Sachs Elan
Encyclopedia
The Sachs Elan was an epicyclic
internal hub gear
for bicycle
s, developed and manufactured by the bicycle division of the German company Fichtel & Sachs. It was considered heavy and production units were plagued with quality issues. The gear hub was discontinued before the turn of the millennium.
After SRAM Corporation 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
of Hessen, Germany, a technically more advanced product, and was discontinued before the turn of the millennium.
Gear ratio
s
Epicyclic gearing
Epicyclic gearing or planetary gearing is a gear system consisting of one or more outer gears, or planet gears, revolving about a central, or sun gear. Typically, the planet gears are mounted on a movable arm or carrier which itself may rotate relative to the sun gear...
internal hub gear
Hub gear
A hub gear, internal-gear 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 hub-shell of the bicycle's rear wheel, as opposed to derailleur gears, where the gears and...
for bicycle
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
s, developed and manufactured by the bicycle division of the German company Fichtel & Sachs. It was considered heavy and production units were plagued with quality issues. The gear hub was discontinued before the turn of the millennium.
History
The Elan was introduced in 1995 and manufactured until 1998. With its 12 speeds and an overall range of 339% 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 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
Rohloff Speedhub
The Rohloff Speedhub is an epicyclic internal hub gear for bicycles, developed and patented by Rohloff AG. It has been manufactured and marketed by the German company since 1998. The Speedhub 500/14 has 14 equally-spaced sequential gears with no overlapping ratios and is operated by a single...
by the then small family-owned company Rohloff AG
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...
of Hessen, Germany, a technically more advanced product, and was discontinued before the turn of the millennium.
Specifications
Weight was a full 3.4 kg (7 1/2 pounds) and 4 kg with an integrated coaster brake.Gear ratio
Gear ratio
The gear ratio of a gear train is the ratio of the angular velocity of the input gear to the angular velocity of the output gear, also known as the speed ratio of the gear train. The gear ratio can be computed directly from the numbers of teeth of the various gears that engage to form the gear...
s
| Speed | Ratio | Percentage diff. |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1,433 | |
| 2 | 1,174 | 22,1% |
| 3 | 1 | 17,4% |
| 4 | 0,848 | 17,9% |
| 5 | 0,75 | 13,1% |
| 6 | 0,675 | 11,1% |
| 7 | 0,62 | 8,9% |
| 8 | 0,566 | 9,5% |
| 9 | 0,522 | 8,4% |
| 10 | 0,485 | 7,6% |
| 11 | 0,451 | 7,5% |
| 12 | 0,423 | 6,6% |