Suntour

Suntour was a Japanese brand of bicycle components, which began in 1912 as Maeda Iron Works Company, mainly produce the drive and circuit components. Up to the first bankruptcy in 1994 Maeda Suntour Shimano was next to one of the leading companies for bicycle components such as derailleurs, shifter, brakes, cranks and hubs. 1964 Suntour received the patent on the Schrägparallelogramm derailleur, the construction of which was taken over after the expiration of patent protection in 1984 by the competitors. Only this construction allowed the introduction of rasterized shift lever, so-called index - circuits.

With the group XC Pro MTB and Superbe Pro Road area Suntour was successful. In 1989 the company went through consuming but new developments, the pressure on prices and the incompatibility with Shimano bankrupt. The brand was, as well as Sakae Ringyo Ltd.. , Mori Industries bought the company merged into SR SunTour. After that, the brand with the development of PowerFlo - pinions, Microdrive drive train and the S-1 switching device experienced a brief flowering. However, a further fall in market share could not prevent a further retreat from the original equipment for circuits and drive components.

The components of the top group of the MTB sector XC Pro stood out compared to the same group Deore XT Shimano II of the competitors by the fact that industrial ball bearings found ( roller bearings) for the storage of pedals, hubs, bottom brackets and jockey wheels use. Furthermore, the tax rate, the pedals, hubs and bottom bracket were greasable thanks to the Wilderness Trail Bikes ( WTB ) licensed Grease Guard system using a grease gun from the outside, substantially reducing the need for maintenance.

In the early 1990s introduced a special form of Suntour Cantilever ago, the Pedersenbremse which increases onto the rim with worm drive, the braking force continuously on impact. In the U.S., this brake has been banned due to product complaints, because their braking effect for inexperienced drivers is too high. This brake is often used to travel wheels. It is available exclusively as a rear brake.

SR Suntour

Today SR Suntour suspension fork is a manufacturer who also produces derailleurs and disc brakes and laid out on ESP ( SRAM compatible) shift lever.

The company SR Suntour holds, however, only the naming rights of the once- successful series components, so that the partly newly launched components bear the name. The shapes and specifications have not passed in the company owned, so no development continuity. Among other things, all available again Superbe Pro Cranks are all new developments.