i-Motion 9

Brand: SRAM

9-speed internal gear hub, a direct descendant of the Torpedo hubs from Fichtel & Sachs (Sachs-Torpedo). SRAM, which bought Sachs's bicycle component division in 1997, developed the i-Motion 9 in the former Sachs factory in Schweinfurt and launched it around 2006 as a high-end rival to the Shimano Nexus 8. It offers a gear range of about 340% spread over 9 even steps (14 to 17% apart), and can be shifted at a standstill as well as under load. Available in coaster brake, disc brake (6-bolt) and brakeless versions. Mechanically complex and heavy (up to 2.4 kg in the coaster brake version), it was dropped in 2012 in favour of the G8. Approximate years 2006-2012.