Coolwall Jan 2011 - Shimano MTB groupsets

Leading on from last month's poll on Campagnolo MTB groupsets it seemed fitting this month's poll featured Shimano.

So, up for the vote this month are Shimano's MTB Groupsets. Does 20 years of market domination and ruthless efficiency make them cool? You decide!

As ever a few pics to get you going.

Something so functional can never be considered cool.

agree.

do bears shit in the woods??????

cause theyre cool,do lower end groupset have thumbies nowadays?xtr was sexy , functional and so outta my paper round budget.......however cos suntour was not as popular i rek theyre cooler,but shimyouknowwho was still cool

M730-6 XT
M950-3 XTR
M770 XT transmissions and brakes
M660 SLX
Hyperglide.

Most of my MTBs are running this kit in some form.

Not as cool as Sachs or SRAM XO. But still way cooler than Campag.

Sure there have been some lemons-
The fiasco that was rapid-rise
Bio-Pace.
M737 XT
M970 XTR
Yumeya

But I'm going for cool.

M900; M950, M730; M700; Sante; 600 AX = cool.

The rest, notsomuch.

Nah - sensible shoes.

depends on what group

I often struggle with this bikes and parts as 'cool' concept.
Sometimes you see an old bike or a quirky bike ride past and think 'cool', but in general I don't get it. Some things are easy to define, eg. Wheels without proper wire spokes are deffo uncool as you look like a knob when riding with them.
Groupsets are like a big Sunday Roast Dinner for me. They are a mixture of things- some nice, some not so nice, some well executed, some not (Dual control being the over cooked sprout of the bike world). So, they do a job, some tasty, some not. But could a sunday dinner (or groupset) be even classed as 'cool' or 'un-cool'?

Oh dear! It's finally reared It's ugly, bland, corporate, price fixing, market distorting, black mailing (Giant) but oh so functional head!

That's without me having a go at their fishing S***

Shi*mano has never and will never be cool.

I will agree they did used to make a complete groupset back in the day. Then Dia-Compe came along with A-head system. Poor old Shimano!! Not made a complete groupset for many years.


al.