Shimano
Encyclopedia
Shimano, Inc. is a Japan
ese multinational
manufacturer of cycling
components, fishing
tackle, and rowing
equipment.
In 2005, the company had net sales of US $1.4 billion. Bicycle components provided 75% of its sales income. Fishing tackle produced 23% of the company's sales income, while other products—including snowboarding
equipment and other forged parts—produced about 2% of its sales income. Shimano produced golf
supplies until 2005 and snowboarding equipment until 2008, when they abandoned the enterprises as unprofitable.
Headquartered in Sakai
, Japan, the company has 32 consolidated subsidiaries and 11 unconsolidated subsidiaries. Its primary manufacturing plants are in Kunshan, China
; Malaysia; and Singapore
, while its sales are in Europe (41% of total sales) and North America (17%).
Shimano is publicly traded and has 102.8 million shares of common stock outstanding.
Shimano product sales constitute 50% of the global bicycle
component market. Its products include drivetrain, brake, wheel and pedal components for road, mountain
, and hybrid bikes.
The components include: crankset
comprising cranks and chainrings; bottom bracket
; chain
; rear chain sprockets or cassette; front and rear wheel hubs; gear shift levers; brakes
; brake levers; cables; front and rear gear mechanisms or dérailleurs
. Shimano Total Integration
(STI) is Shimano's integrated shifter and brake lever combination for racing bicycles.
The Italian firm Campagnolo
as well as US based SRAM
are Shimano's primary competitors in the cycling marketplace.
When the 1970s United States bike boom
exceeded the capacity of the European bicycle component manufacturers, Japanese manufacturers SunTour
and Shimano rapidly stepped in to fill the void. While both companies provided products for all price-ranges of the market, SunTour also focused on refinement of existing systems and designs for higher end products, while Shimano initially paid more attention to rethinking the basic systems and bringing out innovations such as Positron shifting (a precursor to index shifting) and front freewheel
systems at the low end of the market.
In the 1980s, with Shimano pushing technological innovation and lower prices, the more traditional European component manufacturers lost significant market presence. During this period, in contrast to the near-universal marketing
technique of introducing innovations on the expensive side of the marketplace and relying on consumer demand to emulate early adopters along with economy of scale to bring them into the mass market, Shimano and SunTour (to a lesser extent) introduced new technologies at the lowest end of the bicycle market, using lower cost and often heavier and less durable materials and techniques, only moving them further upmarket if they established themselves in the lower market segments.
In the 1980-1983 period, Shimano introduced three groupsets with "AX" technology: Dura-Ace & 600 (high-end), and Adamas in the low-end. Features of these components include aerodynamic styling, centre-pull brakes, brake levers with concealed cables, and ergonomic pedals.
By 1985 Shimano introduced innovation only at the highest quality level (Dura-Ace for road bikes and Deore XT for mountain bikes), then trickled the technology down to lower product levels as it became proven and accepted. Innovations include index shifting (known as SIS, Shimano Index System introduced in 1984), freehubs, dual-pivot brakes, 8-9-10 speed drivetrains, and the integration of shifters and brake levers. Also, these components could only work properly when used with other Shimano components, e.g. its gear rear dérailleurs have to be used with the correct Shimano gear levers, cables, freehub and cassette.
SunTour tried to catch up to this technological leap, but by the end of the 1980s SunTour had lost the technological and commercial battle and Shimano had achieved the status as the largest manufacturer of bicycle components in the world.
Shimano's marketplace domination that developed in the 1990s quickly led to the perception by some critics that Shimano had become a marketplace bully with monopolistic intentions. This viewpoint was based on the fact that Shimano became oriented towards integrating all of their components with each other, with the result being that if any Shimano components were to be used, then the entire bike would need to be built from matching Shimano components. The alternative perspective is that by controlling the mix of components on the bicycle, a manufacturer such as Shimano can control how well their own product functions. Shimano's primary competitors (Campagnolo and SRAM) also make proprietary designs that limit the opportunity to mix and match componentry. In a technology-driven industry such as the bicycle industry, which has not demonstrated a proactive attitude toward standardization throughout its 100+ year history, the market leader will always be criticized as monopolistic when introducing proprietary innovations. Shimano seems to cycle between this "integrated system" approach and more open approaches as it tries to find a balance between the market's desire for innovation and its desire for openness and flexibility.
