DISRAELI GEARS

Sachs

Sachs Super Sport derailleur main image Sachs Plasma derailleur main image Sachs New Success derailleur main image

Founded in 1895 in Schweinfurt, Fichtel & Sachs (F&S) was one of the great European bicycle component companies. In the 1970’s F&S decided to use the ‘Sachs’ brand for their derailleurs, perhaps to differentiate them from their hub-gears which were still branded ‘Fichtel & Sachs’.

In 1980 F&S bought a controlling interest in Huret, and gradually changed the ‘Huret’ brand into ‘Sachs-Huret’.

Then in 1987 Mannesmann, a giant German engineering conglomerate, bought the F&S group and restructured it. Mannesmann was very unimpressed by the quality of marketing in the European bicycle industry, and, for clarity, decided to change the brand back to plain ‘Sachs’, with the Huret name (and the F&S group’s other French brand names) disappearing from about 1991. Finally in 1997, Mannesmann sold the Sachs Bicycle Components unit of the old F&S to SRAM. SRAM dropped the ‘Sachs’ brand from 1999, but continued with some of Sach’s designs under the ‘SRAM’ brand name.

In terms of derailleurs, the early years of the Sachs brand were inextricably tied up with Huret. Sachs appears to have ‘own-branded’ both the Huret Svelto and the Huret Eco at various times. The design of Sachs’ own Super Sport owes much to the baleful influence of the Huret Allvit, albeit after being hit with a bizarro ray. Then, of course, Sachs bought Huret, squaring the circle.

By the mid 1980s, however, the post-Huret models were something quite different. They had up-to-date geometry, were solidly engineered, were well finished and oozed German competence, rather than flaky French genius. They were even packaged like consumer products rather than being sold in brown paper bags or wrapped in greaseproof paper. But it was all to no avail. Sachs derailleurs were now very good, but Shimano were better, and most tellingly of all Shimano had got motoring with their integrated groupset idea. Sachs were never able to completely obliterate the obstinately individualistic French character of the various different components of their new empire, their groupsets were always a collection of parts rather than an integrated whole. Finally Sachs, along with the rest of Europe, did not really ‘believe’ in the mountain bike until too late. It took SRAM, with their US background to really break into the volume original equipment market.

There is some history of Sachs on the SRAM website.


see also German Patent # 2,314,555 - Sachs 1973

see also German Patent # 2,314,555 - Sachs 1973

German Patent 2,314,555 - Sachs thumbnail


Sachs Kettenschaltung Sachs-Sport 1977

Sachs Kettenschaltung Sachs-Sport 1977

  • Publisher: Sachs
  • Date: this document’s code number is ‘770320’ indicating a date of March 1977
  • Derailleur brands: Sachs, manufactured by Huret
  • Derailleurs: Sachs Sport (C5101), Sachs Sport (CR5101)
Sachs Kettenschaltung Sachs-Sport scan 1 thumbnail


Sachs Liste Nr. 183.6 für Einzelteile 1979

Sachs Liste Nr. 183.6 für Einzelteile 1979

  • Publisher: Sachs
  • Date: this document’s code number is ‘790720’ indicating a date of July 1979
  • Derailleur brands: Sachs, manufactured by Huret
  • Derailleurs: Sachs Sport (C5101), Sachs Sport (CR5101), Sachs Super Sport? (C5102), Sachs Super Sport? (CR5102)
Sachs Liste Nr 183 6 fur Einzelteile scan 1 thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 1,243,517 - Sachs 1979

see also US Trademark # 1,243,517 - Sachs 1979

US Trademark 1,243,517 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 1,219,895 - Sachs 1980

see also US Trademark # 1,219,895 - Sachs 1980

US Trademark 1,219,895 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 1,219,897 - Sachs 1980

see also US Trademark # 1,219,897 - Sachs 1980

US Trademark 1,219,897 - Sachs thumbnail


see also New Cycling 05/1981 - '81 Derailleur Collection

see also New Cycling 05/1981 - '81 Derailleur Collection

  • Publisher: New Cycling
  • Date: May 1981
  • Derailleur brands: too numerous to list here
  • Derailleurs: too numerous to list here
New Cycling May 1981 - Derailleur Collection page 017 thumbnail


see also Sachs-Huret Commander - indexing instructions 1981?

see also Sachs-Huret Commander - indexing instructions 1981?

