SRAM

SRAM HISTORY

1988
In January, at the Long Beach Show, SRAM debuts its first product, the Grip Shift® DB road bike twist shifter. The DB debuted shifting a SH-TY-20 across a 10-speed free-wheel. In April, the CAT-1 was introduced for tribars and road bars.

Bob Mionske places fourth, riding the DB/CAT-1 in the road race at the Seoul Olympics. Scott Molina wins the Ironman Triathlon using DB/CAT-1. Sachs' first MTB components, called the Rival ATB groupset, are introduced. Grip Shift® equipped rider wins the Race Across America. Kenny Souza wins the world biathlon championships with CAT-1.

1989
SRAM introduces the CX road shifter. Cannondale specs the CX shifter on mountain bikes.

Grip Shift equipped racers dominate U.S. Criterium events using the CX shifter.

1990
SRAM USA employs nine people and 12 independent sales representatives to cover the U.S. dealer market.

World Champion Greg Herbold (HB) begins racing and winning with Grip Shift shifters.

The Grip Shift® CX-DT Aero Bar triathlon craze begins. Sachs' first twist grip and Powergrip products arrive on the market.

1991
Headquarters and Chicago manufacturing grows to 60 people. Taiwan factory is established with 18 employees. SRAM Worldwide grows to 90 people. The Grip Shift® SRT 300 shifter is introduced. Over 300,000 SRT 300 shifter sets are shipped to Cannondale, Diamond Back, GT, Schwinn, Specialized, Trek, and Univega. SRAM launches nationwide Dealer Tech Support Program.

1992
One-millionth shifter set produced (MY93). SRAM establishes a European office in Dortmund, Germany. The Grip Shift SRT 500, SRAM's first high-end MTB shifter makes it debut. Sachs creates the Super 7, 7-speed hub. SRAM Taiwan moves to a new facility.

1993
European HQ moves to Hengelo in the Netherlands. SRAM unveils the SRT 500R shifter, specifically designed for racing. SRAM Europe begins Dealer Tech Support Program.

HB (Greg Herbold) wins NORBA National Downhill Point Series on an SRT 500R shifter. Giovanna Bonazzi wins DH Worlds on an SRT 500R shifter. Sachs leads the industry in leisure biking components.

1994
SRAM's 10-millionth shifter set produced (MY95). Opening of new 4,000-square-meters North American manufacturing facility in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

Bart Brentjens wins XC World Cup on Grip Shift® shifters. Missy Giove wins DH Worlds on Grip Shift® shifters. Francois Gachet wins DH Worlds and DH World Cup on Grip Shift. John Tomac wins NORBA DH on Grip Shift. Alison Sydor wins XC Worlds on Grip Shift¬Æ shifters. Henrik Djernis wins XC Worlds on Grip Shift¬Æ shifters.

Sachs introduces PowerDisc, the first mass produced hydraulic disc brake system. Sachs introduces Speedtronic, the first electronic shifting system.

Christian Taillefer sets the first high speed world record at 187.66km/h using Power Disc brakes and Power Grip shifters.

1995
SRAM opens a 40,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in Carrick-on-Suir, Ireland. ESP® derailleur technology is introduced at the Taipei International Bicycle Show. Every winning bike in the Men's World Cup XC and NORBA National Championships XC are equipped with Grip Shift shifters. SRAM becomes title sponsor of the Sea Otter Classic, which has quickly become North America's most fun cycling event.

SRAM riders Bart Brentjens wins XC Worlds. Alison Sydor wins XC Worlds, Thomas Frischknecht wins XC World Cup. Regina Stiefl wins DH World Cup. Tinker Juarez wins NORBA XC.

Sachs celebrates its 100th anniversary. The Elan 12-speed is introduced.

1996
SRAM's 25-millionth shifter set produced (MY97). ESP-equipped racer Bart Brentjens wins the inaugural Mountain Bike Gold Medal at the Atlanta Summer Olympics. SRAM engineers Sam Patterson and John Cheever are honored by the Intellectual Property Owners Organization for three innovative patents, a first in the bicycle industry. European headquarters moves to Amersfoort, The Netherlands.

