Our quest for the ideal bicycle transmission didn’t start with an engineer’s CAD program: it began on the trail. As enthusiastic cyclists and engineers, we couldn’t continue to ignore the problems associated with traditional derailleur systems. Every stuck chain, every bent derailleur, and the need for time-consuming care and maintenance after each ride, made us realize that a better gearing solution was needed. Internal hubs offered one alternative. However, they produced an unfavorable weight distribution, were less efficient in certain gears, and did not meet our high standards for bicycle handling and dynamics. As young engineers fresh out of the engine and transmission design department of one of Germany’s most prestigious automakers, we started thinking about how the innovative, automobile-oriented technologies we developed could be adapted to bicycles. We founded Pinion to pursue that goal.