Advantages: strong
Disadvantages: expensive

...This is a superb ring from that great manufactuer Shimano. This chain ring offers you a precision engineered teeth and a five arm fing that will take a good bashing. How ever with this you also get a mass produced expensive piece of metal. For those who want a ring that only needs replacing every anum, then this is for you. Shimano do a wide range of products that are compatible with most makes of bikes. I would recomend this ring for the fast cross country, and exciting downhill. This ring does lack value for money as they are made very cheaply.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: great value and functionality
Disadvantages: might fall off once or twice whilst learning!

...The Shimano M535 pedals are my pedal of choice these days, I’ve used other pedals and even other manufacturers but I have found that for value for money and ease of use these cannot be beaten. At first, using clipless pedals can be daunting but its not really an option when riding cross country as the added power and control are more than worth the effort of overcoming the fear and the odd bumps and bruises that you might get during the learning process. Obviously using these pedals you also need to have shoes which are compatible, mind are the top of the range Shimano units (which I would highly recommend) at a cost of around £120 but these are by no means the only option as compatible shoes can be picked up for as little as £20 to £30. Back to the pedals, they’re reasonably light, easy to maintain, set up and use and even manage... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: See text
Disadvantages: See text

...Shimano Deore is the main manufacturer of biking gear components. With them being the main manufacturer they will obviously more established and well known. Shimano Deore is the better part of Shimano's gearing. They have the SIS gearing which is lower quality. The models of the Deore range is; Deore, LX, XT and XTR. With the kit's getting better as you read them. I currently have a LX rear derailleur. You are probably thinking what is better in the different models. Some people don't really care and they just want the best model they can buy. All of the rear derailleur is covered to prevent and muck and sand to get into it and wreck it. The best part of the Deore range is that when you are going up hill's or you just need to change down a gear quickly, they don't jump, forcing you to not pedal really quickly, this is really... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Control, power transfer, efficiency etc
Disadvantages: You might fall off once or twice....

...If you're riding XC there is no other option, you should be riding clipless! Clipless pedals (so called because they do not require a toe clip & strap)improve bike control, power transfer, efficiency of pedal stroke (your foot is closer to center of spindle) & allow those that have trouble lifting the bike at the rear to cheat! Mainly used for XC not trials, downhill or duel, some platform types exist like the shimano m646's that can be good for all disciplines! There are two main players in the mtb emporium; these are Shimano who make the spd (shimano pedal dynamics) & Time who make the Atac. But I've seen loads of other makes I hear you cry - sure the list is endless, VP, Ritchey, Wellgo etc etc but at the end of the day they are all shimano copies & are usually adequate but not as good as the real thing! They are generally... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Compatable for LOOK, SPD and TIME cleats
Disadvantages: Only one color scheme

...The Shimano R121 shoe is a very durable and reliable shoe. It is compatable to 3 different cleats: Look, SPD and Time, which makes it very versitale for those of us with more than one bike with different pedals. Although it is almost not worth the trouble of changing cleats, as it is much easier just to buy new shoes instead of removing one cleat and re-installing the other and making all the required adjustments. I have now had this pair of shoes for about 8 or 9 months and have logged way over400 hours and countless miles in them and they are showing less wear than could be expected. I chose to use the Look cleat with my shoe and once I changed froom my Lake shoes to the Shimano shoes I noticed a tremendous amount of added comfort. The soft inner-lining makes the wear on the achillies and ankles minimul while still having... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Fantastic quality for a budget real!!
Disadvantages: Not quite as well balanced as the GTE range.

...This is an excellent reel by no mistake. I have had this reel for 3 years and fished many gravel pits around the UK using it. The RE reel shares many of the same features that the more expensive GTE range has including the Shimano's patented Aero Wrap system, Rotor Cast Control and Positive Bail. This is designed to prevent any problems whiles casting long distance. Using the 8000 versions loaded with 15lb line the casting ability is amazing! More than adequate for the UK size lakes. The main difference between the RE range the GTE range is that the GTE has 3 more ball bearings. This means that the GTE by comparison is lot smoother and allows for better handling. Also the RE only has a single crank handle oppose to the double handle on the GTE. This means that the reel does not feel as well balance while reeling in how ever some... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: High quality for a budget price.
Disadvantages: none.

...The Shimano hyperloops are an excellent range of specimen rods especially for those anglers who are trying to keep to a budget. In my opinion the quality of these rods is second to none for any rod priced bellow £50. The rods are 12foot long and have 7 rings to guide the line. They are also available in four test curves 2.25, 2.50, 2.75 and 3.0lb which make these rods extremely versatile. The rods are very sensitive to the movement of the fish allowing you to feel through the rod the change an shift the fish. This makes playing the fish a pure joy. Personally I own three of these rods. Two 2.75lb test curves for my main set of rods used for ledgering, and one for 2.5lb which is used for surface fishing. Combining these rods with a good quality reel and this is more than adequate set up for any level of fishing.... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Superb Overall Quality
Disadvantages: None!!!

...The Shimano Baitrunner 10 000 XTE is by far (in my opinion) the best multi-purpose specimen Carp reel on todays market. A piece of quality engineering this reel is built from a hybrid Aluminium body making it extremely tough and durable and features 7 ball bearings for a smooth running performance. I have had a set of these for a couple of years now and have fished small English lakes to large gravel pits in France and they have never let me down. The 10 000 XTE holds around 420 yards of 12lb line so is fine for casting distance and boating a like. Another great plus I have found to my advantage is the Titanium power line roller making sure line twist is never a problem to me! Shimano also supply this reel complete with a spare spool (both aluminium, two in total) and the balanced double handle is ambidextrous... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Everything. These reels are the dogs bits.
Disadvantages: Maybe the fact that when the freespool is on you have to turn the reel handle a full 1/2 a turn to engage the clutch. Can be a bit daunting when you first start using the reel and your used to picking up the rod and striking before reeling in.

...After over 25 years of fishing and in that time i have swapped many reels and am always looking for a better deal. Anything that comes on the market that makes fishing easier is always worth a look. The shimano baitrunner is truely the bees knees when it comes to carp fishing, and at a very resonably price. i know the daiwa emblem's are good but for quality and price you can't beat the Shimano. The first thing that strikes you about the reels is he quality. Just looking at one and you can see that it has been made with hard fighting fish in mind. Which ever one you decide on and there are a few. you will not be dissappointed. You get all the lingo with it like line lay, ball bearings, anti-reverse gearing, all is a bit much for an average angler. So in my opion the ease in which these reels can be used is great. i first tried... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful

Advantages: Excellent lever feel, stopping power, durability
Disadvantages: when they squeel, they REALLY squeel

...I've been mountain biking for many years now and over time I've tried a wide array of braking systems on my various bikes. I was always a huge fan of Avid's braking products and had test ridden a number of bikes with their Juicy discs on before deciding on the right bike for me and taking the plunge into speccing my own custom build. The bike was to be a Yeti 575 and the brake choice came down to the Hope Mono minis (as fitted to my Orange), Avid Juicys and the Shimano XT. I chose Shimano for various reasons and the following review will hopefully outline why I took this course of action over the much hyped Hope and Avids. Having tested various systems on demo bikes around the country, it seemed to me that there was little to choose between the braking characteristics of my shortlisted products. However, the Shimano just edged... Read review

Ciao members have rated this review on average helpful