New Taiwanese company seeks to compete with Shimano and others for the budget-minded consumer

Image courtesy of microSHIFT

    When a market is already flooded with products and companies have particular brand presence already established to the consumers, it is tough for a new company to edge into the market. In the case of cycling components, three manufactures dominate the market: Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo.

    All three companies have their own cult followings. Shimano, based out of Japan, has developed themselves as the market standard and the bar by which other companies are judged. SRAM, an American company that outsources to China, is a newer competitor which has become like the Toyota or Honda of the cycling market, making a sturdy comparable product at a marginally lower price than the other two. Campagnolo, of Italy, has been around forever and is essentially the Ferrari of cycling components; not just because they are produced in Italy, but because of their handmade nature and pure function philosophy.

    It almost seems like this market cannot be penetrated, however a new Taiwanese company called microSHIFT has launched a shifting system that is hundreds of dollars less than even SRAM, effectively doing what the Korean automakers did to the automotive industry in the last decade. They cornered a segment of the market and attract consumers who generally want quality at a lower price; those same consumers who probably purchased second-hand products to get the most for their dollar.

   The biggest attraction to microSHIFT, however, may be that it is completely compatible with Shimano components. So individuals who already have certain components can freely swap between the brands and see little to no difference in operation and performance. At a much lower price point, microSHIFT components seem like the clear option for those who cannot afford the top offerings from the big three, but want 90% of the performance.