So I was cruising around eBay looking for bike goodies, and came across a listing for some rim brake shoes from a company called Yokozuna. Apparently, they are the original manufacturer for Dura Ace shoes. I bought a couple pairs, and indeed, except for the anodizing, they are identical to my DA 7700 shoes.

I wonder how much Shimano (or any other manufacturers) make themselves, and how much is subcontracted? They are beautiful shoes, btw.

Not surprising. One of Yokozuna's hybrid cable/hydro disc brake models is also sold under the Juin Tech and Crust brands. I've been using their cartridge V-brake pads for years.

I'd guess that a lot of things are subcontracted. For example, do you think there's the bike brand sign on the door of the factory making any of these items sold by these brands?

1. Specialized shoes
2. SRAM brake pads
3. Shimano circuit boards and step motors
4. Bontrager tires, pumps, gloves, clothing, helmets, etc?

I'd say it's a question probably to a decent extent, what sign is on the door of the factory making most brands' frame volume?

I don’t know. Shimano makes all kinds of alloy metal parts. I wouldn’t think alloy brake shoe holders would be too far out of thier wheelhouse.

I pulled off one of the original DA shoes and did a side by side comparison. I should amend my original post to say there are slight differences. The shape of the wheel guides is nearly exact, but not quite. There’s a little pressed in rubber piece in each one, but the DA one has a slot like a screw.

The originals are at least about 20 years old, so I guess this could account for the slight differences with the newer issue.

if you think that is interesting, trace (the commonly found in households) brand names of alkaline batteries.. ie: Duracell .. & such

Yokozuna doesn't make anything. They are a brand owned by Merry Sales Co in South SF. Just like SOMA, and IRD and no doubt a few more 'brands'. There is no 'Yokozuna' factory just like there is no 'SOMA' factory. MSC has parts and components made overseas. They might design some and some come directly from the catalogs of some big parts manufacturers in Taiwan and possibly China. Yokozuna is most definitely NOT the manufacturer of Shimano D/A pad holders.

https://www.yokozunausa.com/about

Interesting, but is "our factory" one that they own, or is it "our factory" as in it's the one they buy their stuff from to rebrand and sell?

I did vendor evaluation in the PRC for years in the early 2000s.. You can watch a Chinese factory assembly line load (4) 6" valves into a crate one after the other with Chinese writing all over the crate and then when it moves out the next several crates that move in and are loaded with the same valves from the assembly line with "Crane Supply, Vaughan, Canada" proudly printed on the side of the crate.Vaughan, Ontario

What’s the practical difference?

Lots. Takagi used to make Shimano's cranks until Shimano bought out Takagi. SunTour was more a design shop than a manufacturer; Maeda Industries made the freewheels and derailleurs, Sugino made the cranks, Mikashima made the pedals, etc. Simplex made derailleurs and shift levers for Galli and others. Stronglight made headsets for Galli. Rumor has it that Zeus made titanium parts for Campagnolo.

So they own Phil Wood? Nitto? Tange? Sugino? Dia-Compe? Sturmey-Archer?

According to MSC's own website, MSC is a distributor. In addition to Yokozuna, the also distribute the brands I listed above--and about 50 others. What evidence do you have that Yokozuna "definitely" didn't make the Dura Ace brake shoe holders?. And if not, I have no doubt you can tell us who did.

Well, most importantly I worked for MSC as a rep for those brands.

I'm quite sure that Shimano designed their own D/A pad holders. Whether they were manufactured in a Shimano factory or contracted out I have no idea. I can also say with absolute certainty that there is no factory with 'Yokozuna' on the door so there's no way they could have manufactured pad holders for Shimano.

Regardless of the name on the factory door, I’m still curious if the same company made both the DA and Yokozuna shoe holders.

Even if they were made by the same company they still wouldn't be 'made by Yokozuna'.

I don’t care who makes them. Just curious who it is.

I don’t have a preference? I like knowing that Nitto made my Dura Ace stem, for instance. What’s the problem?

Just amused by the irony lol. No offense intended.

I knew when I wrote it that it sounded odd but I couldn’t figure out a better way to phrase it.

That seems more surprising to me. Shimano is expert at working aluminum. You'd think they would be able to make that stem all in house.

Exactly. That's why I'm sort of curious about these things. What is the impetus to have something you could easily make yourself be made by another contractor?

You'd be surprised. Major brands sometimes decide they don't have the time or resources to develop a particular part (maybe they spent too much time on something else, lost employees who were experts on that subject, or just plain didn't hit their mark), so they pay someone else so they can at least offer it in their name for the time being.