Shimano

The Japanese giant dominates the global bike-parts market, thanks to a man in a kimono and trilby hat

- Rob Ainsley

Over half of all the bike parts in the world are Shimano. As are over two-thirds of gears and brakes. It's the S of STI shifters ('Shimano Total Integration') and of SPD pedals ('Shimano Pedalling Dynamics') among other abbreviations. How come the Japanese company - started by a sole trader called Shozaburo Shimano in 1921 with a borrowed lathe and a shed, in a city more usually associated with making samurai swords - dominates the world of cycling?

Partly luck. In the 1980s its big rival Suntour, after some R&D underfunding and bad breaks, fell apart like a derailleur trashed by a baggage-handler. Shimano has been No 1 since.

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