Shimano was founded in 1921 by the 26-year-old Shozaburo Shimano in Higashi Minato. At that time known as Shimano Iron Works. The 40 m² factory cost the small metal working company 5 Yen (today: 1 Yen = 0.0075 €) per month. In the same year, the first freehub was invented. In 1961, Shimano presented a 3-speed hub at the International Toy and Cycle Show held in New York City. Shimano developed a further technological advancement in the form of the clipless pedal in 1988. Because of their innovative developments and the great quality of their products, Shimano is one of the most well-known manufactures of bicycle components and parts.

Professional riders in the road and MTB segments ride the high quality components from the leading groupsets Dura-Ace and XTR. However, the average person has access to high quality parts from groupsets like XT, SLX, or Ultegra and 105. Shimano’s product range is enormous and they offer brakes, drivetrains, wheels, shoes, pedals, care products, tools, cameras, and much more. The many years of experience and collaboration with professionals has allowed Shimano to improve and develop better products making them one of the leaders in bicycle component manufacturing.