A bang reverberated through the bicycle world when a small, previously completely unknown start-up company from the automotive metropolis of Stuttgart shook up the bicycle market five years ago. A fully encapsulated 18-speed gearbox that awakened completely new desires among the public and gave rise to a new class of bicycle: The Pinion bike represents absolute cutting-edge technology on the almost 200-year-old concept of the "bicycle".
Four different versions of the Pinion gearbox
The echo has still not completely died down. On the contrary, the rumble is currently getting louder again. Pinion is venturing into new territory with four different versions of the bottom bracket gearbox. Now that the P1.18 has finally established itself on the market as the top model, three "little siblings" have been added this season. With a different number of gears, gear ratios, gear range, weight and price, the offspring are currently in the process of conquering their niches. The first, daring bicycle manufacturers have knitted suitable bicycle concepts around the three new 9- and 12-speed drivetrains, which are now hitting the shops. We were able to scrutinise the new Pinion developments in ten of these bikes and question their purpose. What is the innovation here?
New Pinion gearboxes for other bicycle classes
You need to know that a Pinion gearbox has a modular design: It consists of 3-speed sub-gears that are coupled together. This means that derivatives with a lower number of gears can be built from the P1.18 with little effort, as long as they remain within the 3-gear logic. The latest model variants are therefore already part of the basic design and enable the young company to take the logical step of expanding its model range and penetrating new market segments. "We are reaching other bike classes with the smaller gearboxes," explains co-founder Christoph Lermen. "In a city bike, 18 gears simply don't make sense." He leaves no doubt as to what the Pinion brand is aiming for: "We also want to be at the top with the new gearboxes: a Pinion bike will always be the top model." So far, we've only heard good things from bike manufacturers. "The P1.12 is our favourite," says Boris Schreiner from Maxx. "It is the ideal drive for commuters and frequent riders for whom sensible gear selection, low maintenance and good weight distribution are important." Biagio Colletto from Hilite Bikes takes a similar view: "We are very happy with the new 9- and 12-speed Pinions. The gearboxes are excellently graded and this allows us to build significantly lighter and cheaper bikes."
The new addition to the family in detail: The Pinion gearbox P1.9 CR has the narrowest gear range, but is about as narrow as the P1.12. This makes the "Compact Ratio" version primarily suitable for flat topographies and medium to short distances: The Berlin city bike Schindelhauer Wilhelm IX illustrates this perfectly. The second 9-speed version is called XR (Extended Ratio): It almost reaches the P1.12 in terms of range, but the individual gears jump in large steps of 24 per cent. This makes it more interesting for trained riders who are travelling powerfully. It covers city use and medium tours, but also the off-road sector, as the MTB models of some manufacturers prove. The reduced city runabout from Tout Terrain and the versatile MTB from Quantor romp around on these playgrounds. In addition, both 9-speed models are increasingly found in e-bikes, where they efficiently couple the electric drive with the human motor.
12-speed Pinion for all everyday and touring routes
However, the real star of the family reunion is the P1.12 gearbox: a dozen gears manage a whopping 600 per cent total gear ratio - almost as much as the 18. At 17.7 per cent, the gradation is in a biomechanically ideal range similar to Rohloff's Speedhub with 14 per cent: each gear is clearly distinguishable from the previous one, yet the cyclist remains well in the flow and can ideally convert his cadence in 90 per cent of all cases. This makes it suitable for all everyday and touring routes without any significant restrictions, provided you don't have to tackle really long climbs or carry heavy luggage. The P1.12 saves around 350 grams of weight compared to its big sister and, as each manufacturer handles pricing differently, around 200 euros on the total price. Its surcharge compared to the 9-speed models is around 220 to 300 euros.
For intensive tours and cycle tours, the P1.18 Pinion gearbox undisputed head of the family. Thanks to the maximum bandwidth of 636 per cent and finely stepped 11.5 per cent gear steps, there are enough gears for every situation. As a result, the top gearbox is effortlessly and without alternative at the top of bicycle drive technology.
Conclusion:
Pinion is now expanding the possible areas of application considerably with four differently designed gearbox variants.
The narrow-ratio 1.9 CR is at home in urban environments and on flat terrain. The wider-ratio 1.9 XR also feels at home in local traffic, but also on sporty excursions. The P1.12 is the real prodigy: it can do anything as long as you avoid extreme gradients and/or payloads. On the other hand, the P1.18 embodies the pinnacle of what is possible with its many gears.
