Priority Apollo Review - Gravel bike with a Gates Belt Drive and internal gears!

Woof, this is the longest video I've ever put together. If you watch the whole thing I'll give you a dollar. And if you're lookin' to purchase a reliable gravel bike, then you may want to consider this Priority Apollo. It's a lot of fun to ride and the best part about is the low maintenance factor!

In case you're here just for the riding, here are some riding only time stamps:

4:15
6:52

Thanks for watching and if you're into content like this, please consider subscribing!

[duzer]

Dude!! How did I miss this video?? Love it, you’re way better at reviewing than me;) Come to colorado and let’s ride!

[EZ-rszv]

I am an avid cyclist who rides 100 miles/week both road and trail. I was tired of having to clean and lube my bikes every week and so decided to buy a belt-drive bike - before I saw this video. I bought an Apollo in October 2023 and rode it pretty much exclusively through the winter. The positive is that truly, it has been maintenance free so far and I absolutely love this aspect of the bike. However, there are a few negatives, including:
1) there is noticeable drive train resistance even after drastically reducing the belt tension. I think this is due to the oil-filled gear hub which makes it feel like you are riding a fluid-trainer. The belt on my bike was set so tight by the factory that the bike was almost un-ridable when I first got it. I lowered the tension a lot which helped significantly.
2) I got a flat tire, thankfully near the end of my ride so I was able to ride home. Repairing a flat on this bike is not fun, especially if you are from home when it happens. You will want to go tubeless, get slime-filled tubes, or use an insert - do this BEFORE you get a flat!
3) it is a heavy bike at almost 30lbs. Given the weight and the greater spinning resistance you will not be able to ride as fast as on your chain-drive bike. My rides are about 20% slower than if I am on my carbon road bike.
Buyers of this bike will need to watch several videos on how to maintain and adjust it. Not a problem, but riding a belt drive with an internally geared hub is a totally different paradigm than a chain drive. KEY TIP - don't shift while spinning!
Don't get me wrong, I have no regrets about buying the Apollo, but I think potential buyers should know what to expect.

[kevinconville]

I've had one of these for about a year. Here's what I found...

The good:
Comfortable ride, good handling
Quiet and smooth drive and OK shifting
Good, not great brakes
Surprisingly good saddle
Wheels seem strong
Tires (Goodyear, set up tubeless) are good
Quite light, especially for an internal geared hub

The not as good:
#1 WAY too high geared! I went from the stock 50/24 to 46/26 and it's still too tall. It's not a climber. The lowest possible gear would require a 46/28 and that's as far as you can go, and that puts it nowhere near the league of most gravel/fitness/adventure bikes with modern chain drives.
The hub isn't very fond of 6th gear. There can be hard sounding gear crunch and slipping while in 6th and I do NOT recommend putting much torque through the cranks when there.The other gears are fine.
The hub leaks. Just a tiny bit but you'll want to clean it very occasionally as it will drip oil on the ground and maybe get oil on the hub sprocket and/or belt.
The reach from the medium size frame was too long with the drop bars it came with for my 5'8" frame. Not only was it uncomfortable but gave very insecure feeling on steep descents as I felt way too far over the front wheel with a funky center of gravity. I put flat bars (curved bars actually) and it transformed the ride and confidence I have.

After the above changes, plus a few more, I really like the bike for getting around town and easy trail. It is low maintenance and fun to ride. But, it is no substitute for most other bikes it will compete with because of it's quite limited gearing. Instead of one bike to fit my requirements, I find myself looking for another bike to take on trails-camping-climbing and that's a bit of a bummer.

[desiralhagger]

Shout out to you Tim, thanks for the review man, there are so many gravel bikes at ridiculous price points and seeing you and Duzer give true reviews, I'm sold as I've done lots of research and it's just refreshing to have a non-sponsored person to give a solid review. Love the fact you flatted and didn't cut that portion of the video out because that's reality.

[stevederr]

