“No one ever notices the underdog until it’s biting their head off.” – me.

Solid. Dependable. Established. Grey. These are words I use to describe one of the biggest brands in the business. Another I use is: boring. Shimano are the bearded accountant with an office in the basement adjacent to the mailroom and elevator. They’re there, but you don’t really think about them being there until they turn up to the Christmas party dressed as a giant carrot. The Japanese company has never been liberal with flash or bling unlike its American counterpart SRAM. While Shimano was busy finalizing its Mega 9-speed group in the late 90s, SRAM was covering its twist shifters and derailleurs in Stars and Stripes and woodgrain effects. Both of those were magnificent, while Shimano gave us a hideously ugly gold edition LX kit and expensive Yumeya upgrade parts for already overpriced XTR components. Thanks. The two companies couldn’t sit further from each other at the dinner table, and I’ve always had the sneaking suspicion that SRAM views Shimano as a level playing industry competitor while Shimano considers SRAM a slack-jawed, pimple-faced adolescent getting in the way. The battle between the two for market share over the years has been tiny though. No, wait, not tiny. I meant gargantuan! So who’s winning? Read on to find out…

Both companies release new groups every year, and both attack from very different angles. Shimano has always taken a cautious, considered, almost conservative approach to drivetrain solutions while SRAM is constantly pushing the boundaries. SRAM was the first to have a trigger shifter that could be activated with the thumb only so your other four fingers could grip the bar for better control; this was so clever Shimano copied it the following season on their shifters. SRAM purchased Avid for their brake technology because Arch Supremes were as good as XTR. RockShox was in a huge slump until SRAM came along and completely turned the company around. Truvativ had excellent carbon cranks, now they say SRAM on them. Zipp shot them into the road and tri market and recently Quarq power meter systems are popping up everywhere, even on World Cup DH rigs. SRAM was building an empire.

Shimano hasn’t done any of that, but they haven’t really needed to either. They’ve had their own brakes and cranks for decades now, both of which are the ducks guts, and they seem to show little interest being involved with any form of suspension. They have been the first to offer electronic shifting for mtbs and have integrated their own electric motor system STEPS into a few brands. But neither is a surprise because it’s what the Japanese have always been so good at, gadgets. “So what?” you might ask. Well, thankfully the wheel size debate has finally subsided (until the 36er is developed more) and the latest buzz hurtling around the interweb is rim and tyre widths and cassette size. Since neither SRAM or Shimano make tyres (god, can you imagine?) let’s stick to gearing.

SRAM struck first with 10-speed in 2009 and showed us with XX just how good a front derailleur can shift and just how expensive cassettes can cost. The shift ramps on the front chainring looked as though they had been carved with an axe and the carbon shifter paddles stolen from an Formula 1 car. Then in 2014 they struck first again with 11-speed and showed us that you don’t actually need a front derailleur at all and cassettes are going to continue being expensive so get used to it, and while we we’re at it here’s a completely new cassette body that isn’t cross-compatible. Thanks. When SRAM released their 1X11 setups, a number of significant things occurred in the industry. Firstly, SRAM have pretty much committed themselves to 1x systems for good. Putting forth such a huge investment in the technology, no-one would ever take them seriously if they came out next year with a redesigned front mech or a spiderless triple. 13-speed probably. Second, by being first in, it’s given some bike manufactures the opportunity to redesign or update their suspension platforms to function better by not having front derailleur/ chainring placement to consider. Coincidence that the non-front derailleur compatible Santa Cruz Nomad was released around the same time as 1×11? I think not. Thirdly, by being first in, SRAM have completely shot themselves in the foot.

By playing the cautious card and waiting to see what the little upstart was going to do, Shimano was able to gauge market response to not just 11-speed but single chainring systems in general. When it came time to release their flagship M9000 XTR 11-speed group, it was done so with a front derailleur and the statement “single chainring options to come”. How brilliant is that? Shimano didn’t pigeonhole themselves into specific technology (or cassette bodies) by trying to come out ahead, but by carefully considering its customers. Almost as a spiteful retort, SRAM’s 12-speed, very gold, very obvious, very vulgar and ostentatious Eagle group landed recently and we have yet to see a response from the Japanese. It won’t be, but let’s pray it’s a gearbox.

So who’s in the lead? SRAM, the ones with the most gold, the most gears and the most teeth? Or Shimano, with more gearing options and the first to give the MTB world electronic shifting which is also being integrated into some suspension systems? Well, neither. The winner is… OneUp. Yep, this unassuming little Canadian company has almost overnight made a huge name for themselves by offering what the others don’t. Solutions. Their range of bail-out cogs mean that no matter whose gear you run, you always have the range you want. The newest addition is their Shark Expander Sprocket. It’s a 50-tooth cog designed to work with Shimano XT 11-speed cassettes to give you the same low range as SRAM 12-speed Eagle. How perfect is that? The spread of an Eagle but with an XT price tag? Now that really is jumping the shark.