Shimano Saint BB80 Hollowtech II MTB Bottom Bracket

About Shimano Cycling Gear

Shimano are a Japanese manufacturer primarily known for their cycling components, and to a lesser extent shoes and clothing. Founded in 1921, Shimano is widely believed to be the largest cycling component manufacturer in the world, having reached this status through a combination of innovation, reliability and value for money. Whatever your style of riding, whether it be road or MTB, Shimano will have a component range to suit your level and budget, from the low end Alivio and Tiagra to the professional standard XTR and Dura-Ace. Over the years, Shimano have revolutionised bicycle gear, brake and pedal systems, such as the recessed SPD, Hollowtech crank arms and smooth shifting Hyperglide sprockets. Initially their component range faced competition from Suntour, whereas nowadays their primary rivals for market share are SRAM and Campagnolo. If you wish to save money on their components and apparel, please visit my Shimano section, where I list as many money saving deals as I can find.

For additional information on Shimano's cycling equipment, please visit either http://cycle.shimano-europe.com/ or their wikipedia page - this includes information on Shimano's history, including non-cycling equipment.

Amazon UK

Amazon famously started off as a book shop operated from a garage in Bellevue, Washington. Founded by Jeff Bezos in 1995, the company rapidly expanded it's product ranges, from books to CDs and DVDs to eventually include pretty much everything under the sun. This is highlighted in the recognisable logo, where the orange arrow points from "A" to "Z". The low pricing and fast delivery (if you use their popular Prime membership) results in Amazon being a popular retailer for cycling products, both from Amazon directly and the 3rd party sellers as well.

So what does this mean for me as a bargain hunting cyclist?! The good news is that Amazon regularly have ridiculous discounts on individual items. Whereas most retailers will discount a product equally in all sizes and colours, Amazon have the unusual trait of reducing a single size at 70-80% off, whereas the rest of the sizes will be at full retail price. If you're prepared to hunt for deals, then you can grab some amazing bargains - I've bought £160 cycling jackets for £25 - and once the item has been purchased, the price has immediately returned to the original RRP again. There doesn't seem to be a great deal of logic to what is reduced, it's not just certain sizes or ugly colours, but if you're prepared to put a bit of work in, you can save hundreds.

Please note: With designer or expensive goods, it is worth only buying products directly from Amazon or third party sellers with excellent feedback, to ensure that they are genuine models and not cheap copies.

You can view Amazon's cycling department here.