Great review Tim! I bought an Apollo (size XL) in Oct of 2021 based on review from you, Ryan Van Duzer and Buses Bike & Beer. Everything you've said is spot on. Pros are it is well built and oh so quiet when riding. Tires and saddle are great. A very comfortable bike! Biggest thing is its hassle free with no maintenance! I love I can just rinse the bike off with a garden hose when I'm done and put it up. No need for chain lube or cleaning off the dirty greasy mess from the chain after riding. Never have to buy new chains, cassettes, lube, etc. I like being able to shift gears while stopped (and as many gears as I want at one time). One the things I wish came standard on the bike is a 46/26 front/rear cog setup vs the 50/24T that was standard prior to the 2022 model. I swapped out my rear 24T cog for a 26T, but that's additional cost. To handle grades >4%, one will really want at least the 26T rear cog and a 46/26T standard setup would be ideal. Since it is a 1 x 11 speed setup (vs a 2x11), there is a large jump from one gear to the next (but a big overall range). If you are a cyclist that tends to average a certain cadence (80/85 rpm for me) then switching gears will cause your cadence to jump or drop a good bit. Just need to be aware of this. You might have to shift 2 gears at a time. I wish the Apollo had the 16-gear setup of the Priority 600, while keeping the Apollo overall range the same or tighter. Probably the biggest thing to get use to is that one needs to stop pedaling to shift gears (just a split second) which is totally different for those of us that ride conventional bikes where you pedal (with no/little load) when shifting gears as the derailleur moves the chain from one sprocket to another. This isn't a problem on the Apollo on descents, flats and at stops, but when climbing it takes some getting use to as one loses momentum to quit pedaling. I'd really like to be able to keep pedaling when I shift gears on climbs. The work around on climbs is to shift 2 or 3 gears at a time when you momentarily stop pedaling in order to maintain your momentum and your cadence. The last thing I noticed is that the single right shifter paddles are backwards from my road bike. On the Apollo the small forward paddle moves you to a harder gear and the larger rear paddle moves you to an easier gear (opposite of my Di2 road bike). The new 2022 model comes with the 26T rear cog and hydraulic brakes, which is an improvement. The manual brakes that came with my 2021 model are good but I would have loved the hydraulic brakes. I set my tires up tubeless, added a kickstand, SKS Speedrocker fenders, a Top Peak rear rack and bag to complete my build (along with lights and computer mounts). It's a great gravel bike, touring and bike packing bike. Speed isn't its strong point as with all my add-ons it comes in around 38 lbs. If you want a fast gravel bike consider another bike but if you want a rock solid, no maintenance, comfortable bike at a fair price point then this is the bike for you

[marcolgyrubish]

Descending Petaluma's D St is loads of fun. Cool to see it featured in a review video

[thomasglenz]

Got mine in late October. It's rides just as you described, very

[ronbzoom]

I know I'm a couple of years late to this. Liked the review and really appreciate you including the tire blowout and pointing out the one hitch with this bike. That is, having a specialty hub means changing that back tire on the fly is a lot trickier and requires tools to do so. Probably a good idea to budget for tubeless tires if getting this bike. Great job!

[paulcardine]

Tim Thank you for your through response.
I have been a fan of Belt drives and internal gear huns for many years.
This bike is looking more and more attractive
Paul

[neilkratzer]

I have owned a Priority Ride - commuter bike for 4 years. Tim's description of how the ride feels is spot on!! The ride is so smooth it's like riding on a cloud. The rubber drive belt is responsive and does expand in feel like he shares when starting off. I was watching this video to help me decide on my next bike. Tim does a really fair and accurate description of how great you feel when riding a Priority bike.

[gator-]

Drooling 🤤 right now. Was considering a Poseidon. Think I might hold off now.

[johnmcclain]

Well, I watched the whole thing, been out of bikes a long time, and ordered a new bike, but am looking all around, and really enjoyed an excellent "gravel review", something relatively new to my own mind. I've ordered an "L-train", and looking forward to it, next month. Kind of feening for it, if you know what I mean, living a bit vicariously, although I did build a bike, that I do ride, and I'm just learning to shift 20 speeds, well only about five in the middle, but it's a new experience to me. I had a hard time choosing, and figured if I wanted more later, I could trade up, or simply get another. You really displayed the capabilities of this bike well, I'd break if I crashed, too old to be jumping, but it was fun to watch. Thanks for a good show of the bike and some gravel.

[NotARealChef]

Waiting on delivery for mine. Great review. Maybe I'll see you on your priority in the bay area.

[Smaug]

Thanks for the review. I just ordered mine, and I noted a comment on their site that it is geared a bit lower than the first ones. I hope it's less than 1:1 on the low end. I have 1:1 on my Domane AL3 and sometimes it's not enough "for my fitness level on the steep climbs. (even just in Wisconsin)

[danieldijo]

Great review. Perfect recommendation for type of bike it is. I was thinking commuter /fun adventure bike. Take it as serious as you want to get. Bike looks like it screams fun +comfort.

[stevenstusek]

Tim, what a well done review - congratulations!

[freshstart]

Dude, I ordered the Apollo month ago and wont get shipped until June 30. So I watch your review over and over...can't wait!

[jeffdunn]

Gr8 video. Like ur format/style. Just subscribed. Also just bought one of these the other day thanks to Ryan as my first gravel/dropbar bike. Eagerly waiting it's arrival. Looking forward to next video.

[jeffthompson]

Howdy Tim. I had no idea you were a YouTube bike review dude! Very nice work. I stumbled upon this vid while researching the Priority 600X. Can you get one of those (or the regular 600) to review? I actually just put down a deposit on one, but I have never ridden, or even seen a Pinion gearbox bike.

[allwheeldrive]

I own a few Priority bikes. I also owned for six years a Spot Brand Acme with an Alfine 11. All have belts and internal hubs, from 3-11 speeds. I put ~5000 miles on my Spot and only changed the oil once a year. After living with belts/internal drives, everything else I've ridden feels and sounds old. Even some very expensive rigs. Just get on and ride. This looks great.