Coolwall Jan 2011 - Shimano MTB groupsets

Let's face it the Exage, numbered GS groups, and Altus stuff weren't very exciting but Shimano's stuff worked as good or better than anything else on the market. If you were spec'ing bikes it was tough to choose over Shimano. In Suntours last couple years they weren't even close.

Up to, and including M737 = cool
Everything after that is modern, and by default un-cool

The Early Deore and Deerhead kits is uber cool imo

For me, because I saw Shimano everywhere, it was not cool.
But since I have interest for retrobike, I re-dicovered the SL-M732 XT groupo with Thumb shifter. For me, it's the coolest groupo made by shimano.
More cool than XTR (too sophisticated and too expensive for me).
This groupo works very fine without adjusts, it can be hard riden, and it fits fine on quite all the bikes.
It's like an old Land Rover

hollister":2bpbcspk said:

al":2bpbcspk said:

I can't believe that anyone into this 'scene' would find a company that has eroded Individuality within our hoby as cool.

It's a funny old world innit?

al.

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funny

you're just confusing one bandwagon for another

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Bandwagon?

If you think I am beating the anti-Shimano drum then I am.

As for the question posed, Is Shimano cool? Then we all only have to look at the pix of that disgusting carbon monstrosity of an XTR rear mech for the answer!!

al.

Deore II (became DX) and Deore XT-II (became XT) 7-speed with Hyperglide and thumbshifters were both cool. After that, and especially due to original STI, uncool.

al":2bdupkyc said:

Bandwagon?

If you think I am beating the anti-Shimano drum then I am.

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like I said..

al":2bdupkyc said:

As for the question posed, Is Shimano cool? Then we all only have to look at the pix of that disgusting carbon monstrosity of an XTR rear mech for the answer!!

al.

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I really hope you're basing your answer on something other than that(see bandwagon comment above)

this place needs a facepalm smiley

al":2kpwfdwg said:

As for the question posed, Is Shimano cool? Then we all only have to look at the pix of that disgusting carbon monstrosity of an XTR rear mech for the answer!!

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FPWM

General question!

That is an incredibly broad question!

In the 25 or so years that Shimano MTB groupsets have been available, there have been lots of 'em

And those groupsets have evolved a lot! and there are some really poor low end sets

My favourite is XT the 'black face' stuff... Late eighties with flat black parallelograms on the mechs and nineties stuff with the triangular profile...

The four arm cranks.. from '96 do look pretty bad though (got an LX one on my Univega, have a five arm waiting to go on)

I'm not that interested in XTR but it makes sense, snagging some of the boutique market...

I'd say '80s early '90s: XT/DX/LX/X00LX are cool, lesser gruppos not cool too much steel

And mid '90s (ish) XTR/XT/LX cool STX borderline, beneath that not cool, too much steel

Modern stuff looks increasingly naff, the later nineties silver XT looks OK but it's gone all cyber looking now... Some sort of SRAM response?

- I voted cool for Campag

- I would not vote cool for SRAM

I always feel really pissed off when I get a bike with GripShift on it, 'cos it means I have to dig around sorting out proper shifters for it (Shimano shifters)

I mean, using the bars and grips as bearing surfaces? Jesus! and sooooo much plastic!

If it is something you want, then obviously it's cool

I shouldn't think anyone likes all of it

hollister":2xmbhk5i said:

al":2xmbhk5i said:

Bandwagon?

If you think I am beating the anti-Shimano drum then I am.

Click to expand...

like I said..

al":2xmbhk5i said:

As for the question posed, Is Shimano cool? Then we all only have to look at the pix of that disgusting carbon monstrosity of an XTR rear mech for the answer!!

al.

Click to expand...

I really hope you're basing your answer on something other than that(see bandwagon comment above)

this place needs a facepalm smiley

Click to expand...

Not sure I need to justify my views to anyone!!

I'm putting the un-cool arguement forward on the basis this is a forum and we have all been asked the question.

maybe this will help the debate.

Are Toyota cars cool?















you sure?










Now, are Toyota cars cool?


No!! the 2000 GT was though.

al.

I promise this is my last post on the subject.

al.