For the most recent example, in 2003 Shimano introduced "Dual Control" to mountain bikes, where the gear shift mechanism is integrated into the brake levers. This development was controversial as the use of Dual Control integrated shifting for hydraulic disc brakes required using Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, locking competitors out of the premium end of the market. However with their 2007 product line, Shimano moved back to making separate braking and shifting components fully available in addition to the integrated "Dual Control" components, a move to satisfy riders that wished to use Shimano shifting with other brands of disc brakes.
Shimano introduced the Shimano Pedaling Dynamics
(SPD) range of clipless pedals and matching shoes, specifically designed so that the shoes could be used for walking. The shoes have a recess in the bottom of the sole for fitting the smaller cleats and therefore it does not protrude, while conventional clipless road pedals are designed for road cycling shoes which have smooth soles with large protruding cleats, which are awkward for walking. The SPD range, in addition to other off-road refinements, were designed to be used with treaded soles that more closely resemble rugged hiking boots. SPD pedals and shoes soon established themselves as the market standard in this sector, although many other manufacturers have developed alternatives which are arguably less prone to being clogged by mud and/or easier to adjust. However, the SPD dominance in this sector has meant that alternative pedal manufacturers nearly always design their pedals to be usable with Shimano shoes, and likewise mountain bike shoe manufacturers make their shoes "Shimano SPD" compatible. SPD has spawned 2 types of road cleats which are incompatible with standard SPD pedals and some shoes - SPD-R and SPD-SL. SPD-R is a now defunct pedal standard. SPD-SL is basically a copy of the standard Look clipless pedal system. It has a wide, one-sided platform and a triangular cleat that is Look 3-bolt compatible.
, Andy Hampsten
rode Shimano to its first Grand Tour victory. Lance Armstrong
's 1999 victory
in the Tour de France
on a Shimano Dura-Ace equipped Trek
was the first time Shimano components had been used to win the Maillot Jaune. In 2002, Dura-Ace equipped bikes were ridden to victory in the Tour de France (Lance Armstrong), Giro d'Italia
(Paolo Savoldelli
), and Vuelta a España
(Aitor González
), marking the first time Shimano componentry had been used to win all three grand tours. World championships in both the road and time trial
disciplines were won on Shimano equipment. Alexi Grewal
(USA), who subsequently became a professional cyclist, used a bicycle equipped with Shimano DynaDrive chainset and pedals (the remainder of the components on his bicycle were primarily Suntour
and DiaCompe) to win the 1984 Olympic road race in Los Angeles.
) mark.
groupsets include:
groupsets include:
Cross country component
Trekking component
Downhill/Freeride component
Recreational mountain bikes component
Groupsets no longer offered include:
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
ese multinational
Multinational corporation
A multi national corporation or enterprise , is a corporation or an enterprise that manages production or delivers services in more than one country. It can also be referred to as an international corporation...
manufacturer of cycling
Cycling
Cycling, also called bicycling or biking, is the use of bicycles for transport, recreation, or for sport. Persons engaged in cycling are cyclists or bicyclists...
components, fishing
Fishing
Fishing is the activity of trying to catch wild fish. Fish are normally caught in the wild. Techniques for catching fish include hand gathering, spearing, netting, angling and trapping....
tackle, and rowing
Rowing (sport)
Rowing is a sport in which athletes race against each other on rivers, on lakes or on the ocean, depending upon the type of race and the discipline. The boats are propelled by the reaction forces on the oar blades as they are pushed against the water...
equipment.
