The mother of the 1x drive: finito

Is there such a thing as the origin of the single-chainring drivetrain? Yes, there is, the Dual Drive drivetrain from Sram. This is an everyday bike gear system with a single chainring that still offers at least 24 gears. It was invented in Germany, at Sachs. This part of the company now belongs to Sram - and they have stopped building this ingenious gear system.

The Dual Drive drivetrain established the single-chainring concept long before the hype on mountain bikes - and on everyday bikes. It goes without saying that the Dual Drive only had one chainring on the crank, while a triple hub gear and a cassette with 8 or 9 gears on the rear wheel provided a wide range with a narrow gradation. No special tooth shapes on the chainring ensured that the chain ran smoothly. The special Dual Drive rear derailleur was equipped with an extra strong spring that prevented the chain from jumping off via the chain cage. The Dual Drive derailleur had so much tension that this component could even be found on gravity bikes in the noughties.

Origin: Fichtel & Sachs

At Sram, it's not just the era of the Dual Drive hub that is coming to an end. Since spring 2017, the US component specialist has stopped the production of all gear hubs. This step was necessary as the market for low-cost hub gears was subject to a price decline and the company wanted to concentrate on the further development and production of high-end gear components such as Eagle or e-tap. The e-bike boom has presumably also contributed to the production stop: the dominant mid-mounted motors do not harmonize ideally with mechanically activated hub gears, and the internal shifting stages prove to be bitchy when changing gears on hills at the latest.

Fichtel & Sachs began producing gear hubs in Schweinfurt in 1907. The legendary Torpedo gear hub made bicycle history. In 1997, Sram bought the Sachs bicycle department that remained in Schweinfurt and gradually relocated production to Taiwan from 2010. Sram continues to operate a development center in Schweinfurt, and large parts of the innovative 11- and 12-speed mountain bike drivetrains are the work of Sram engineers in Schweinfurt.

This year, despite the production stop, new bikes with Dual Drive drivetrains are still available to buy in Switzerland for the 2018 model year - as manufacturers have ensured sufficient stocks. From model year 2019, however, this is likely to be the end. Thanks to the Swiss Sram distributor Amsler, it should also be ensured that Sram hub gears can be supplied with spare parts and repaired in the coming years.

www.sram.com