It will become the supportive groupset that beginner riders choose to help them train for, and ride in more serious races.

By combining trickle down technology with a greater accessibility, SHIMANO 105 will continue to motivate and inspire more riders than ever to go after greater challenges.

It produced golf supplies until 2005 and snowboarding gear until 2008.

Headquartered in Sakai, Japan, the company has 32 consolidated subsidiaries and 11 unconsolidated subsidiaries.

Shimanos primary manufacturing plants are in Kunshan, China; Malaysia; and Singapore.

Bicycle components represented 80, fishing tackle 19, and other products 0.1.

The company is publicly traded, with 93 million shares of common stock outstanding.

The components include crankset comprising cranks and chainrings; bottom bracket; chain; rear chain sprockets or cassette; front and rear wheel hubs; gear shift levers; brakes; brake levers; cables; front and rear gear mechanisms or drailleurs.

Shimano Total Integration (STI) is Shimanos integrated shifter and brake lever combination for road bicycles.

The Italian firm Campagnolo as well as US based SRAM are Shimanos primary competitors in the cycling marketplace.

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 technological 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.

Features of these components include aerodynamic styling, centre-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 product levels as it became proven and accepted.

Innovations include index shifting (known as SIS, Shimano Index System introduced in 1984), 7 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.

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.

Shimanos primary competitors (Campagnolo and SRAM) also make proprietary designs that limit the opportunity to mix and match componentry.

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.

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 which have smooth soles with large protruding cleats, which are awkward for walking.

The SPD range, in addition to other off-road refinements, were 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 which may be less prone to being clogged by mud or easier to adjust.

Shimano 105 Groupset History