 1-2 minutes on a hilly 100km bike ride. And on a flat route, a kilogram is likely worth 10 or 20 seconds over 100km. It’s not that much.
The Priority Gemini Bike Pricing
Priority is a direct-to-consumer bike brand that specialises in bicycles with gearboxes, internal gear hubs, and belt drivetrains. As they sell their gearbox bikes in such large quantities, they can be significantly cheaper than the competition!
The Priority Gemini is available with an aluminium frame for US $3499, and a titanium frame for $5499. This is an amazing price given that the Pinion 12-speed gearbox alone is valued at around $2000.
Ordering the Priority Gemini
The Priority Gemini is primarily available in the US, with shipping to your door running an extra $30.
If you’re in New York City, you can pick up a Gemini fully assembled at the Priority Bicycles showroom for $130. Prefer to have your local bike shop assemble it? That can be arranged for between $145 and $220. See a map of the participating bike shops HERE.
International shipping through DHL is available for an extra fee. You’ll have to get in contact with Priority, but they recently told me it’s around US $850, which is quite steep. However, even with shipping costs, it’s often still more affordable than buying a Pinion gearbox bike locally.
See the Priority Gemini Titanium HERE
And the Priority Gemini Aluminium HERE
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