The Sachs Elan was an

epicyclic An epicyclic gear train (also known as a planetary gearset) consists of two gears mounted so that the center of one gear revolves around the center of the other. A carrier connects the centers of the two gears and rotates the planet and sun gea ...

internal

hub gear A hub gear, internal-gear hub, internally geared hub or just gear hub is a gear ratio changing system commonly used on bicycles that is implemented with planetary or epicyclic gears. The gears and lubricants are sealed within the shell of the ...

for

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

s, developed and manufactured by the bicycle division of the German company

Fichtel & Sachs ZF Sachs AG, also known as Fichtel & Sachs, was founded in Schweinfurt in 1895 and was a well-known German family business. At its last point as an independent company, the company name was Fichtel & Sachs AG. In 1997, the automotive supplier wa ...

. It was considered heavy and production units were plagued with quality issues. The gear hub was discontinued before the turn of the 2000 millennium.

History

The Elan was introduced in 1995 and manufactured until 1998. With its 12 speeds and an overall range of 339%DEALER TECHNICAL MANUAL
, SRAM, 1999 it was the most advanced epicyclic hub gear at the time, and the first hub gear commercially available with more than 7 speeds. After

SRAM Corporation SRAM LLC is a privately owned bicycle component manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois, United States, founded in 1987. SRAM is an acronym comprising the names of its founders, Scott, Ray, and Sam, (where Ray is the middle name of the company's ...

took over ownership of the German bicycle component manufacturer, the Elan was sold under the name Spectro E12. The Elan received a blow with the introduction of the Speedhub 500/14 by the then small family-owned company

Rohloff AG Rohloff AG is a German company from Fuldatal near Kassel that manufactures hub gears, bicycle chains and tools that are known for their durability and high performance. The company’s logo is a black silhouette of a raven on a yellow backgrou ...

of Hessen, Germany, a technically more advanced product, and was discontinued before the turn of the 2000 millennium.

Specifications

Weight was a full 3.4 kg (7 1/2 pounds) and 4 kg with an integrated

coaster brake A bicycle brake reduces the speed of a bicycle or prevents it from moving. The three main types are: rim brakes, disc brakes, and drum brakes. Most bicycle brake systems consist of three main components: a mechanism for the rider to apply the b ...

Gear ratio A gear train is a mechanical system formed by mounting gears on a frame so the teeth of the gears engage. Gear teeth are designed to ensure the pitch circles of engaging gears roll on each other without slipping, providing a smooth transmission ...

Versions

*MH 12110 with coaster brake *MH 12010 without coaster brake

References

{{reflist

External links

Technical documents
Hub gears 1995 introductions Discontinued products Epicyclical gearing SRAM Corporation

History

Specifications

Versions

See also

References

External links