SRAM (bicycles)

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SRAM, Corp.

Type	Public
Founded	1987
Headquarters	America
Key people	Stanley R. Day Jr. (President)
Industry	cycling components
Products	Bicycle and Related Components
Revenue	undisclosed
Slogan	Powered by SRAM
Website	www.sram.com

SRAM Corporation is a privately held bicycle component manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. It incorporates the former bicycle division of Fichtel and Sachs, Sachs-Huret and recently acquired Rock Shox, Avid and Truvativ, in an effort to compete against industry giant Shimano. As a start-up company, SRAM introduced the Grip Shift or Twist Shift technology to the mountain bike market in 1988. Their bicycle chains are widely used by cyclists, even those not using any other SRAM componentry on their machine. They also produce a full range of mountain bike components and have seen significant growth over the past several years. The correct pronunciation of SRAM is sram, as indicated on their website FAQ.

SRAM pioneered the invention of what it has dubbed a "1:1 Actuation Ratio". This technology means that for any distance a cable is pulled by the shifter, an equal amount of lateral distance is covered by the derailleur.

In the road componentry, SRAM has introduced "Exact Actuation" technology, similar in some ways to the 1:1 system. One part of SRAM's road system is the DoubleTap lever. The unique aspect of this shifter, in comparison to Shimano and Campagnolo levers, is the use of a single lever for both upshifting and downshifting; the typical arrangement features two separate levers. The SRAM road groupsets are called Force and Rival, and some bike manufacturers, like Cannondale, Bianchi, Specialized, and Raleigh, equipped SRAM road components on their bikes [1] [2]

SRAM chains are often called "Sedis" or "Sedisport", which was the original name given to the bushingless design by Sachs-Huret. These chains have greater flexibility than traditional chains with full-width bushings and are essential for the operation of modern derailleur gear systems. SRAM more recently introduced the "Powerlink", a tool-free master link for derailleur gear chains. The 10-speed road systems will use the one-time use "PowerLock" chain master link.

[edit] Brands

In recent years SRAM has purchased a number of companies to allow it to offer a full component group. These brands are as follows:

[edit] RockShox

RockShox, purchased on February 19, 2002, was one of the first companies to introduce a suspension fork for bicycles commercially. Marketing and Sales were relocated to Chicago, while Colorado Springs remained the home for RockShox product development. An additional production facility was built in Taichung, Taiwan as part of the RockShox acquisition.

[edit] Avid

Avid, purchased on March 1, 2004, designs and manufactures bicycle brake systems and components. Its products include hydraulic and mechanical disc brakes for mountain bikes, mechanical disc brakes for road and cyclocross bikes, rim brakes for mountain and cyclocross bikes, brake levers for mountain bike rim brakes and mountain bike mechanical disc brakes, brake cables, and brake maintenance products. Because Avid's parent company SRAM recently added road bike rim brakes and brake levers to its product line, one may find brakes and levers for all types of road, mountain and cyclocross bicycles within the SRAM business family

As with RockShox, Avid's product development continued in Colorado Springs while Marketing and Sales divisions were moved to Chicago.

[edit] Truvativ

SRAM purchased Truvativ in 2005, providing SRAM with a line of cranks, bottom brackets, handlebars, stems, pedals, seatposts and chain retention systems. This allowed SRAM to offer a complete drivetrain.