John Tomac wins NORBA XC title on an ESP derailleur system. Christophe Dupouey wins XC World Cup on an ESP derailleur system. Anne Caroline Chausson wins DH Worlds on an ESP derailleur system.

Sachs introduces the PowerGlide cassette, and DIRT, an MTB shifting technology.

1997
Company's fifth manufacturing facility opens. The Chihuahua, Mexico plant brings worldwide employee count to 650. SRAM acquires Sachs Bicycle Components, making SRAM the world's second largest bicycle component manufacturer. Total employee count expands to 1,400. SRAM Europe Dealer Hotlines grow from serving six European countries to 11. World's first pair of high-end, composite brake levers are introduced by SRAM.

ESP riders John Tomac and Cheri Elliot win the Men's and Women's NORBA DH titles. Anne Caroline Chausson wins DH Worlds on an ESP derailleur system. Miguel Martinez wins XC Worlds on an ESP derailleur system.

1998
SRAM's 34-millionth shifter set produced (MY99). SRAM introduces the Spectro™ internal gear hub product line. Groundbreaking ceremony for SRAM's state-of-the-art internal gear hub factory in Schweinfurt, Germany. SRAM European tech support grows to a team of 18. SRAM thanks the industry by throwing a tenth anniversary bash at Eurobike in Friedrichshafen, Germany. SRAM Taiwan adds significant square meters to complete its state-of-the-art facility.

1999
Construction and move completed to new factory in Schweinfurt, Germany. Grand opening of SRAM Deutschland Internal Hub Factory. IRCOS (SRAM France) takes operating control from SRAM Corporation. SRAM factory count totals six, headquarters totals three.

SRS™ technology revolutionizes twist shifting.

2000
SRAM introduces plans for revolutionary new product platforms. Total headcount tops 1,000 employees worldwide. SRAM announces its plan to sponsor Team Cannondale, Giant, Tomac, Rocky Mountain and more...

2001
Launched SRAM X.O rear derailleur and front shifter set. This product draws tremendous positive press and redefines high-end derailleur product. X.O is regarded as the top of the line in shifting systems in terms of its durability, composite features, innovative look, and overall performance.

2002
SRAM purchases RockShox on February 19, 2002. RockShox is the world's market leader in suspension fork and shock technology. Marketing and Sales are relocated to Chicago and Colorado Springs remains the home for RockShox product development. SRAM builds a state-of-the art production facility in Taichung, Taiwan and production starts in April. The first production fork rolls off the line in December.

SRAM again sponsors the premiere cycling event in North America, the Sea Otter Classic.

Roland Green (Trek VW) wins the World Championship on a RockShox SID World Cup.

2003
Once again the Sea Otter Classic is powered by SRAM. Impulse Technology Triggers are launched at Sea Otter. The Triggers fulfill a need to offer customers shifting options and help to redefine shifting technology.

SRAM Sponsorship enters the road market for the first time with road cassettes and HollowPin chains. SRAM sponsors Team CSC, the sixth ranked UCI team in the world. CSC features Tyler Hamilton, who placed second in the 2002.Giro d' Italia. SRAM also sponsors 7 UP/Maxxis, Big Mat Auber 93, Relax Fuenlabrada, K2, and Jittery Joe's. On the mountain side SRAM sponsors TREK, Polo/RLX, T-Mobile (with RockShox), Steve Peat and Jeff Lenosky.

Tyler Hamilton, following wins at Liege-Bastonge-Liege and the Tour de Romandie, wins Stage 16 of the Tour de France. He becomes the 6th American to win a Tour stage, finishing 4th overall - even after breaking his collarbone in a Stage 1 crash.

2004
SRAM purchases Avid on March 1, 2004. Avid is the world's market leader in hydraulic and mechanical disc brake design and manufacturing. Marketing and Sales are relocated to Chicago and Colorado Springs becomes the home for Avid product development.

A BRIEF HISTORY OF SACHS BICYCLE COMPONENTS

1867
Ernst Sachs is born on November 22, in Peterhaussen near Konstanz, Germany. He later completes a short sales apprenticeship and begins training in precision mechanics.

