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
