Over the last year or so we’ve seen higher end products launched by companies such as Microshift and Sunrace who have traditionally been associated with low end OE kit.
I’ve been stocking and selling cassettes from Suntour and Sunrace for a while now and they appear to do the job just as well as Shimano and Sram’s offerings but at a cheaper price. Most owners of mid range bikes aren’t particularly brand conscious when it comes to replacement parts and are happy to have something that will ‘do the job’. I’m convinced that the reason Shimano have been so quick to roll out 10 speed across so many of their product lines is to stall their competitors for a few years as 2 extra teeth on the largest sprocket is hardly revolutionary.

I’m now wondering if transmissions are going to go the same way as brake pads? I hardly ever sell any of those now as most people go online to Superstar etc.

Good question. I am currently in the market for a cassette for a 2grand bike and I must admit I hadn’t thought about anything but SRAM or Shimano. This is partly because nobody seems to stock any alternatives near me and they don’t seem to big them up on internet sites. Having said that I used Suntour back in the day and found them fine but I’m not sure I would use them now.

don’t know much about (modern) suntour or sunrace but whenever i’ve looked at microshift it doesn’t seem cheap enough.

I’m a big fan of deore kit and it’s almost always cheaper that microshift.

You seem to be able to get good discounts on shimano/SRAM stuff as so much of it is produced OEM.

So although, on paper, the equivalent Microshift stuff maybe cheaper than, say, Shimano XT in practice you can get XT at 50% of RRP which beats the smaller players prices.

Yep, used KMC chains for years as they were a couple of quid cheeper than the equivalent shimano and made in the same factory (KMC make shimano chains).

If someoen made a XT style cassette cheeper I’d buy that too, but I’d rather not buy the heavy deore/HG50 ones.

you can get XT at 50% of RRP which beats the smaller players prices.

It often beats the prices the small player can get components for through the official supply chain. Six years ago I used to keep a full set of XT on the shelf, it’s special order only now.

I use old Suntour XC pro on my commuter as it outlast equivalent and current Shimano. Bigger bearings on the jockey wheels. 8 speed will always outlast 9/10 speed.

I tried a BBB cassette on my commuter two years back, with a new chain. Skipped madly if you put any torque at all through it. Went back to hunting for bargin discounted shimano stuff.

ADH are you sure you didn’t over tighten the lock ring? Some of the budget cassettes use plastic spacers between the sprockets which can be squashed if the lock ring’s too tight.

Good point. Didn’t think about that and it does have plastic spacers. I don’t normally tighten the lock ring too much … but you never know.

Being a bit short of money when I had to replace my road STis I bought some Microshift 10 speed shifters. The quality was okay (considering they were only £100), but ergonomically they are generally pants. Its very difficult to drop the chain down the cassette when on the drops, and when on the hoods my mitts can get caught in the shift levers.

Based on that experience I have decided not to consider Microshift again, but to make sure I buy Shimano. Also don’t think I’d try the mountain bike shifters.

Apart from that I have no problems not being faithful to the big companies. Will happily use different brand chains, but do avoid Shimano as I went through a phase of snapping them. Tried a BBB cassette which was so heavy it nearly caused subsidence in my house (in my head).

I might actually be inclined to be more biased against ‘other’ brands if I find a fault, or possibly be less prepared to admit the bigger companies stuff can be short lived or just not very good. Does that make sense?

Wouldn’t normaly consider them, but am very tempted by those new microshift thumbies, but only because they’re the only thumbies available.