Trusted Brands and Components

[inanout]

Hi, I was wondering, how do you guys figure out which components are good? I've tried googling specific components e.g. Shimano Acera 8-speed reviews, but nothing really seems to come up. From what I understand, there are only a couple companies that produce pretty much all of the components, with many companies sourcing these parts but designing their own frames etc.

Would this mean that pretty much anything Shimano is good/comparable? or is there some sort of hierarchy to it?

Also, some commenters say to stay away from Reid/iamfree/etc bikes as they are cheap and tend to break down, but is there a list of companies that are usually fairly well trusted? and would you be better off buying one of the more high-end bikes from those cheaper brands or a cheaper bike from a trusted brand?

and side note, has anybody had any experience with the Apollo Exceed 20 (2017)?

[Duck!]

Shimano produce a huge range of stuff, from premium level right down to absolute bottom-dwelling stuff.

In Shimano's line-up there are seven base groupset levels in road gear and eight MTB, but there are multitudes of parallel "non-series" components that roughly align with the various levels. Acera is upper low-end MTB gear, typically found as factory-spec on entry-level bikes, but is not really anything you would consider upgrading to unless you're starting from a very low-level base.

Although initially complex, Shimano's product numbering system comprehensively lays out where every component fits in the hierarchy, as well as evolutions of that spec level; the first two letters identify the component - SL = shift lever, BL= brake lever, RD = rear derailleur, FD = front derailleur, etc, then it gets meaty. First after the component code is usually a letter, R for road, M for MTB, A for all-purpose, although for many years the "proper" road groups had no R prefix. The first number in the series identifies the spec ranking; the higher the number, the further up the ranks it sits. For reference in the MTB gear, the top-level XTR numbers have always begun with M9; Acera by comparison is M3... The second digit in the sequence generally identifies the series evolution, but there are some discrepancies, especially as the MTB range has changed from three-digit to four-digit codes over the past few years, in which case the four-digit code is the most recent version of the group, eg M3000 Acera supercedes M360; by extension, all M3000 series components are designed as a set, likewise M360, M340 is an older variant in the evolution.... Finally, the third and/or fourth digits identify individual variants of a particular component.

I could go on a lot more, but covers the basic guts of it.....

[inanout]

Shimano produce a huge range of stuff, from premium level right down to absolute bottom-dwelling stuff.

In Shimano's line-up there are seven base groupset levels in road gear and eight MTB, but there are multitudes of parallel "non-series" components that roughly align with the various levels. Acera is upper low-end MTB gear, typically found as factory-spec on entry-level bikes, but is not really anything you would consider upgrading to unless you're starting from a very low-level base.

Although initially complex, Shimano's product numbering system comprehensively lays out where every component fits in the hierarchy, as well as evolutions of that spec level; the first two letters identify the component - SL = shift lever, BL= brake lever, RD = rear derailleur, FD = front derailleur, etc, then it gets meaty. First after the component code is usually a letter, R for road, M for MTB, A for all-purpose, although for many years the "proper" road groups had no R prefix. The first number in the series identifies the spec ranking; the higher the number, the further up the ranks it sits. For reference in the MTB gear, the top-level XTR numbers have always begun with M9; Acera by comparison is M3... The second digit in the sequence generally identifies the series evolution, but there are some discrepancies, especially as the MTB range has changed from three-digit to four-digit codes over the past few years, in which case the four-digit code is the most recent version of the group, eg M3000 Acera supercedes M360; by extension, all M3000 series components are designed as a set, likewise M360, M340 is an older variant in the evolution.... Finally, the third and/or fourth digits identify individual variants of a particular component.

I could go on a lot more, but covers the basic guts of it.....

That's actually really interesting. Thank you! A road bike would usually have road bike derailleurs though right? Because the Apollo Exceed I was looking at had the MTB Acera rear derailleur but was classified as a flat bar road bike.

How do you find out all this stuff though? just trawl through the manufacturer website or?

[mikgit]

duck covered it pretty well, but in case you want pictures and things...

Mtb
https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/blog/mo ... -explained
Road
https://www.bikeexchange.com.au/blog/ro ... at-to-know

But yeah bikes are a bit...kinda...like cars. The car manufactures make the chassis and panels and engines, but all the other bits like; electronics, injectors, alternators, radiators, wheels and tyres type stuff is outsourced, sure made to their specific specs, but still outsourced and there are a few main manufacturers (Bosche, denso, sard etc etc). But then bikes themselves are mostly outsourced. Most of the bikes you find are actually made by Giant or Merida. It's not until you go up a bunch of price brackets that they'll be made by the actual company with the name on the downtube.

[redsonic]

That's actually really interesting. Thank you! A road bike would usually have road bike derailleurs though right? Because the Apollo Exceed I was looking at had the MTB Acera rear derailleur but was classified as a flat bar road bike.

How do you find out all this stuff though? just trawl through the manufacturer website or?

Duck doesn't have "expert" after his name for nothing. We are lucky on these forums to have access to his advice and knowledge.

I guess Apollo label the Exceed a flat bar road bike because of its road wheels and maybe road geometry, but it definitely has mountain gearing, with a triple 28/38/48 crank. Probably aiming at recreational riders, bike paths or maybe commuters with lots of hills on their route.

[mikgit]

How do you find out all this stuff though? just trawl through the manufacturer website or?

I found, growing up through the 80's into the 90's, I would buy magazines on what I was interested in (so running, mtb, tri) and just absorb them.

[Duck!]

That's actually really interesting. Thank you! A road bike would usually have road bike derailleurs though right? Because the Apollo Exceed I was looking at had the MTB Acera rear derailleur but was classified as a flat bar road bike.

How do you find out all this stuff though? just trawl through the manufacturer website or?

Entry-level flat-bar roadies quite often have MTB running gear, mainly because the MTB range offers lower and more versatile gearing options typically favoured by less experienced riders.

I know this stuff because it's my job.

[MattyK]

I know this stuff because it's my job.

How do you have time for a job between your hours here?

[fat and old]

I know this stuff because it's my job.

How do you have time for a job between your hours here?

He gets paid to do both!