CeramicSpeed is seeking investors to help turn its extraordinary Driven chainless drivetrain into a rideable product with an aim to start manufacturing in 12 to 18 months.
CeramicSpeed, best known for its friction-reducing drivetrain components, first teased Driven back in 2018, showing off a concept that combined a shaft with a unique method for transferring drive that featured bearings engaging with gear teeth.
Now, the brand has formed a spin-off company called Driven Technologies Inc. Based in Boulder, its sole focus will be turning Driven into an actual product.
This “spinout entity” is seeking investment from the public, with a minimum $1,000 investment available.
What is CeramicSpeed Driven?
Driven was originally conceived as a way to drastically reduce drivetrain friction, by reducing the number of “points of articulation”.
When the concept was first unveiled, its designers claimed it could reduce friction by 49 per cent compared to a stock Dura-Ace drivetrain.
In 2019, CeramicSpeed doubled down and declared Driven to be the most aero drivetrain in the world and that a rideable prototype had been constructed.
The brand quickly followed up by demonstrating a shifting mechanism for Driven that used an ingenious “split pinion” design. This was on static display and the brand didn’t claim to have road-tested it.
Driven Technologies’ goal is to combine “rideability and shiftability” into a “durable package”, and claims “the finish line isn’t far away”.
Executive Vice President of CeramicSpeed, Martin Banke, says: “as Driven enters its final stages of development it needs a bigger scale of production to be finalised, so it’s only natural that we get other parties on board to help drive the development forward.
“CeramicSpeed will always be a part of Driven as I truly believe it will become the benchmark within drivetrain technology”.
Despite the optimistic language, it’s important to note that Driven remains very much a prototype design, and no third parties have yet had a chance to ride it.
The Driven crowdfunding campaign is being hosted on SeedInvest.
