I’m generally a fan of the SunRace cassette program. Reasonable pricing, good shifting, and excellent longevity for most riders. It’s a product that for many folks is a first-step gateway out of the ShiRAMano sphere and I think it’s awesome to have options beyond the drivetrain duopoly.
Phew, glad that’s out of the way. I’ve been struggling with the above paragraph for some thirty minutes. It’s going to be a challenge to mention SunRace in a positive light going forward without including some mention of the incoming rant. Their clutch-equipped drivetrains shipping on kids’ bikes are awful. Be greedy, fine, go after those bottom-feeding margin-making dollars, but don’t be so greedy that you’re dragging your brand name through a trail of your own shit?
The DLM403 trigger shifter and RDM903 rear derailleur elevate competing budget-friendlier drivetrain components to a performance-level comparable. In a quality vs. quality comparison to SunRace’s basic clutch setup, a similarly priced Shimano Altus drivetrain belongs in the category of Shimano XT and SRAM GX.
And look, I’m not being an elitist bike-mechanic asshole here. Does your kid really need a clutch derailleur for where they’re riding? Would a simple, and cheap, top guide or a stamped-steel narrow-wide ring do everything to keep their chain on? Shimano Altus and Acera derailleurs take an insane beating, have super light-shifting action, and aren’t expensive. They go forever. Wrap some rubber around the driveside chainstay.
Oh, they do need a clutch? Easy. MicroShift Advent isn’t the Shimano Deore-level shifting system some folks make it out to be but it genuinely actually works both new out of the box and after being bashed around a bit. It’s more money than the SunRace system, yes. Sorry. But in this case, it’s worth every extra penny.
And if it really comes down to the dollars between a SunRace bike and a MicroShift bike, then buy neither. Pick up a Shimano Altus-equipped rig and e-mail me about how to rig up a top guide using any old front derailleur. Short-term and long-term, if your kid actually rides their bike you’ll be dealing with that SunRace setup in a way that’s going to cost you time and money.
I’ve recommended a lot of SunRace cassettes to a lot of folks since both Nina and I’ve had an excellent experience with their wider range of 10-speed options (combining a Shimano 11-speed HG rear derailleur with a 10-speed shifter) and falling out of love with a brand is never pretty.
For me, it comes back to the question of whether product managers actually hold this stuff in their hands at any point before they spec it on bikes. Did anyone actually ride SRAM SX before choosing it over cheaper and significantly better Shimano Deore? Did anyone hold a SunRace shifter and go “oh, that’s going to be nothing but problems.” At what point is the warranty rate on shitty tires that say ‘tubeless ready’ but just blow off of rims so high (CPSC high?) that putting on something better and taking a tiny bit less margin would have actually saved money?
How about just saying “No, we can’t make that bike at that price point. Sorry. It’s going to be $849.99 instead of $799.99 but you get decent tires and a shifter that will last the life of the bike under regular usage.” I get it’s a slippery slope and a few pennies at a time gets you to 2K in a blink of an eye. But at least think about playing the long game. How many folks are buying another one of your bikes after dumping close-enough-to-1K on a rig and then having nothing but trouble with it?
Anyway, I’d originally sat down to write ‘Selling Out (Part. 4)’ but it somehow seems unimportant to be revisiting ShiRAMano clutch tension differences in the face of derailleurs vs. derailleur-shaped-objects on bikes at comparable price points.
On the one hand, Shimano CUES U4000 and U6000 can’t start coming on bikes soon enough. Have I ridden them? No. Does Shimano have a fantastic reputation for making the best drivetrains at these lower price points stretching back decades? Yes. On the other hand, an Altus or Acera drivetrain (no clutch) or MicroShift Advent drivetrain (clutch) will actually get the job done and are on bikes today.
Okay, I do just want to say one thing – Selling Out (Part. 3.5) here – about my latest clutch-related piece on BikeMag since I didn’t spell it out and I’ve been asked. Yes, while apparently they’re not showing such an animal at Sea Otter, I do suspect that SRAM will be releasing a new more aggressive clutch this year and that it will be a backwards-compatible upgrade for T-Type rear derailleurs.
I have no insider information in this regard. Apart from trying to read the interesting patterns in my coffee grinds, my only source of information is the who’s of who is suddenly complaining about the lack of clutch tension on their SRAM rear derailleurs.
I think that beyond chain retention, we’re better off with lighter shifting action (cable) and less suspension interfacing (wireless or cable), and silencing chain noise with rubber. But what do I know about full-suspension bikes and multi-speed drivetrains?
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