Fox Factory Awarded Gearbox Patent

New tech is cute and gimmicky.

That is until the big dogs (or foxes) start paying attention.

Fox Factory is looking to cash in on the gearbox mania with a newly awarded patent. While the filing doesn’t reveal exactly how many gears it will have, but it does highlight a crucial feature: shifting under load.

If you’ve ever ridden a gearbox bike, you know shifting under heavy pedaling force is a weak spot. Most current systems, like Pinion’s, will cancel a shift attempt if they detect too much load to avoid damaging internal pawls (tiny engagement teeth inside the gearbox).

The patent describes a shifting mechanism where the pawls have “shift rings” that put them in a neutral or disengaged state under load. Translation: smoother shifting, even when you’re cranking up a climb or sprinting out of a berm.

🙋‍♂️ RECON’s Take

If Fox Factory can bring its ingenuity to solve the shifting-under-load issue without adding a ton of weight or complexity, it might be the momentum needed to push gearbox tech into the mainstream.