In 2005, the company had net sales of US $1.4 billion. Bicycle components provided 75% of its sales income. Fishing tackle produced 23% of the company's sales income, while other products—including snowboarding
Snowboarding
Snowboarding is a sport that involves descending a slope that is covered with snow on a snowboard attached to a rider's feet using a special boot set onto mounted binding. The development of snowboarding was inspired by skateboarding, sledding, surfing and skiing. It was developed in the U.S.A...
equipment and other forged parts—produced about 2% of its sales income. Shimano produced golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
supplies until 2005 and snowboarding equipment until 2008, when they abandoned the enterprises as unprofitable.
Headquartered in Sakai
Sakai, Osaka
is a city in Osaka Prefecture, Japan. It has been one of the largest and most important seaports of Japan since the Medieval era.Following the February 2005 annexation of the town of Mihara, from Minamikawachi District, the city has grown further and is now the fourteenth most populous city in...
, Japan, the company has 32 consolidated subsidiaries and 11 unconsolidated subsidiaries. Its primary manufacturing plants are in Kunshan, China
Kunshan
Kunshan is a satellite city in the greater Suzhou region. Administratively, it is a county-level city within the prefecture-level city of Suzhou. It is located in southeastearn part of Jiangsu Province, China, adjacent to Jiangsu's border with the Shanghai Municipality.The total area of Kunshan...
; Malaysia; and Singapore
Singapore
Singapore , officially the Republic of Singapore, is a Southeast Asian city-state off the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, north of the equator. An island country made up of 63 islands, it is separated from Malaysia by the Straits of Johor to its north and from Indonesia's Riau Islands by the...
, while its sales are in Europe (41% of total sales) and North America (17%).
Shimano is publicly traded and has 102.8 million shares of common stock outstanding.
Cycling
Bicycle
A bicycle, also known as a bike, pushbike or cycle, is a human-powered, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A person who rides a bicycle is called a cyclist, or bicyclist....
component market. Its products include drivetrain, brake, wheel and pedal components for road, mountain
Mountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
, and hybrid bikes.
The components include: crankset
Crankset
The crankset or chainset , is the component of a bicycle drivetrain that converts the reciprocating motion of the rider's legs into rotational motion used to drive the chain, which in turn drives the rear wheel...
comprising cranks and chainrings; bottom bracket
Bottom bracket
The bottom bracket on a bicycle connects the crankset to the bicycle and allows the crankset to rotate freely. It contains a spindle that the crankset attaches to, and the bearings that allow the spindle and cranks to rotate. The chainrings and pedals attach to the cranks...
; chain
Bicycle chain
A bicycle chain is a roller chain that transfers power from the pedals to the drive-wheel of a bicycle, thus propelling it. Most bicycle chains are made from plain carbon or alloy steel, but some are nickel-plated to prevent rust, or simply for aesthetics. Nickel also confers a measure of...
; rear chain sprockets or cassette; front and rear wheel hubs; gear shift levers; brakes
Bicycle brake systems
A bicycle brake is used to slow down or stop a bicycle. There have been various types of brake used throughout history, and several are still in use today...
; brake levers; cables; front and rear gear mechanisms or dérailleurs
Derailleur gears
Derailleur gears are a variable-ratio transmission system commonly used on bicycles, consisting of a chain, multiple sprockets of different sizes, and a mechanism to move the chain from one sprocket to another...
. Shimano Total Integration
Shimano Total Integration
Shimano Total Integration is a gearshift system designed by Shimano for racing bicycles. It combines the braking and gear shifting controls into the same component. This allows shifting gears without having to remove a hand from the bars, unlike previous down tube shifting systems...
(STI) is Shimano's integrated shifter and brake lever combination for racing bicycles.
