Microshift components 2022
 

Shimano has largely turned away from producing high chain/tooth capacity 7/8/9-speed derailleurs and triple chainsets in favour of 10/11/12-speed technologies yet those earlier technologies do have their strengths and even some advantages. But as Shimano is no longer producing many of those earlier components there would be reasons to search for worthwhile replacements and it turns out that Microshift specializes in bicycle drivetrains and has been around since 1999 with component engineering, design and production facilities in Taiwan and China. I searched but the latest Microshift discussion here on Bike Forums was in January of 2017 when Shimano was still fully producing those earlier technologies before demoting them by early 2018 and then discontinuing many of them by early last year, 2021.

I have a few questions which I will get to but what are your experiences and thoughts about Microshift components?

They work.

I have installed and set up many MIcroshift drivetrains and every one of them worked just fine. I have zero long term durability or reliability experience with them, but my guess is they will go the distance relative to the price point.

I've personally used their cassettes and have installed their shifters on several others' bikes. No issues whatsoever; they play well with other brands' drivetrain parts.

Advent X: 10-speed mountain bike drivetrain. Was an improvement over 12-speed SRAM and Shimano
Advent (9): Worthy replacement of Shimano 9-speed XT-level stuff that just got too old.
11-speed Bar end shifters: Work great (both mountain and road versions).

Polaris OBark: Advent (9): Worthy replacement of Shimano 9-speed XT-level stuff that just got too old.

Nice! I notice Microshift offers a long cage version of that with 47T capacity, with or without a clutch.

I've used 7speed Microsoft brifters to replace Shimano down tube shifters on several older bicycles. All were easy to set up, worked well, and gave me great service. Oh yeah, they were also cheaper than Shimano alternatives.

Not only do they work, they work well.
i use 9 speed brifters and i like them very much.
crisp clean shifting...maybe not as refined as the old 9 speed dura ace it replaced but they are good.

12-speed bar end for SRAM Eagle: cheap, light, works.

No you haven't; you don't even have a bike scammer! Stop trying to send me emails about "eddings" may have what you're looking for! SCAMMER!https://cimg5.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...119d4dac11.jpg
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...eda28f7e94.jpg

I bought shifters for my wife's bike. They look good and work good. They don't get enough use to give you a long term opinion. Some of their derailleurs remind me of my favorite SunTour's. That's a good thing. I would not hesitate to buy derailleurs from them. Just my 2 cents.

I put 2x9 Microshift brifters on my son's bike. They have a short-reach version and a normal reach version. I have the short reach version. However, I feel that it's not particularly shorter reach than the Shimano ST3300, 3400 series, which have a slim body and a reach adjustment screw. My kids hated the thumb switch of the ST3300 and prefer the paddles of the Microshift though. The Microshift brifters shift cleanly and crisply, but I feel the small paddle digs into your fingers when you are braking. My kids have no such complaint somehow.

I have the Advent-X group on my gravel bike and setup a Centos/R10/R9 group on a couple of road bikes. I haven't found anything to complain about.

i made a 1x11 drivetrain on a drop bar cx bike using a Microshift bar-con shifter and Microshift derailleur. It works, but there are issues.

The main problem is that the chain can whip out of the tension pulley and get caught riding between the cage and pulley. I've tried making the chain as short as possible to increase the tension. There is a type of clutch in the derailleur as well, which should help. However when I've taken the bike down mountain bike trail, the chain just ends up falling out into the space between the tension puller and the cage.

As long as I stay on smooth surfaces, there isn't a problem.

They are worth the price, but I feel they are second rate.

soooooo, what's going on here?

Shimano still makes 9 speed stuff but as time goes on it does get lower and lower in quality, the 7 and 8 speed stuff has already hit that bottom.

Microshift stuff is nothing special but still decent. The nice thing is they make bar end and thumb shifters which are a great way to shift. The low end stuff is not going to be an improvement over the similar Shimano stuff but is probably not necessarily worse.

The Advent stuff is pretty neat for what it is and certainly is a good way to go for a budget mountain or gravel bike.

For me though a nice M737 derailleur is the way to go they obviously aren't being made any more but aren't super tough to find and not super expensive and runs 9 speed like a champ which is really the minimum I want as it is easy to find decent quality 9 speed chains and cassettes and things like that.

Its a mixed bag in my opinion but generally positive.
Advent X works really well, have it on one of the kid's bikes.
Advent by comparison was less impressive, I found the shifting was harder to dial in and not as consistent as Advent X.
R9 rear der has rust issues, have it on a 20" kid's bike and the shifting steadily got worse as the rust got worse around the pivots and the spring. After 3 years it was tossed for an older used ultegra and the difference was obvious.
R10 rear der does not share this issue and works well.
R8, 9, 10 shifters all work well in my experience. I've swapped them onto several bikes, usually to replace shimano claris. The result was easier and more consistent shifting. Would always take microshift shifters over claris or sora.
But their cheap stuff can be really cheap, just built some bikes for a LBS with microshift m26 shifters and der, they worked, but not well. Probably better than tourney but not certain I'd take it over altus. Reminded me of the old, plastic sram parts.
Good stuff, but you've got to buy their more expensive stuff for the best results.

Ti, I have considered trying a Microshift left/front brifter to shift a triple. I am currently using a Gevenalle friction brifter. Vendors offer the Microshift as a single for 8, 9, and 10 sp drivetrains. Do you know if they are likely all the same for a triple? And do you know if they have many clicks for trim, or few clicks?

Thanks.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...aa6b726ac1.jpg
Here is a dorsal view of the Microshift rear derailleur showing the wide gap where the chain can skip into only during very rough surface riding. Perhaps it could be bent inward. There is no damage. This is exactly how it arrived from the factory. Perhaps I will take a photo of a Shimano for comparison.

I think they're speed specific. My 3 x 9 has 1 trim click.

Thanks for the response. Do you find it adequate, or good? I'm on a 9sp setup too.

I don't like the long throw of a Shimano brake level shift no matter the level anyway, so it's and improvement to me. It's a shifter that shifts and brakes, what more can I say? The levers, or the brake calipers that I'm using are good enough that I brake from the hoods with 2-3 fingers right under the pivot point of the brake lever.

good rundown on their line. i work with a lot of older bikes and shimano has abandoned that market, good to know that microshift works well with 7,8,9 speed bicycles. we can all hope that shimano will discover that it is best to repair old equipment than land fill bicycles.