In just 3 days, Drive (formerly CeramicSpeed) surpassed their $300,000 crowdfunding goal by bringing in over $1 million in support.
This chainless concept was originally introduced back in 2018 and it is a driveshaft based design that promises 99% efficiency. The idea is that you get all of the benefits of a gearbox without the drag that is normally associated with it.
CeramicSpeed claims this is the fastest ever fundraise in SeedInvest’s history despite a fair amount of criticism about the announcement. However, Jason Smith, Driven CEO, told Cycling Tips he was “used to the haters” and explained, “we always come up with innovative solutions to the design challenges. And then the haters move on to something else Driven can’t do.
“People look at where Driven is right now, this second, and yes, of course, the cog teeth are too skinny. Of course, the bearings can’t hold that much load… What people forget is that this is not the final product. It’s Driven’s job to solve today’s challenges, for tomorrow’s revision, and the next revision, which I’m confident we will.”
With this massive influx of cash, it looks like the Driven drivetrain will actually see production. They are looking to have a working prototype by the end of the year and then we will see what comes of it after that.
Driven Driveshaft Bike Drivetrain on MTB
While most of the renders/prototype pictures have been of road biking applications, they do have a shot of a Canyon Lux sporting the drivetrain. Obviously having a moving rear end will complicate things and Driven has some modifications to the driveshaft to address those concerns.
According to Driven…
The full suspension version of Driven can accommodate the varying axis-axis length of any modern rear suspension design. A telescoping driveshaft was produced and is capable of transferring high torque through the driveshaft while it lengthens and shortens to follow suspension.
Here is a video explaining the setup.