Originally Posted by Andrew R Stewart

I don't think this is what is actually how the priority of suppling works. The aftermarket is not what Shimano depends on. It is the OEM brands that buy the bulk of Shimano's production and what helps Shimano to better forecast their future manufacturing. I do agree that Shimano does think about the aftermarket suppliers needing product, just not so much that their bigger customers get shorted. A cynical person might also postulate that it is better for the big customers (and thus Shimano) to sell more bikes and a draught of repair parts (or their higher costs) will motivate some consumers to not wait for the upgrade parts and instead just get all the improvements a complete new bike has. Andy (who sometimes can be cynical)