SRAM

SRAM is a components manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois. The company mainly produces drivetrains, for a wide variety of disciplines, alongside many other components. SRAM’s has acquired other brands within the industry such as Zipp, RockShox and Quarq.

History

SRAM began in 1987 when its founder Stan Day proposed the idea of a shifting mechanism on the handlebar of his bike, rather than the downtube. Day’s friend was engineer Sam Patterson, who went on to make a prototype of the Grip Shift. The duo expanded to form an enterprise and manufactured the product in a rundown Chicago warehouse ahead of launching it at the Long Beach bike show.

After the Grip Shift went to market, SRAM spent the 1990s adapting it for use on MTBs and developing its first derailleur. By 1997, SRAM made its first acquisition, 10 years after launching, by purchasing German manufacturer Sachs. The move provided SRAM with an abundance of knowledge about bike chains and gearing. The acquisitions of RockShox, Avid and Truvativ allowed SRAM to sell its own complete drivetrain.

The Force and Rival mechanical 10-speed groupsets arrived in 2006 - the Force being the lightest on the market at the time and used at the Tour de France the following year. The Force and Rival benefitted from SRAM’s new DoubleTap shifting technology, designed on a napkin, that allowed riders to shift in both directions using just one shifter paddle. The company acquired performance components manufacturer Zipp and power meter company Quarq in 2007 and 2011 respectively.

By 2015, SRAM had launched its 11-speed wireless electronic groupset, the SRAM Red eTap, which was powered by a set of self-contained batteries. A year later, with the launch of the 1x12 Eagle drivetrain system in the XX1 and X01 MTB groupsets, SRAM declared the death of the MTB front mech given the 1x Eagle system's ability to deliver 500% gear range.

In 2019, the company released two new wireless electronic MTB groupsets with the Eagle AXS system offering riders the ability to use the AXS app to customise button functions. Two years later and SRAM acquired all the road and MTB pedals, cleats and related patents of French company TIME Sport.

Bike tech company Hammerhead and cycling apparel producer Velocio became the latest companies to be acquired into the SRAM brand in 2022.

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Pro cycling

Current sponsorships: Jumbo-Visma, Movistar, Lidl-Trek, Canyon//SRAM Racing, Human Powered Health, Liv Racing TeqFind, Team SD Worx

Highlights:

• Alberto Contador delivered the company its first taste of Grand Tour glory in 2008 by completing the Giro-Vuelta double whilst using the SRAM Red groupset.
• SRAM then won its first two Tour de France titles in 2009 and 2010, with Contador and Andy Schleck respectively.
• In 2021, Lizzie Deignan used the 1x Red eTap AXS drivetrain to win the inaugural Paris-Roubaix Femmes avec Zwift amidst incredibly muddy conditions.
• Nino Schurter claimed his 34th elite UCI Mountain Bike World Cup XCO victory in June 2023, to add to his already mesmerising palmarès. The Swiss off-road rider has used SRAM since the start, winning on all of its drivetrain systems including its 3x9 and Eagle AXS.
• SRAM found instant success at Jumbo-Visma when it partnered with the Dutch team in 2023. Primož Roglič and Jonas Vingegaard won the Giro d'Italia and Tour de France on their SRAM-fitted Cervélo bikes.