The Italian firm Campagnolo
Campagnolo
Campagnolo is an Italian manufacturer of high-end bicycle components with headquarters in Vicenza, Italy. The components are organised as groupsets and are a near-complete collection of a bicycle's mechanical parts. Campagnolo's flagship components are the Super Record, Record, and Chorus...
as well as US based SRAM
SRAM (bicycles)
SRAM Corporation is a privately held bicycle component manufacturer based in Chicago, Illinois, founded in 1987. SRAM is an acronym comprising the names of its founders, Scott, Ray, and Sam, .In 2008, the company received a strategic investment from Trilantic Capital Partners, formerly known as...
are Shimano's primary competitors in the cycling marketplace.
When the 1970s United States bike boom
Bike boom
Bike boom or bicycle craze refers to several different times when, for a period of a few years, many people in many parts of Europe and North America wanted to buy and ride a bicycle. In brief, they occurred in 1819, 1868, the decade of the 1890s, and the 1970s...
exceeded the capacity of the European bicycle component manufacturers, Japanese manufacturers SunTour
SunTour
SunTour or SR Suntour is a manufacturer of bicycle components. It was Japanese owned and managed, based in Osaka, until the mid 1990s when its name was sold to a Taiwan conglomerate. Its products ranged from suspension forks to derailleurs...
and Shimano rapidly stepped in to fill the void. While both companies provided products for all price-ranges of the market, SunTour also focused on refinement of existing systems and designs for higher end products, while Shimano initially paid more attention to rethinking the basic systems and bringing out innovations such as Positron shifting (a precursor to index shifting) and front freewheel
Front freewheel
The Shimano front freewheel design was an innovative bicycle drivetrain design of the 1970s. To improve the normal bicycle with a freewheel between the rear sprocket cluster and wheel hub, Shimano inserted a freewheel between the pedal cranks and the front chainrings that enabled the rider to shift...
systems at the low end of the market.
In the 1980s, with Shimano pushing technological innovation and lower prices, the more traditional European component manufacturers lost significant market presence. During this period, in contrast to the near-universal marketing
Marketing
Marketing is the process used to determine what products or services may be of interest to customers, and the strategy to use in sales, communications and business development. It generates the strategy that underlies sales techniques, business communication, and business developments...
technique of introducing innovations on the expensive side of the marketplace and relying on consumer demand to emulate early adopters along with economy of scale to bring them into the mass market, Shimano and SunTour (to a lesser extent) introduced new technologies at the lowest end of the bicycle market, using lower cost and often heavier and less durable materials and techniques, only moving them further upmarket if they established themselves in the lower market segments.
In the 1980-1983 period, Shimano introduced three groupsets with "AX" technology: Dura-Ace & 600 (high-end), and Adamas in the low-end. Features of these components include aerodynamic styling, centre-pull brakes, brake levers with concealed cables, and ergonomic pedals.
By 1985 Shimano introduced innovation only at the highest quality level (Dura-Ace for road bikes and Deore XT for mountain bikes), then trickled the technology down to lower product levels as it became proven and accepted. Innovations include index shifting (known as SIS, Shimano Index System introduced in 1984), freehubs, dual-pivot brakes, 8-9-10 speed drivetrains, and the integration of shifters and brake levers. Also, these components could only work properly when used with other Shimano components, e.g. its gear rear dérailleurs have to be used with the correct Shimano gear levers, cables, freehub and cassette.
SunTour tried to catch up to this technological leap, but by the end of the 1980s SunTour had lost the technological and commercial battle and Shimano had achieved the status as the largest manufacturer of bicycle components in the world.
For the most recent example, in 2003 Shimano introduced "Dual Control" to mountain bikes, where the gear shift mechanism is integrated into the brake levers. This development was controversial as the use of Dual Control integrated shifting for hydraulic disc brakes required using Shimano hydraulic disc brakes, locking competitors out of the premium end of the market. However with their 2007 product line, Shimano moved back to making separate braking and shifting components fully available in addition to the integrated "Dual Control" components, a move to satisfy riders that wished to use Shimano shifting with other brands of disc brakes.