1889
Ernst Sachs moves to Frankfurt. This time period marks Sachs as a big competitive racer and an avid biker. His first encounter with Schweinfurt is at a bike race. A serious bike accident which leads to a complicated fracture in the lower left leg forces Sachs to renounce racing.

1894
Following a stay in Bad Kissengen at a health spa, Sachs moves to Schweinfurt in April. He is employed as a mechanic and a salesman, where he first attempts to build a bike hub. In November, he receives his first patent for a bicycle ball bearing with a modular bearing race.

1895
On August 1st, Ernst Sachs and Karl Fichtel found "Schweinfurter Praezisions Kugellagerwerke Fichtel und Sachs" and began producing ball bearings and bicycle hubs. Karl Fichtel is in charge of sales, while Ernst Sachs is responsible for the technical management. Founding capital was 15,000 DM. The production facility was a small single-story house. In the end of 1895, the total workforce grew to 10 employees.

1896
Fichtel & Sachs employs 70 workers, and daily production increases to 50-70 hubs.

1897
Sachs produces its very first free-wheel hub.

1903
Following eight years of production and eight different hubs, Sachs has his first breakthrough with the "Torpedo Freewheel Hub." The operation begins to grow at breathtaking speed.

1904
The Torpedo 2-speed hub makes its debut. 250,000 hubs are produced. By the end of the year, 900 people are employed. Sachs' father-in-law Wilhelm Hopfinger acquires a patent for the first usable ball bearing retainer ring, an innovation still being used in the ball bearing industry.

1905
Production reaches 382,000 hubs. Employee count reaches 1,800. Sachs acquires over 100 patents and makes a name for himself as the most creative inventor in the development field of modern bearings. At almost every car race, the winning cars are using Sachs bearings.

1908
Production reaches 482,000 hubs. Employee count narrows to 1,640. Most racers are switching to the Torpedo hubs.

1913
The Torpedo 4-speed hub arrives on the market.

1914
A total of 833,000 hubs are sold in the last pre-war season of the summer of 1913. War breaks out. During the first four years of the war, Fichtel & Sachs increases its workforce from 3,000 to 8,000 employees. Ernst Sachs and his wife Betty personally create and finance a military hospital in Schweinfurt.

1920
Fichtel & Sachs celebrate their 25-year anniversary. The hard consequences of war and the Treaty of Versailles lead to a sharp reduction in production and workforce. Nevertheless, the company produces 550,000 hubs.

1939
Fichtel & Sachs has a total number of 6,716 employees. In the production program, a shift in emphasis goes into effect. The hubs' share is reduced in favor of motors, clutches and shock absorbers.

1943
By the end of the war, 67 percent of the company's production sites are destroyed. The company is on the brink of collapse. Despite the profound destruction, modest production is resumed by the end of 1945.

1954
Ernst Wilhelm Sachs joins the company. Total turnover increases by 40 percent from the previous year.

1955
Total turnover increases by 32 percent. A modernized facility for motors begins operation. Usable space tops 6,500 square meters.

1957
Ernst Wilhelm is appointed deputy of the board of directors. In order to promote cycling, the Torpedo Team is created. Fichtel & Sachs also generously supports amateur cycling with the Ernst Sachs Memorial Race.

1960
The Nurnburger Herculeus company, Rabeneick and Bradwede become the first subsidiaries of the Sachs group.

1967
Ernst Wilhelm Sachs resigns from the company's board of directors and, together with his brother Gunter, becomes co-chairman of the supervisory board. A new modernized manufacturing facility for fluid drives is completed.

1973
The first automatic hub, the 2-speed Torpedo Automatic, is introduced.

1976
Once updated, the Torpedo remains solid and unchanged for the next 22 years.

1980
Sachs purchases a majority of the French company Huret, a leading manufacturer of derailleur gears and speedometers.

1985
Sachs Huret Inc., a sales corporation for two-wheeled components, is founded in the United States.

1987
Mannesmann AG takes over as a majority shareholder of the Fichtel & Sachs group.

1997
SRAM Corporation takes over as the sole owner of Sachs Bicycle Components. A new state-of-the-art factory is constructed in Schweinfurt, bringing development and production facilities under one roof. This move streamlines both development timelines and speed to market. SRAM invests over $1 million (U.S.) in new engineering and development resources.