Well, first longish ride on it today.
Pros:
It's nice to have a choice of gears. The ratios actually work well.
The bike is still lightweight.
It didn't break.
On returning, it is noticeably more free-running in "1" and "2". "2" is now almost as good as direct drive.
Cons:
It slipped in bottom gear just once. I suspect I either didn't engage the shifter properly (SA should stop reinventing the wheel and go back to the flick trigger, which can't be balanced between gears) or I knocked it when moving onto the cowhorn extensions. I couldn't make it slip again up much steeper hills. Nevertheless, this is not helpful for confident honking up hills and I have a bruise on my knee from hitting the top tube. I didn't fall off as I was half expecting it.
It sounds like a bag of nails in "1", although it's not bad in "2". I expect this will improve a lot as it runs in.
Overall, it feels like a new way to kill oneself, which is either a good thing or a bad thing depending on your appetite for risk.