Shimano Pedaling Dynamics
Shimano Pedaling Dynamics, also known as SPD system is a design of clipless bicycle pedals. The SPD pedal was released by Shimano in 1990. While not the first, its innovation was its small cleat which fitted in a recess in the sole of a shoe designed for SPD use...
(SPD) range of clipless pedals and matching shoes, specifically designed so that the shoes could be used for walking. The shoes have a recess in the bottom of the sole for fitting the smaller cleats and therefore it does not protrude, while conventional clipless road pedals are designed for road cycling shoes which have smooth soles with large protruding cleats, which are awkward for walking. The SPD range, in addition to other off-road refinements, were designed to be used with treaded soles that more closely resemble rugged hiking boots. SPD pedals and shoes soon established themselves as the market standard in this sector, although many other manufacturers have developed alternatives which are arguably less prone to being clogged by mud and/or easier to adjust. However, the SPD dominance in this sector has meant that alternative pedal manufacturers nearly always design their pedals to be usable with Shimano shoes, and likewise mountain bike shoe manufacturers make their shoes "Shimano SPD" compatible. SPD has spawned 2 types of road cleats which are incompatible with standard SPD pedals and some shoes - SPD-R and SPD-SL. SPD-R is a now defunct pedal standard. SPD-SL is basically a copy of the standard Look clipless pedal system. It has a wide, one-sided platform and a triangular cleat that is Look 3-bolt compatible.
Products of Shimano
Shimano has developed many new items, some successful and others not.- Shimano Alfine - The Alfine 700 is a internally geared hubHub gearA hub gear, internal-gear hub, or just gear hub is a gear ratio changing system commonly used on bicycles that is implemented with planetary or epicyclic gears. The gears and lubricants are sealed within the hub-shell of the bicycle's rear wheel, as opposed to derailleur gears, where the gears and...
with more than 10 speeds which weighs less than 1700 grams (auxiliary components not included). The product was introduced to the market in the fall of 2010. It comprises four stepped planetary series offering a total of 11 speeds. - NexusShimano NexusShimano Nexus is a brand of bicycle components which includes products such as epicyclical gear hubs, cranksets, shifters, brake levers, hub brakes, hub dynamos, and a CPU for automatically changing gears. The series is primarily aimed at the "comfort" market such as urban commuters and tourers,...
- Shimano's family of internally geared hubs. Available in 7- and 8-speed with or without a coaster brake. The Nexus hubs are comparable in range to a full 16-20 speed system. - Dyna Drive - a pedal system with no pedal axle and with the bearings located in the part of the pedal which screws into the crank. This required an oversized hole in the crank 25mm (1" diameter) to accept the Dyna Drive pedals. The theory behind this was to allow the foot to be lower than the pedal axle for better biomechanics. This system was relatively short lived, one reason being that the pedal bearings wore out quickly. However, they were used by Alexi GrewalAlexi GrewalAlexi Singh Grewal ' is a Sikh-American Olympic gold medalist and former professional road racing cyclist. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Grewal became the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in road cycling...
(USA) in his gold medal winning ride in the 1984 Olympic cycling road race in Los Angeles.
- Freehub - Shimano introduced a combined rear hub and freewheel in the late 1970s which they named "freehub". But it didn't catch on, as its arrangement of internally splined sprockets sliding onto the matching externally splined freehub was incompatible with the then standard separate hub and screw-on freewheel. When a larger number of rear sprockets came to be used, the freehub concept was re-introduced, and is now the dominant rear hub type. Freehub style hubs are inherently stronger than screw on sprocket and freewheel set ups because it allows the bearings on the drive side of the hub to sit nearer to the end of the hub axle, reducing bending in the axle caused by chain tension and rider weight, a significant problem leading to fatigue failure in many axles as 6 and 7 speed blocks were introduced.
- Metric chain - Shimano designed chains with a 10 mm pitch instead of the conventional half inch pitch as well as sprockets and chainrings for use with this metric chain; however this did not catch on. For a time 10 mm pitch chains, sprockets, and chainrings, were used for motor-paced racing, to reduce the size and weight of the transmission system.