Sachs-Huret Commander derailleur - indexing instructions thumbnail


see also Sachs-Huret Commander - instructions 1981?

see also Sachs-Huret Commander - instructions 1981?

Sachs-Huret Commander derailleur - instructions scan 1 thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 1,446,060 - Sachs-Huret 1982

see also US Trademark # 1,446,060 - Sachs-Huret 1982

US Trademark 1,446,060 - Sachs-Huret thumbnail


see also Sachs-Huret - sticker 1983?

see also Sachs-Huret - sticker 1983?

Sachs-Huret - sticker thumbnail


see also Huret Derailleurs - Speedometers - 06/1984

see also Huret Derailleurs - Speedometers - 06/1984

Sachs-Huret Derailleurs - Speedometers - 1984 front cover thumbnail


see also French Registered Design # 845832-002 - Huret 1984

see also French Registered Design # 845832-002 - Huret 1984

French Registered Design 845832-002 - Huret Rider thumbnail


see also La Bicicletta 1990 Dec - Sachs ad

see also La Bicicletta 1990 Dec - Sachs ad

La Bicicletta 1990 December - Sachs advert thumbnail


see also Bicisport 1992 Mar - Sachs ad

see also Bicisport 1992 Mar - Sachs ad

BiciSport 1992-03 Sachs advert thumbnail


see also Bicisport 1992 Mar - Vitus 992 Dural

see also Bicisport 1992 Mar - Vitus 992 Dural

BiciSport 1992-03 Collaudi 992 Dural scan 01 thumbnail



see also US Trademark # 2,244,162 - Sachs 1996

see also US Trademark # 2,244,162 - Sachs 1996

US Trademark 2,244,162 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 2,244,164 - Sachs 1996

see also US Trademark # 2,244,164 - Sachs 1996

US Trademark 2,244,164 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 2,258,427 - Sachs 1996

see also US Trademark # 2,258,427 - Sachs 1996

US Trademark 2,258,427 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 2,278,673 - Sachs 1996

see also US Trademark # 2,278,673 - Sachs 1996

US Trademark 2,278,673 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 2,248,618 - Sachs 1996

see also US Trademark # 2,248,618 - Sachs 1996

US Trademark 2,248,618 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark # 2,258,499 - Sachs 1996

see also US Trademark # 2,258,499 - Sachs 1996

US Trademark 2,258,499 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark Application # 75237164 - Sachs 1997

see also US Trademark Application # 75237164 - Sachs 1997

US Trademark Application 75237164 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark Application # 75237225 - Sachs 1997

see also US Trademark Application # 75237225 - Sachs 1997

US Trademark Application 75237225 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark Application # 75237297 - Sachs 1997

see also US Trademark Application # 75237297 - Sachs 1997

US Trademark Application 75237297 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark Application # 75237407 - Sachs 1997

see also US Trademark Application # 75237407 - Sachs 1997

US Trademark Application 75237407 - Sachs thumbnail


see also US Trademark Application # 75336944 - Sachs 1997

see also US Trademark Application # 75336944 - Sachs 1997

US Trademark Application 75336944 - Sachs thumbnail


see also SRAM - Spare Parts List 1999 1998

see also SRAM - Spare Parts List 1999 1998

SRAM - Spare Parts List 1999 scan 001 thumbnail


see also SRAM - Spare Parts List 2000 1999

see also SRAM - Spare Parts List 2000 1999

  • Publisher: SRAM
  • Date: December 1999
  • Derailleur brands: SRAM, Sachs
  • Derailleurs: too many to list
SRAM - Spare Parts List 2000 front cover thumbnail


see also Stronglight - Catalogue 2001

see also Stronglight - Catalogue 2001

Stronglight Catalogue 2001 page 001 thumbnail


see also MARS Product Line - 2002

see also MARS Product Line - 2002

  • Publisher: MARS
  • Date: 2002
  • Derailleur brands: MARS
  • Derailleurs: MARS 9000, MARS 7000
MARS Product Line - 2002 front cover thumbnail


see also SRAM 25th Anniversary 2012

see also SRAM 25th Anniversary 2012

SRAM 25th Anniversary front cover thumbnail

Awaiting developments...