PINION / P1.18 / DRIVE TECHNOLOGY-

BEHIND THE SCENES

Pinion GmbH was founded in 2008 by my business partner, Christoph Lermen, and me, Michael Schmitz, with the goal of developing, manufacturing and distributing gear systems for bicycles. Two other engineers are now working with us on this goal: Dominik Bernard is responsible for the integration of the gearbox in the frame, manufacturing drawings, and peripheral parts such as cranks, shifter and chain guides. Björn Schober takes care of production and manufacturing planning, assembly and quality assurance. For the upcoming production of the series P1.18 we will be recruiting more staff.

Christoph and I got to know each other in 2006, towards the end of our studies, during a six-month professional internship in the engine and transmission development department of sports car manufacturer Porsche. In addition to our mutual interest in engines and transmissions and a passion for motor sports we had something else in common: mountain biking. Since the middle of the 90’s when we started riding off road we were already looking at the derailleur with skeptical glances – too often it spoiled our enjoyment. Even then we were discussing different approaches and concepts for bike transmissions.

Following the internship, Christoph worked for two more years in the Porsche motorsport department while together we started work on the P1.18. In the inspiring environments of university, Porsche, and riding singletrack Christoph and I developed the idea of transferring the techniques and quality standards used in automotive engineering to the bicycle transmission.

Dipl.-Wirt.-Ing. Michael Schmitz

When we founded our company in 2008 the workload increased so dramatically that Christoph needed to leave Porsche so that we could focus all our efforts on development of our gearbox and building our company. After nearly five-years of development we can now present the P1.18 - the first production bike gearbox in the world that has been developed and manufactured to automotive standards. Pinion will not be a one-product brand. With the P1.18 gearbox we have developed a new technology base on which we plan to build a complete transmission line to cover all areas in cycling. At EuroBike 2011 we showed a concept for an integral electric motor-gearbox unit for the e-bike market. This Pedelec example shows a snapshot of our current developments.

We’ve been delighted with all of the interest in our work and hope that we can inspire you with our vision of better bicycle gears. Keep your eyes open over the coming season - a number of bike manufacturers will have a Pinion model available in the shops in 2012. Ask for a test ride at a shop or look out for us at a race or a show. Ride the Pinion Gearbox and see the benefits for yourself. Get in Gear!


Dipl.-Ing. Christoph Lermen

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PINION GMBH

Heerweg 15A
73770 Denkendorf
Germany

Tel. +49 711 24 82 62 10
Fax +49 711 69 97 05 09

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