- HyperglideHyperglideHyperglide is the name given to the series of ramps in bicycle derailleur tooth cassette systems. It varies gear tooth profiles, and/or pins along the faces of freewheel or cassette sprockets, or between the chainrings in a crankset, to ease shifting between them.-Development:The design, developed...
HG - Cutaways on the rear gear sprockets (Called the cassette if it slides onto a freehub body) that allow smoother downshifting (Shifting from a small sprocket to a bigger one) as the cutaways allow the chain to roll from one sprocket to another without lifting as far off the sprocket teeth. This allows a certain amount of gear shifting under power, though this remains hard on the drivetrain. - Interactive Glide IG - Gears feature "pick-up teeth" and specially shaped tooth profiles for smoother and faster shifting.
- Hollowtech cranks - These are cranks which are pressure die cast as tubes open at the pedal end and forged closed before being threaded for the pedals. Previous to this hollow cranks tended to be tubes with a solid part welded to each end to take the pedals and the bottom bracket. The Shimano Deore crank remains the only hollow crank on the market at its price point.
- Hollowtech II - This was the next iteration after hollowtech cranks. For this system the bottom bracket axle was fused to the drive side crank and the non drive side crank fitted on a spline on the axle using pinch bolts. The bottom bracket bearings sat outside the BB shell in the frame, allowing the BB axle to be a larger diameter, making it stiffer and lighter. The bearing reliability of this system remains quite variable compared to previous Shimano cartridge BB's as Hollowtech II bearing alignment is at the mercy of the alignment of the BB shell threads and the facing of the BB shell rather than factory set by Shimano in the case of the cartridge BB's. Race face make a system with compatible bearings which they call X-Type.
- Shimano Total IntegrationShimano Total IntegrationShimano Total Integration is a gearshift system designed by Shimano for racing bicycles. It combines the braking and gear shifting controls into the same component. This allows shifting gears without having to remove a hand from the bars, unlike previous down tube shifting systems...
(STI) (the marketing name for the integration of shifting into the brake levers) for road bikes, enabling the rider to shift without taking the hands off the brake levers. This made it possible to shift during uphill passages that require getting out of the saddle, and added general convenience for the rider. - SLR ("Shimano Linear Response") - Integration of a return spring into the brake lever, pushing the brake cable back when the lever is released. The idea behind this was that the return spring in the actual brake could be designed to be weaker, thus giving an overall feeling of easier operation.
- Servo Wave - This is a system Shimano introduced to brake levers which allowed them to pull more brake cable at the start of the lever stroke than at the end, giving improved separation between the brake blocks and the rim to allow for mud and lack of trueness in the wheels while still delivering the same braking power as systems which have a constant ratio between lever movement and cable pull and therefore less pad clearance. This was introduced during the mid-1990s. This was implemented initially by mounting the brake cable on a roller that moves towards the lever pivot in a slot in the lever blade as the lever is pulled. A second design pulled the brake cable downwards towards a cam near to the brake lever pivot instead. Servo wave has appeared for the first time on a hydraulic disk brake lever on the 2008 Shimano XT groupset.
Results
In the 1988 Giro d'ItaliaGiro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
, Andy Hampsten
Andrew Hampsten
Andrew Hampsten is an American former professional road bicycle racer who won the 1988 Giro d'Italia and the Alpe d'Huez stage of the 1992 Tour de France.-Career highlights:...
rode Shimano to its first Grand Tour victory. Lance Armstrong
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong is an American former professional road racing cyclist who won the Tour de France a record seven consecutive times, after having survived testicular cancer. He is also the founder and chairman of the Lance Armstrong Foundation for cancer research and support...
