I never had reason love Shimano – they’re great at gears, brakes, shoes etc and for that I would always buy their stuff without hesitation.

Today, however, I had reason to love them.

For a while I’ve been meaning to take the gear indicator windows off my levers – I never use them so they just clutter my handlebar and make it look like a kids bike. It took so long because I didn’t know how I’d cover up the mechanism to stop cack getting in. In hope of being able to gaffer tape it like I have in the past, I removed the windows. My heart sank a little bit as it exposed moving parts and possibly too much to cover with tape. So reluctantly I was about to screw the windows back on when, wait… whats that? A little disc clipped on the under side of the lever with SLX embossed on it. But why would that be there…?

Its the little things. Shimano, I love you.

thought we all knew about those…. shimano stuff works well, for long periods of time (with care) whereas i manage to smash sram stuff up quickly and the mechs that SRAM make are shonk.

Amen.

I like how they have quietly realised sram really were onto something, and also gone to a 1:1 cable pull ratio for their 10 speed stuff.

I like how the creative use of plastic on the middle slx chainring gets you alloy weight and steel durability.

I like how the saint BB cups have a few more mm’s of thread on them for durability. Or for people who have scuzzed up their bb shells, i suppose 😆 .

I like how you can still get older-style xt 6 bolt hubs with the cup and cone bits that stay put. And that you can get them in silver as well as black.

I like how their qr’s stay shut.

I love how easy it is to bleed their brakes, with mineral oil which means it doesn’t degrade and you can use LHM for bulk/cheapness.

If ony they would do spares (by that I mean smaller than lever/hose/caliper) and rebuild kits for their brakes then there would be no reason to buy any others.

(I’ll save the other ‘wtf are you doing shimano?’ grumbles for another thread 😀 )

Aw shite – I didn’t check when I did mine and now my bars are despoiled by raggedy-arsed (but effective) gaffer tape.

Amen. Except for their BB cups/bearings.

Amen indeed.
I started off using shimano stuff, had a brief fling with Suntour, then have used Shimano ever since. It just works, on and off road.

Except for their BB cups/bearings.

Eh? There is no better wheel bearing system. The only reason ’boutique’ hubs go with cartridge bearings is because they don’t have the capability to produce cup and cone.

BB stands for Bottom Bracket, not “wheel bearing system”.

I was disappointed to find my SRAM shifters did not require adapting after purchase

I chopped up the lid off a frijj bottle for my xt shifters!

I was disappointed to find my SRAM shifters did not require adapting after purchase

But my shimano ones did, and they provided a solution. And they’ll now adorn my handlebar for many years to come.

But this isn’t about SRAM; just feel the love, brothers and sisters.

I hate shimano, apart from their fishing reels.

They produce Saint after all, holier than thou, no arguments… 😉

I too am loving shimano, my new saint brakes and super short rear mech are fantastic. The new mech also allowing me to go back to my XT shifter with removable window. Can’t say I’m keen on cup and cone though, they weren’t designed for ham fists like myself!

TuckerUK – Member

Except for their BB cups/bearings.

Eh? There is no better wheel bearing system. The only reason ’boutique’ hubs go with cartridge bearings is because they don’t have the capability to produce cup and cone.

Bullshine – cup and cone is victorian engineering with no place on a modern machine. Once the bearing wears the hub is scrap – fantastic

SLX double and bash. As good as a crank ever needs to be.

i think they also need a bit of praise for the breadth of kit they make. Good working kit at the very lowest price point and all the way through to XTR. All competitive on performance and price.

Fantastic company. Consistant quality manufacturing, inovative products with only the occasional turkey.
They’ve done more to make the modern bicycle what it is today than any other company and deserve their market position IMO.

It’s very, very hard to go wrong with Shimano.

Jimmy- as cool as your discovery is… why not cover the hole with carbon fibre for a bit of bling? 😀 It cost me less than £3 to do and looks great! I’ll get some pics up of this tonight

DanW

I am surprised that so few manufacturers offer enclosed cam skewers. The ones that do, charge a premium.

The Shimano XTR/XT’s on my bike have never loosened.

I don’t trust anything else.

Bullshine – cup and cone is victorian engineering with no place on a modern machine. Once the bearing wears the hub is scrap – fantastic

Maybe you should learn to maintain your bike then. Cup and cone is a better more efficient solution, but tooling costs more hence only Campag and shimano still use it.

I was disappointed to find my SRAM shifters did not require adapting after purchase

😀

all bearings wear. When a cup and cone wears the hub is scrap as (mostly) you cannot replace the cup. The only reason its more efficient is because it has poorer seals

If cup and cone is so bloody good, why aren’t the cups readily available?

Utter crap. Who wants to re do their wheel bearings every week?

Whoa, stw member in agreeing with TJ shocker! 🙂

TandemJeremy – Member
all bearings wear. When a cup and cone wears the hub is scrap as (mostly) you cannot replace the cup. The only reason its more efficient is because it has poorer seals

Except that with only a little ingenuity…YOU CAN! and it’s barely trickier than replacing cartridge bearings.

That applies to the NDS cup only – ALL of the other bearing parts in a shimano hub are available, and easy to replace.
How are the seals worse then?

TJ where does your anti-shimano bias come from?

Lord knows why you have to nail your colours that this particular mask, but you repeatedly decry their parts, including hydraulic brakes and centre lock rotors…which you admit you’ve never used.

…while enjoying the benefits of shimano’s parts and innovations notably spds, hyperglide, indexed shifting…you also use a Alfine hub?…and making no mention of this?…but all you can do is bitch about the stuff you don’t like (while tens of thousands use it daily without issue).

Kind of undermines your position.

