Why so few new bikes with Shimano drivetrain?

hellmansam

Likes Bikes and Dirt
So I'm still going through the 'what bike should I get' stage. At least now I'm confident that a short travel 29er suits my local trails and riding tastes. Test rode a few FS bikes that had SRAM drivetrains and don't like the upshift lever ergonomics. I really prefer the Shimano 'trigger' set up and using my trigger finger to shift rather than the SRAM where it feels really awkward reaching forward with my thumb to find the lever. Looking around at 2018 model bikes and Shimano drivetrains aren't popular at all (Trek Fuel, Specialised Stumpy ST, Trance 29er) What's so good about SRAM GX Eagle that it's so dominant these days ?
I've been out of the market for a long time hence I dunno why it is so..
 

Daniel Hale

She fid, he fid, I fidn't
i don't think eagle is that good, but the increased range of the sram drivetrain at 500% sounds a lot better, shiamano seemed a bit slow onto the wide range party, why peeps were using suntour oneup with their gear
 

Stredda

Runs naked through virgin scrub
SRAM have the 12speed drivetrain in all levels while Shimano dicked around with front rings for too long and have only just released a 12 speed with a similar range but it's only in XTR at this stage. Most brands save coin on the drive train with something like GX in SRAM so Shimano have missed the boat for a few year until they have at least XT in 12 speed.
 

Oddjob

Merry fucking Xmas to you assholes
Probably sram lowballing the crap out of the oem market.

What they lose out on oem, they make bac by geoblocking.
Repeat after me: SRAM can eat a bag of dicks.

They are almost certainly lowballing the crap on OEM and making the money back on consumables. Its a pretty standard strategy.

Sent from my SM-G900I using Tapatalk
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
Indeed, package pricing, SRAM will be doing Rockshox and SRAM drive train and brakes for silly silly oem package pricing deals that distorts the market.


GX is pretty ordinary too. NX, junk.
 

hellmansam

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I did a day as a volunteer track marshall a few months ago at the Dunsborough round of WA Gravity Enduro series. In my spot at the finish of Stage 5 there was a tricky rock garden section that really sorted the skilled riders out from the rest. What I found interesting was the way several SRAM equipped riders had problems with their chain getting thrown off the jockey wheel and jamming in the derailleur cage, some of them were pretty irritated, saying it was a recurring problem. Only one Shimano derailleur had a drama and the rider had a terrible time untangling the chain, having to break it and remove a twisted link.

The riders who cleaned it were going pretty fast, timing their bunny hops down the two steps perfectly, missing all the baby head rocks and keeping their speed through the short uphill to the finish timing gate and having to brake a bit. The rest were fumbling for lower gears or dismounting and pushing the bike over the line. A couple of carbon rims were ruined on those baby head rocks.

With having to pay some attention to what riders were doing I couldn't keep track of how many bikes had SRAM vs Shimano compared to how many had trouble with chain jams but I was thinking to myself meh I don't want that going on with my new bike !
 

hellmansam

Likes Bikes and Dirt
I am building a bike as I can’t buy anything stock now that is Shimano. It’s all low level sram
And this is what I'm thinking I'll need to do, doesn't seem to be much point in buying an off the floor bike and upgrading a lot of it, or keeping the take-off bits to build n+1 hardtail if I don't like those bits at all.
 

born-again-biker

Is looking for a 16" bar
I've just been thru the whole new bike carousel and I spent months studying all the numbers/spec/price etc etc across a wide range of manufacturers.

I completely agree with OP, there are absolutely f-all new bikes with shimano brakes or d/t.....and I think that is a real shame.
There is something very reassuring about having shimano equipment on your bike. It just works, with no fuss IME.

I know SRAM has been ahead in the 1x d/t market and the Eagle stuff was/is superior for high end bikes......but what stumps me is that the bike companies would rather spec a mid or lower level model with SRAM NX and Level brakes, than fit Shimano SLX or Deore ?? WTF?
The lower level Shimano stuff has gotta be better than lower level SRAM ?!!
 

Boom King

downloaded a pic of moorey's bruised arse
Just buy a Sram equipped bike, rip the stuff off that you don't like, sell it for good coin to Sramophiles and buy your Shimano gear. Simple!
 

c3024446

Likes Bikes and Dirt
From the Wiki SRAM page, as a bit of fun history:

"In 1990, the company sued Shimano for unfair business practices, noting that Shimano offered, in effect, a 10-percent discount to bicycle manufacturers specifying an all-Shimano drivetrain and that few companies in the highly competitive industry would be willing to forgo such a discount to specify Grip Shift components. SRAM received an unspecified out-of-court settlement from Shimano in 1991. More importantly, all Shimano competitors won the right to compete in the lucrative OEM bicycle components arena.[6] "

Could also be that XT spec is 3 years old - the GX eagle is newer, hence likely to sell more bikes.
 

Mattl

Likes Dirt
With low to mid range road bikes the situation is the exact opposite with nearly all bikes fitted with Shimano groupsets so I'm sure Shimano still does ok in the OEM market.
 

Haakon

Keeps on digging
With low to mid range road bikes the situation is the exact opposite with nearly all bikes fitted with Shimano groupsets so I'm sure Shimano still does ok in the OEM market.
This is what I’ve observed too. And I’m with the market it seems - i prefer the way SRAM (gx eagle at present, XO 11 sp before this) shifts on the MTB, but prefer Shimano on the roadie.

Shimano also has the cheap bike market stitched up - all the sub $500 bikes for kids and commuting etc.
 

link1896

Mr Greenfield
From the Wiki SRAM page, as a bit of fun history:

"In 1990, the company sued Shimano for unfair business practices, noting that Shimano offered, in effect, a 10-percent discount to bicycle manufacturers specifying an all-Shimano drivetrain and that few companies in the highly competitive industry would be willing to forgo such a discount to specify Grip Shift components. SRAM received an unspecified out-of-court settlement from Shimano in 1991. More importantly, all Shimano competitors won the right to compete in the lucrative OEM bicycle components arena.[6] "

Could also be that XT spec is 3 years old - the GX eagle is newer, hence likely to sell more bikes.
A lot has happened in 28 years. Christ I still remember my first grip shift shifters. A clear case of not speaking ill of the emperors new clothes.
 

wkkie

It's Not Easy Being Green
Just buy a Sram equipped bike, rip the stuff off that you don't like, sell it for good coin to Sramophiles and buy your Shimano gear. Simple!
That's exactly what I did with my last new bike purchase. Just as it hit the floor, I sold the complete drivetrain minus the cranks and the brakes. went to Shimano all round, much happier.
 
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