Originally Posted by
CycleRyder
I have a Giant 29er mountain bike that needs some rebuilding. So I'm just going to strip it all down to the bare frame & start fresh with better parts. I plan to use this mountain bike as my daily commuter bike. I already got some street tires I plan to use to replace the stock knobby MTB tires with to make riding on paved roads easier.
Closer inspection of the components like hubs brakes shifting components etc. reveals they could be of better quality. The rear hub free body is loose (possibly internal damage) Before I planned the rebuild there was a ton of miles put on the bike. After reading the bad experiences people have with stock Shimano stuff I decided to go on a hunt for a possible Shimano alternative for my parts.
So could anyone recomend a good non Shimano brand for quality parts for shifting components, brakes etc? If there are quality Shimano parts I may mot be aware of please inform me about them.
Interesting premise, and a mistaken one, IMO. Shimano makes good stuff.
Shimano may not be the only game in town, but they are the dominant player in bike components. Hard to go far wrong sticking with Shimano. That said, if you were looking for a new chain, KMC and SRAM both make nice chains. Sunrace and SRAM make cassettes that compete with Shimano, though I wouldn't say they are better. Just worthy alternatives.
As far as shifters, Microshift and SRAM both make shifters that work with Shimano derailleurs. SRAM makes derailleurs that compete with Shimano derailleurs, but if you go with SRAM derailleurs, you have to also use SRAM shifters. All that said, I have used Shimano on most of my family's bikes for years and never had a problem, even with the really cheap Shimano Tourney shifters and derailleurs.