STORY
With a View to Entering the Overseas Mass Market, Shimano Starts to Develop and Market High-quality Derailleurs
Shimano, which successfully made inroads into the U.S. market in the 1960s, searched for ways to roll out products that met mass-market demands. Against this background, TOURNEY joined Shimano’s derailleur lineup in 1971. Shimano initially released TOURNEY, which adopted aluminum parts, as a mid-level derailleur.
At that time, to expand overseas sales of bicycle components, the leading Japanese bicycle components manufacturers jointly established Japan’s Top Bicycle Parts Makers (JBM). JBM was intended to allow member companies to pool their components to provide a whole range of components to mount on bicycles and promote sales so that overseas customers would be able to purchase all bicycle components through a single point of contact. TOURNEY was a product with the same trademark as a front chainwheel manufactured by Takagi Iron Works, which belonged to JBM. Shimano later added brakes. However, after DURA-ACE was introduced in 1973 and the concept of system components was born, entry-level/low-end components groups were released one after another. As a result, TOURNEY was temporarily discontinued.
At that time, to expand overseas sales of bicycle components, the leading Japanese bicycle components manufacturers jointly established Japan’s Top Bicycle Parts Makers (JBM). JBM was intended to allow member companies to pool their components to provide a whole range of components to mount on bicycles and promote sales so that overseas customers would be able to purchase all bicycle components through a single point of contact. TOURNEY was a product with the same trademark as a front chainwheel manufactured by Takagi Iron Works, which belonged to JBM. Shimano later added brakes. However, after DURA-ACE was introduced in 1973 and the concept of system components was born, entry-level/low-end components groups were released one after another. As a result, TOURNEY was temporarily discontinued.
Aiming to Create a Series Loved by a Wide Spectrum of Riders by Developing an Entry-level Model Capitalizing on Engineering Capabilities
In the 1980s, selling prices of Japanese products rose significantly in overseas markets due to foreign exchange fluctuations and rising labor costs. In addition to this, manufacturers from Taiwan and other countries entered overseas markets with low-priced products and began to increase their market shares significantly.
To respond to this, Shimano started company-wide efforts to radically improve manufacturing efficiency aiming to introduce high-quality and low-priced products by capitalizing on its engineering capabilities cultivated in the development of high-end products. Under such circumstances, Shimano released a low-priced components group again naming it TOURNEY in 1986. This name embraced Shimano’s strong determination to survive intensifying competition with the brand name that had once played a part in developing the U.S. market as the name coined from “tournament” suggested. Precisely because TOURNEY is an entry-level components group targeted at a wide range of riders, to have them enjoy cycling safely with peace of mind, in the 1990s, Shimano was committed to expanding the product lineup by generously incorporating Shimano Index System (SIS) and other functions developed for DURA-ACE. The TX series, released in 2004, is a higher-end series among TOURNEY series that offers state-of-the-art functions trickled down from higher-end components groups. Shimano was committed to improving ease of use and cost effectiveness in the development of this series. It adopted an integrated design and supports CI-DECK, which was a bicycle-version instrument panel with a cycle computer released for children, and lamps. In 2008, the TZ series, which is sold at an even lower price point, was released. In 2012, the A070 series was released as a road bike components series. Production of these series, which required a dramatic enhancement of manufacturing efficiency, has delivered a significant improvement in Shimano’s engineering capabilities.
The current SHIMANO TOURNEY has established itself as the core Shimano entry-level series targeted at beginner sports bike riders and is playing the important role of providing them with experience of the enjoyment of cycling. To this end, committed to providing higher-performance and higher-quality products at a price range affordable for many more people, Shimano continues the challenge of further improving its manufacturing capabilities.
To respond to this, Shimano started company-wide efforts to radically improve manufacturing efficiency aiming to introduce high-quality and low-priced products by capitalizing on its engineering capabilities cultivated in the development of high-end products. Under such circumstances, Shimano released a low-priced components group again naming it TOURNEY in 1986. This name embraced Shimano’s strong determination to survive intensifying competition with the brand name that had once played a part in developing the U.S. market as the name coined from “tournament” suggested. Precisely because TOURNEY is an entry-level components group targeted at a wide range of riders, to have them enjoy cycling safely with peace of mind, in the 1990s, Shimano was committed to expanding the product lineup by generously incorporating Shimano Index System (SIS) and other functions developed for DURA-ACE. The TX series, released in 2004, is a higher-end series among TOURNEY series that offers state-of-the-art functions trickled down from higher-end components groups. Shimano was committed to improving ease of use and cost effectiveness in the development of this series. It adopted an integrated design and supports CI-DECK, which was a bicycle-version instrument panel with a cycle computer released for children, and lamps. In 2008, the TZ series, which is sold at an even lower price point, was released. In 2012, the A070 series was released as a road bike components series. Production of these series, which required a dramatic enhancement of manufacturing efficiency, has delivered a significant improvement in Shimano’s engineering capabilities.
The current SHIMANO TOURNEY has established itself as the core Shimano entry-level series targeted at beginner sports bike riders and is playing the important role of providing them with experience of the enjoyment of cycling. To this end, committed to providing higher-performance and higher-quality products at a price range affordable for many more people, Shimano continues the challenge of further improving its manufacturing capabilities.
