Originally Posted by
HerrKaLeun
Sine SRAM is even worse (MAP etc.), it will be hard to boycott both if you want modern drivetrains (and brakes).
The alternatives are not better or cheaper. Like box or sunrace.
KMC and Sunrace are good chain and cassette options that will get my money.
BOX looks really good in some narrow spots (single speed freewheels for BMX, drivetrain for downhill, things like that)
Microshift seems to be a reasonable competitor.
Sunrace seems to be coming on - their 12sp mtn stuff looks good, and their road offerings look fine as well - only drawback is non-aero shift cables and maxing out at 10sp. And availability - they haven't gotten any big online distribution, as near as I can tell. The prices you can get their stuff for is all over the map because of that.
Campagnolo groups from Europe are now cheaper than Shimano is available (as in, shimano doesn't seem to be available at all) - I can't even get Shimano through Jensen USA or Universal, I assume they aren't allowed to ship to Canada. ProBikeKit.ca no longer has groupsets, in fact doesn't seem to have any Shimano any more.
Shimano are the most recognizable name to the casual cyclist, and by far sell the most stuff both to OEMs and as upgrades. This might change if they are no longer accessible to the upgrade-itis crowd.
I've never really looked at SRAM because of difficulty in getting it - Shimano have now surpassed them in difficulty. Campagnolo I always percieved as a nightmare of compatibility. (although Shimano is no better post 5800/4700 groups)
If Campagnolo is now the most available and cheapest to home wrenches, I'm going to have to invest in a couple tools (although I guess maybe not if I go 11 speed - I can keep running 'shimano compatible' freehubs and cassettes and run FSA cranks)
The thing is, I'm not going to spend three times as much to get the 105 kit I might have bought from CRC or bike24 from the LBS - I'm probably going to buy nothing, buy Campy, or go full retro. I don't seen any way this actually benefits Shimano in overall sales.