Shimano, Inc. (株式会社シマノ), originally Shimano Iron Works (島野鐵工所) and later Shimano Industries, Inc. (島野工業株式会社), is a Japanese multinational manufacturing company for cycling components, fishing tackle and rowing equipment, which also produced golf supplies until 2005 and snowboarding gear until 2008. Named after founder Shozaburo Shimano (島野庄三郎, 1894–1958) and headquartered in Sakai, Osaka Prefecture, the company has 49 consolidated subsidiaries, with the primary manufacturing plants based in Kunshan (China), Malaysia and Singapore.
In 2024, Shimano recorded revenue of US$2.87 billion, of which 48.9% in Asia, 35.6% in Europe, 10.4% in North America, and 5.1% the rest of the world. Bicycle components represented 76.6%, fishing tackle 23.3%, and other products 0.1%. The company is publicly traded, with 89.45 million shares of common stock outstanding.[7]
They are also the official neutral support for most of the UCI World Tour.
Cycling
Shimano sales constitute an estimated 85% of the global bicycle component market by value.[8] Its products include drivetrain, brake, wheel, and pedal components for road, mountain, track, and hybrid bikes. The components include cranksets comprising cranks and chainrings, bottom brackets, chains, rear chain sprockets and cassettes, front and rear wheel hubs, gear shift levers, brakes, brake levers, cables, and front and rear dérailleurs. Shimano Total Integration (STI) is Shimano's integrated shifter and brake lever combination for road 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 technical 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 and 600 (high-end), and Adamas in the low-end. Features of these components include aerodynamic styling, center-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 XT for mountain bikes), then trickled the technology down to lower production levels as it became proven and accepted. Innovations include index shifting (known as SIS, Shimano Index System introduced in 1984),[9] 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; for example, its rear derailleurs have to be used with the correct Shimano gear levers, cables, freehub, and cassette. SunTour tried to catch up, but by the end of the 1980s they had lost the technological and commercial battle, and Shimano had become 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 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 in 1990 introduced the Shimano Pedaling Dynamics (SPD) range of clipless pedals and matching shoes, 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 that have smooth soles with large protruding cleats, which are awkward for walking. The SPD range, in addition to other off-road refinements, was 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 that may be less prone to being clogged by mud 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 two types of road cleats that 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 three-bolt compatible.
Shimano products
Results
Alexi Grewal 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. In the 1988 Giro d'Italia, Andrew Hampsten rode Shimano to its first Grand Tour victory. In 2002, world championships in both the road and time trial disciplines were won on Shimano equipment. Alberto Contador's 2007 victory in the Tour de France on a Shimano-equipped bicycle represents the first official General Classification victory in that race by a rider using Shimano components (Lance Armstrong originally won the TDF with Shimano in 1999 but was later disqualified due to drug use).[11]
VIA
"VIA" ("Vehicle Inspection Association") 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.
Fishing
Shimano offers a range of fishing tackles including reels, rods, lines, lures, as well as various fishing accessories, apparels and electronics.[12] Among them, their spinning reels are their top-selling product series globally.[13] Top spinning reels of this brand (Stella SW C) cost from $950-$1350.[14]
Rowing
Shimano also offers a range of foot stretcher systems for rowing called SRD (Shimano Rowing Dynamics). The system consists of individualised rowing shoes and a foot stretcher to affix the shoes to.[15]
Manufacturing
Shimano has 13,000 employees (2017). Shimano runs fabrications in Australia, China, Germany, India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Vietnam.[16]
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.[17] 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.
Sponsorships
Shimano sponsors a wide range of organisations, cycling events and athletes. Some notable sponsees include:
- Tour de France, the most prestigious bicycle race in the world.[18][19]
- Ironman Triathlon, long-distance triathlon races, widely considered one of the most difficult one-day sporting events in the world.[20]
- Jonas Deichmann, a German adventurer, extreme athlete and multiple world record holder.[21]
- Henrique Avancini, one of world’s best mountain bike racers.[22]
See also
- Comparison of hub gears
- Daiwa
External links
References
- Summary of Financial Results 2024-12-31, retrieved 2026-01-23^
- Company Profile 2024-12-31, retrieved 2026-01-23^
- Company Profile retrieved August 31, 2018^