Sachs New Success Hubs
 

I recently acquired a NOS Wheelsmith-built wheelset with Sachs New Success hubs and Mavic Open 4 CD rims. Rear hub takes an 8sp thread-on freewheel. This wheelset is brand new and in mint condition. Never even had a freewheel threaded on or a tire mounted! Its so great to find NOS stuff that looks like it's frozen in time. Anyways...

I briefly entertained the idea of trying to piece together the full group and do a build, but that seemed unlikely after a quick ebay search turned up nearly nothing.

So I have this beautiful wheelset, and I have no idea what to do with it. I might sell them, or I might put them back in their wheel bags and back into the closet, or I might build an 8sp bike...

I dont know much about the Sachs New Success group. What kind of a repuatation does it/did it have? Where were Sachs components designed and built?

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6709/img1135ii1.jpg

http://img211.imageshack.us/img211/6435/img1136fh9.jpg

I tried to build a New Succes group too :)
The expensive but is the Sachs 8 speed freewheels (that and the levers). The groupset is nicely finished. I suppose it's a bit like Chorus. In later years, it used Campagnolo ergo levers and cranks (badged Sachs) with brakes that looked a lot like Modolo. I assume everything else was made by Sachs. Sachs is a German company. They bought Huret and some of the other French manufacturers in the 80's. Sachs was in turn bought by Sram, so Force is in some ways the successor to this group. It is pretty rare. The stuff is available. The mechs are particularly well finished.

Hi,

The Sachs Quarz group was the direct successor of the Sachs New Success mtn group. Under this link many pics of the Quarz group => http://www.flickr.com/photos/92056929@N00/

On the where they come from question I would like to add that my Quarz cranks say Sugino (Japan) on the back. Several bearings seem to be from SKF (Sweden, if I am correct). The type of quick releases I've also seen from other makes. I do not know whether they are in fact the same or only looking very similar.

The mechs do indeed look very well made. Metal only, no plastics.

A while back, I picked up a set of New Success wheels at a charity thrift store for $9. Mine are in similar, almost new condition. They have Sun MA14 aero rims and bladed spokes. The freewheel shows no wear and the cartridge bearings are crazy smooth.

For a while I was watching ebay also, to learn more and see what else was available. As mentioned, not too much is out there, although I have seen the 8 speed FW listed and selling for around $30-40.

I wonder if either of these wheelsets were set aside when the 9 speed technology and upgrades became available?

This Sachs Neos RD works really well and I think it looks good. The pulley wheels say Huret.

http://inlinethumb29.webshots.com/89...500x500Q85.jpg

Damn! I forget who, but a semi-regular C&V member has a bike blog in which many many old scans from old magazines can be found. His/Her avatar, if I remember correctly, is a cartoon female face(?) Anyhow, said member's scans include an advertisement for the Sachs New Success group, with an image of the whole group laid out, but now I cant find it.

Shoot me now, if that's what it takes but as far as I've ever known, and as far as I'll ever believe, Sach's/Huret is as French as Mavic ever was and tough they've been 'absorbed' by SRAM, their history is as important as Campagnolo is to the Italians, or Zeus is to the Spanaird's.

The 'New Success' group was one of Sach's last offerings as an independent company and was made mostly by Campagnolo (at least towards the end, there were a few variations along the way). Campagnolo justified the whole thing by making the Ergo levers Shimano Compatible and letting the finish of the components slide a bit. The comparitive group was Athena, by the looks of things and it was good.

Sach's had a concurrent MTB group out at the same time that was quite a bit more successful (and caught the eye of Sram) called 'Plasma' (they had a plethora of variations of the carbon/plastic concept of this, their ultimate group, as well, Quarz and Centera among them). The hubs from the Plasma group, later sold as SRAM Plasma and then 9.0, are excellent and some of the finest rolling hubs money can buy. I know because I've got a set right here, beside some 2006 XTR and some Machine Tech, some White Industries, and some Ringle and some, well you get the idea....

In any event, these were very high quality components that were made to last a good long time and are very proudly French, though somewhat farmed out to the Italian manufacturers for their expertise.

DG1

And isnt Shimano somehow involved with Sram ? we had this discussion in the workshop ( bike shop ) the otherday . talking about Sachs & Sram .. but we arent sure if shimano has / had a slice in Sram at 1 point or they tried to get a slice ..
Can anyone clrify this . its not so important just more courosity
Cheers T .

tracing the history and/or ownership of these huge multinational combines can be bewildering, and Sachs is a good case: they were truely a multinational outfit, back when I was buying VW parts it was called Fichtel & Sachs and clearly was German for a century or more, but in the 20th century acquired holdings in France and other countries, shortened the name to Sachs Group, and were later acquired by the multinational Mannesmann Group (who made Oria tubing, amongst others). Since SRAM acquired the BICYCLE mfg. division of Sachs, SRAM itself has undergone acquisition drama, too (or at least its European division has, it's unclear). At the present, SRAM with HQs in 6 countries may or may not be "owned" by a FRENCH parent company, but SRAM owns Avid and Rockshox...no Shimano connection that I can trace...who knows for sure? Probably only the accountant does.

@unworthy1
thanks for that extra bit of info
HQ's in 6 countries .. WOW .
Cheers T

actually, I misread that in their history: they have/had 6 manufacturing facilities worldwide and 3 headquarters.

Only the cranks of the new success group were made by Campy (actually athena). Brakes were made by modolo. The hubs are the same as Maillard 700s in the late version with sealed bearings.

A-HA! I found it. This scan is from DiabloScott's Blog:

http://img407.imageshack.us/img407/3...1990if4.th.jpg

click on it, its big.