Things I love about Shimano:

SLX cranks
The lovely feel of my SLX shifters and XT mech
Their cranks are a doddle to install
The surprisingly good Deore brakes I tried out recently
Their kit seems well designed and just works

Things I hate about Shimano

Those SLX cranks were £89 rrp two and a half years ago
The cost of replacement chainrings
My SRAM shifters require less adjustment
Oh look, here comes another “standard”…

julianwilson – cable pull for Shimano 10 speed is 1.5:1

I’m about to switch back to Shimano for gears. SRAM jockey wheels last about 2 minutes before they jam up and make you drop chains everywhere. Always used Shimano for brakes though.

Shimano stuff just works.

misterP’s new riding glasses $-$

Usual drivel from cynic al. I knew you would have a pop at me based on your own ignorance and desire to attack me on sight. Why you feel this need is beyond me.

That applies to the NDS cup only – ALL of the other bearing parts in a shimano hub are available, and easy to replace.

so what I said was actually right then – some wearing parts are not replaceable meaning a worn hub is scrap 🙄

How are the seals worse then?

because they are – Have a look at the multipart seals in a quality cartridge bearing. Shimano roll better cos they have less drag cos the seals are less sophisticated

including hydraulic brakes and centre lock rotors…which you admit you’ve never used.

More imagined drivel – I have owned and used both.

My objection to shimano is the built in obsolescence and deliberate policy of making things unrepairable as well as a proliferation of standards. Yes much of what they do is very good – but much of what they do is also designed to have a short life and to be unrepairable – a manufacturing ethos I deplore.

*killfile back on*

+1 all of the above. 🙂

So while we’re all having a shimano love in can someone please tell me they haven’t cast rapid rise rear mechs into the annals of history again* Not seen any new stuff with RR

*apparently most gears were originally rapid rise till that campagnolo dude decided that with non RR mechs you could double shift easier – bloody campag!

all bearings wear. When a cup and cone wears the hub is scrap as (mostly) you cannot replace the cup. The only reason its more efficient is because it has poorer seals

Back in the real world, most people are hapy with shimano hubs because they last for donkey’s years with minimal maintenance.

Stock up while you can DONK, rapid rise does not feature in any of the new groupsets.

Mister P – Member
Stock up while you can DONK, rapid rise does not feature in any of the new groupsets.

Which saddens me – I may have to retire the dual-controls at this rate….

rapid rise does not feature in any of the new groupsets

🙁

TJ I am just querying your position. As I and many have said many times, if you are going to promulgate your opinions in such a profilc way you can’t really whine when someone challenges them, can you? Oh and it would be nice if you didn’t make it personal, but that’s up to you. I will try to remain above that.

TandemJeremy – Member
Usual drivel from cynic al. I knew you would have a pop at me based on your own ignorance and desire to attack me on sight. Why you feel this need is beyond me.

so what I said was actually right then – some wearing parts are not replaceable meaning a worn hub is scrap

Erm…no, you said

Once the bearing wears the hub is scrap

which is quite different?

How are the seals worse then?
because they are – Have a look at the multipart seals in a quality cartridge bearing. Shimano roll better cos they have less drag cos the seals are less sophisticated

I’ve looked at plenty of seals in cartridge bearings, I’m not sure I’ve seen a “multipart” seal, but it’s not been clear to me that the seals are superior to the lip-seals found in LX and above hubs that I’ve seen. I guess I’d ask again “why” but if your best response is “because they are” I guess that’s not going anywhere.

including hydraulic brakes and centre lock rotors…which you admit you’ve never used.
More imagined drivel – I have owned and used both.

My apologies – however, on the thread about shimano hydraulic spares, you did say you’d sold those on Julie’s bike without using them. When have you used centrelock rotors? From your clear dislike of them it would seem odd if you’d used them for any length of time – all the moreso if your complaints actually amounted to a deficiency in real-world use (which they don’t, in my 8 years of using them). Never seen them on your bikes either.

My objection to shimano is the built in obsolescence and deliberate policy of making things unrepairable as well as a proliferation of standards. Yes much of what they do is very good – but much of what they do is also designed to have a short life and to be unrepairable – a manufacturing ethos I deplore.

Fair point.

Is there anything more rightfully ubiquitous than the Shimano XT rear mech?

Just keeps on working and working and working until you eventually smash it on a big pointy rock. At which point you buy another which just keeps on working and working and working until you eventually smash it on a big pointy rock. At which point you buy another which just keeps on working and working and working until you eventually smash it on a big pointy rock. At which point you buy another which just keeps on working and working and working until you eventually smash it on a big pointy rock. At which point you buy another which just keeps on working and working and working until you eventually smash it on a big pointy rock. At which point you buy another which just keeps on working and working and working until you eventually smash it on a big pointy rock. At which point you buy another which just keeps on working and working and working until you eventually smash it on a big pointy rock. At which point you buy another which….. well, you get the picture 😀

I love the cranks and cassettes- strong, light, well priced and they work. Not a fan of the rear mechs or shifters.

cheez0 – Member

Utter crap. Who wants to re do their wheel bearings every week?

Heh. My oldest Shimano wheelset is now 19 years old, I think. 4 sets of bearings have gone through it, it used to get services once every never, now it gets ridden every day and serviced every 6 months or so. My Pro 2s need work more often than that.

The cones can actually be replaced, just that most people don’t do it, because it’s quite hard.

Things I don’t like about Shimano:
Poor spares availability- no seals kit for brakes, that’s very poor.
The XTR cable sets coming with randomly pre-cut outers for no reason at all
Torq chainring bolts
15mm QR
Retiring the AM40 shoe and replacing it with the foot-gimp-mask.
Er
That’s it really.