Originally posted by Evan Evans
As a frequent visitor to this group. I've noticed that there are a few posters who use this as a
platform to steer people against the use of Shimano components. What's wrong with Shimano?
Why is Shimano hated? Well, they practice price-fixing (they have limited the number of "authorized" online dealers to six, and threaten to cut-off anyone who isn't authorized that offers their products entirely. This is to eliminated discounting of their already pricey products. Also, Shimano says 'To heck with the standards" changing pedal-cleat configurations 4 times in the past decade. The Saint group is proprietary as all get-out, not working with practically anything that other manufacturers currently produce. The rear derailleur requires the use of their hub, the hub requires the use of their disc brakes...etc, etc. Not to mention we are being forced to accept their Rapid Rise reverse shifting rear derailleurs...its in the works to quit producing regular-sprung rear derailleurs! Also, Shimano is suing SRAM for patent infringement...allegedly SRAM's new trigger-shifters infringe upon their Rapidfire technology...seemingly Shimano's Revo-Shift would infringe upon SRAM's Gripshift patents as well, wouldn't it?
Listen, I own plenty of Shimano stuff...a full deore group (minus the disc bbrake calipers and rotors), an XT derailleur, an old Exage front mech, some hubs, and crank, and a few chainrings...scattered about on four different MTB's. Their quality is outsatnding...its just that their business practices are unfair...the seek a monopoly and to squelch all competition.
There are decent components offered by other manufacturers. SunTour is back...Their Durolux free-ride oriented crank is outstanding. Unfortunately, they do not possess most of the pre-1996 SunTour patents, and their derailleurs and shifters are only low to mid-range in quality. Sunrace builds capable derailleurs, cranks, shifters, hubs, and cassettes. Most house-brand stuff you'll see offered for mail order or online is actually Sunrace (execpt for brakes--those tend to be re-labled Tektro models). I run a Sunrace M60 derailleur and Sunrace twist-shifters on one of my rides, and the performance is on par or superior to Deore-level components. Obviously SRAM offers high-quality alternatives to Shimano...the bulk of these aimed at MTB'ers. Modolo still produces a combination Shift-brake lever for roadies that is 7-8-9 speed compatible and works just spiffy with Campagnolo, some Suntour, and all Sunrace derailleurs. As i mentioned before, tektro builds outstanding MTB rim brakes and road calipers.
Hopefully the OEM market will open up to Sunrace, SRAM, and Suntour in the near future, as many of us are sick of Shimano's greed-driven monopolistic practices. I for one would like to see Sunrace Ju-Ju models and SRAM X.0 models competing with XT and XTR models.
To make a long story short, I don't hate Shimano...just their business practices.
have a happy Thursday,
American Lesion