SRAM stressing Shimano?

Tim over at Masiguy offers his take of the new SRAM road shifters.  In his opinion, they pose a more significant threat to Shimano than Campy does.

"as a Product Manager for a bike brand, it gives me another option for road parts, which is always good. Also, it creates more "pressure" for Shimano...Maybe it is just me, but this could prove to be some of the biggest news in road componentry of the past few years."

SRAM - who also owns Truvativ, Rock Shox and Avid - is already much better positioned to offer the elusive "complete drivetrain" than Shimano is.  More info on SRAM's road stuff from Cyclingnews.com.

Comments

[Lisa Williams]

Yeah, I don't think Campy's really in a position to push out Shimano anyway, no? I love the stuff, but it's expensive and basically a niche luxury brand. (Though I hate the carbon fiber shifters. Uuuuugly).

[Tim Jackson- Masiguy]

Man, my blog has been getting a lot of traffic since that post too. Seems like a lot of people (at multiple companies) have been interested in those comments from yesterday.

As I mentioned in my post, I wasn't trying to smack Shimano (or Campagnolo for that matter). I sincerely believe that this is very exciting news and good for the industry. It would be silly to think that SRAM will take a big bite out of anybody, at first at least. They will need time to develop the products and gain recognition in the road market before they can be really judged as a "player" in the market or not.

By having another option, it allows product guys like me an option if there is a supply shortage or a pricing gap, or some other issue arises. As much as I love Campy, and I really love Campy, they still remain too expensive for many US consumers due to the strength of the Euro against the dollar. Hell, it was my intention to spec at least three bikes with Campy parts this coming year, but the cost was just too prohibitive. I can sell Campy bikes, but only in small numbers and that isn't what my job is about. If Campy parts were comparable in price to Shimano, my catalog would be full of Campy-equipped bikes and Shimano-equipped bikes. Campy makes, in my opinion, some of the prettiest parts in the world. I lust after them personally, but as a guy tasked with selling as many bikes as possible, I am unable to meet the expectations of my bosses by spec'ing Campy.

SRAM entering the market will give me another option, presumably not as expensive as Campy. Maybe SRAM-equipped bikes will show up in my catalog one day soon. I don't know anything about the stuff yet, so I don't really know. Personally, I would gamble to guess that the parts will fall somewhere in the Mavic/Suntour realm- a popular 3rd option.

Tim Jackson
Brand Manager
Masi Bicycles

[John Satory]

If it wasn't for the passion and the history involved in the sport of cycling, Campy wouldn't be where it's at today. Honestly, I couldn't look someone in the eye and tell them that they should get Campy instead of Shimano, and still keep a straight face. This being said, I welcome SRAM into the road market. They definitely have something to bring to the table. As they say, competition breeds excellence.

[steelrider2]

One never knows all the thoughts behind a press release. Is SRAM trying to get some press and blog space? Do they really have the capital to make such an investment? It takes some significant capital and engineering to put a program like this together...then it takes some production costs...then it takes some serious marketing...then it takes some time for acceptance to occur. I wouldn't look for them to be a player for at least 3 seasons.

[Guitar Ted]

I look at this news as an exciting new "possibility" for the future. Once, and more importantly "IF" it becomes available, it will have to work on an acceptable level in comparison to it's competitors. Otherwise, it's not even going to be "on the radar screen" for anyone. It happens to look alot like a Shimano brifter with Campy routing. It looks good. But this won't mean diddly if it doesn't work as well, or better than Shimano. It's for this reason alone that I don't expect to see this group out anytime soon. I know SRAM said that it would be available in for the '07 model year, but that's optimistic, in my veiw.