's 1999 victory
1999 Tour de France
The 1999 Tour de France was the 86th Tour de France, taking place from July 3 to July 25, 1999. It was won by Lance Armstrong, his first of 7 consecutive wins, the most in Tour history. There were no French stage winners for the first time since the 1926 Tour de France.The 1999 edition of Tour de...
in the Tour de France
Tour de France
The Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
on a Shimano Dura-Ace equipped Trek
Trek Bicycle Corporation
Trek Bicycle Corporation is a major bicycle and cycling product manufacturer and distributor under brand names Trek, Gary Fisher, Bontrager, Klein and until recently, LeMond Racing Cycles...
was the first time Shimano components had been used to win the Maillot Jaune. In 2002, Dura-Ace equipped bikes were ridden to victory in the Tour de France (Lance Armstrong), Giro d'Italia
Giro d'Italia
The Giro d'Italia , also simply known as The Giro, is a long distance road bicycle racing stage race for professional cyclists held over three weeks in May/early June in and around Italy. The Giro is one of the three Grand Tours , and is part of the UCI World Ranking calendar...
(Paolo Savoldelli
Paolo Savoldelli
Paolo Savoldelli is an Italian former road racing cyclist and winner of the 2002 and 2005 Giro d'Italia....
), and Vuelta a España
Vuelta a España
The Vuelta a España is a three-week road bicycle racing stage race that is one of the three "Grand Tours" of Europe and part of the UCI World Ranking calendar. The race lasts three weeks and attracts cyclists from around the world. The race is broken into day-long segments, called stages...
(Aitor González
Aitor González
Aitor González Jiménez is a former Spanish road bicycle racer who raced as a professional from 1998 to 2005. He turned professional in 1998 with Avianca-Telecom; his last was Euskaltel-Euskadi. He won the 2002 Vuelta a España with Kelme after attacking his teammate leading the race. He won and the...
), marking the first time Shimano componentry had been used to win all three grand tours. World championships in both the road and time trial
Time trial
In many racing sports an athlete will compete in a time trial against the clock to secure the fastest time. In cycling, for example, a time trial can be a single track cycling event, or an individual or team time trial on the road, and either or both of the latter may form components of...
disciplines were won on Shimano equipment. Alexi Grewal
Alexi Grewal
Alexi Singh Grewal ' is a Sikh-American Olympic gold medalist and former professional road racing cyclist. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, Grewal became the first American man to win an Olympic gold medal in road cycling...
(USA), who subsequently became a professional cyclist, used a bicycle equipped with Shimano DynaDrive chainset and pedals (the remainder of the components on his bicycle were primarily Suntour
SunTour
SunTour or SR Suntour is a manufacturer of bicycle components. It was Japanese owned and managed, based in Osaka, until the mid 1990s when its name was sold to a Taiwan conglomerate. Its products ranged from suspension forks to derailleurs...
and DiaCompe) to win the 1984 Olympic road race in Los Angeles.
VIA
"VIA" ("Vehicle Inspection Authority") is stamped on all Shimano parts. It is an official approval stamp used to certify parts of Japanese vehicles - including bicycles. This mark signifies compliance with certain quality standards and is similar to the "UL" (Underwriters LaboratoriesUnderwriters Laboratories
Underwriters Laboratories Inc. is an independent product safety certification organization. Established in 1894, the company has its headquarters in Northbrook, Illinois. UL develops standards and test procedures for products, materials, components, assemblies, tools and equipment, chiefly dealing...
) mark.
Road groupsets
For 2011, road bicycleRoad bicycle
The term road bicycle is used to describe bicycles built for traveling at speed on paved roads. Some sources use the term to mean racing bicycle...
groupsets include:
- Dura-Ace Di2 [7970] (10 speed electronic)
- Dura-Ace [7900] (10 speed)
- Dura-Ace Track [7700] (NJSJKA FoundationThe is the regulating body for pari-mutuel keirin and auto race competitions in Japan. These sports - two of Japan's four authorized where gambling is permitted - were originally regulated by two separate organizations...
