In praise of Shimano

[wafter]

Being a picky sod in a time of apparent falling product design and manufacturing quality is not at all fun, and on the odd occasion I see fit to buy something it really grinds me down to have to deal with crap that isn't right.

As such I really appreciate decent products and having owned a fair amount of Shimano gear over the years I can't think of one issue I've had with any their stuff - be it entry or mid-range, bought new or used.. I've always found it to be well-designed, reliable, long-lasting and excellent quality. I feel very comfortable buying their products, it actually pleases me to spend my money on them and their consistant quality has instilled a lot of brand loyalty in me.

While making gear to a decent standard shouldn't be a minority sport, sadly this increasingly seems to be the case - so fair play to the few manufacturers who still have some integrity

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

Yup. I've got to agree. I've been using Shimano since the days of down tube levers and friction shifting, and have never had anything other than excellent performance.

 

[Milkfloat]

You obviously did not have biopace chainrings, SPD-R pedals, STI levers that you could not change gear from in the drops, crank arms that debond, etc. Whilst they are a solid brand, they have had their duff products too.

 

[wafter]

You obviously did not have biopace chainrings, SPD-R pedals, STI levers that you could not change gear from in the drops, crank arms that debond, etc. Whilst they are a solid brand, they have had their duff products too.

Actually I did have some of the old Sora (3000?) STIs with the crappy little down-shifter buttons, but these were on an entry-level bike many years ago and still infinitely prefereable to the downtube shifters they replaced

Fair point about the other bits and I agree that nobody's perfect; although I think Shimano are a lot closer than most and seem to have a lot more integrity in their attitude to quality and sales.

 

[Darius_Jedburgh]

I've had biopace chainrings. They never were a problem, but I never saw what benefit they gave me.
Never had levers that wouldn't change or crank arms debonding. Never even heard that such things went on. Must admit I've never been lower down the scale than 105 on winter bike. Ultegra on summer bike and Dura Ace when I was competing. All have worked well.

 

[SkipdiverJohn]

I've got a load of Shimano mechanicals from one quality level above a BSO upwards, and I find even their cheapest low-end stuff still works faultlessly, if just slightly agricultural in operation. I've never encountered a Shimano component that was made of cheese and simply didn't do the job.

 

[Racing roadkill]

They make mighty fine fishing gear, that’s for sure.

 

[Teamfixed]

Ive just picked up a pair of Dura Ace 9speed indexed DOWNTUBE shifters . They click a bit loudly but look rather swish.
Im rebuilding an Alf Webb 531 right up there towards the late 80's