-approved, which is a requirement of all bicycle components used in professional KeirinKeirinis a track cycling event in which racing cyclists sprint for victory. Keirin originated in Japan in 1948; the first Olympic competitions in the sport occurred in 2000....
racing in Japan) - Ultegra Di2 [6770] (10 speed electronic)
- Ultegra [6700] (10 speed)
- 105 [5700] (10 speed)
- Tiagra [4600] (10 speed) 9 speed on older models
- Sora [3400] (9 speed)
- 2300 [2300] (8 speed)
Mountain bike groupsets
Current mountain bikeMountain bike
A mountain bike or mountain bicycle is a bicycle created for off-road cycling. This activity includes traversing of rocks and washouts, and steep declines,...
groupsets include:
Cross country component
- XTR [M980] (10 speed) - Top of the range for cross-country mountain bikes
- Deore XT [M780] (10 speed)
- SLX [M660] (9 and 10 speed)
- Deore [M590] (9 speed) Entry level cross-country mountain bikes
- Non-series (brakeparts, cranks and pedals)
Trekking component
- Deore XT
- Deore LX
- Deore
Downhill/Freeride component
- Saint [M810] (9 speed) - Top of the range for downhillDownhill cyclingDownhill biking is a gravity-assisted time trial mountain biking event. Riders race against the clock, usually starting at intervals of 30 seconds , on courses which typically take two to five minutes to complete. Riders come from all around the world. Riders are timed with equipment similar to...
and freerideFreerideFreeride is a discipline of mountain biking closely related to downhill cycling and dirt jumping focused on tricks, style, and technical trail features. It is now recognized as one of the most popular disciplines within mountain biking....
bikes, and many components are based on the XT groupset - Hone [M600] (9 speed) - discontinued in 2008, replaced with SLX
Recreational mountain bikes component
- Alivio [M410 and M430] (8 and 9 speed)
- Acera [M360] (8 speed)
- Altus [M310] (8 speed)
- Tourney (6, 7, 8 speed) - Includes several different levels of quality, and can be found on department-store bicycles
Other groupsets
Other current groupsets include:- Capreo [F700] - This is a groupset designed for small-wheeled bikesSmall wheel bicycleSmall wheel bicycles are adult bicycles which have wheels of 20 inch nominal diameter or less, which is smaller than the 26" or 700c sizes common on most full-sized adult bikes. While many folding bicycles are small wheel bicycles, not all small wheel bicycles can fold...
such as foldersFolding bicycleA folding bicycle is a bicycle designed to fold into a compact form, facilitating transport and storage. When folded, the bikes can be more easily carried into buildings and workplaces or onto public transportation or more easily stored in compact living quarters or aboard a car, boat or plane...
and features a cassette with a 9-tooth sprocket - Nexave [C810] - This consists of several sub-groupsets designed for comfort and commuting bikes some of which feature internal hub gears and roller brakes.
- DXR [MX70] - Performance BMX racing component
Groupsets no longer offered include:
- DX - Parts often identical to LX, but often in different colourways.
- STX-RC - Mountain bike groupset - Predecessor to Deore available during the mid 1990s
- STX - Mountain bike groupset - between STX-RC and Alivio groups. For a limited time mid 1990s.
- Deore II - Mountain bike groupset above LX level for a limited time from 1989.
Partnerships
Shimano is a founding Member of the Global Alliance for EcoMobility, an international partnership that works to promote EcoMobility and thus reduce citizens’ dependency on private motorized vehicles worldwide. The EcoMobility Alliance was founded by a group of leading global organizations on the occasion of the Climate Change Conference in Bali in December 2007.Financial results
| Financial results | |||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | ||||||||||||||||
| Revenue (in $ million) | 2000 | 2500 | 2300 | 1800 | 1800 | ||||||||||||||||
| Operating Margin (%) | 11 | 15 | 14.8 | 12.3 | 15 | ||||||||||||||||
| Free Cash Flow (in $ million) | 373 | 109 | 252 | 98 | 200 | ||||||||||||||||