Suntour ?

[FST4RD]

I'm running full Suntour XC limited on my bike except ditched the horrid Xpress shiters for some deore thumbies...
It all works so so well....
I think it's all about setup and maintanace... oh and good quality cables both inner and outter, they can make a huge difference.

 

[silverclaws]

Yes, many seem to forget about cables and outers, but there is no point in any shiny fab kit if the control cables are not good enough.

 

[Archangel]

Here is a great historic document about the fate of Suntour:
http://www.users.globalnet.co.uk/~hadland/page35.htm

I have a XC Pro (non-MD) parts spec on my Spesh Epic Ultimate and the parts are very nice! XC Pro components are also pretty light. For example a Klein Adroit with XC Pro MD was a full pound lighter than a same bike with XTR M900.

However, I've understood that while Suntour could function as well as Shimano, it needed a lot more adjusting (sometimes even during the ride) than Shimano's components.
BITD in 92 when I was buying a new Cannondale, I was thinking about M1000 with XC Comp MD but my employer, the LBS owner was heavily against that and recommended buying M700 instead (couldn't afford M2000).

Suntour used Dia-Compe as their subcontractor for the brake component manufacturing. SR Sakae made some of their components as well.

Many times the bike companies specced their bikes that had Suntour drivetrain with Dia-Compe brakes and levers. The Epic Ultimate for example was specced with XC Pro brake levers but with Dia-Compe 986 brakes.

 

[Dr.Robotnik]

I had XC Pro MD back in the day on a bike I bought when I lived in Japan, which might have been a Merida. It was really good and I never had a problem with it until I returned to the UK.

My local bike shop basically told me it was incompatible with Shimano and swapped out a bunch of bits when I went in to get my gears tuned (I didn't know how easy it was back then). The parts they swapped, derraileur, rear hub, shifters, etc, I have since used on other builds and know it works fine with Shimano stuff.

Still to this day I cannot believe they lied to an impressionable kid (me) so badly along with many other transgressions. :evil:

I still have a lot of it if anyone wants hubs, cranks, chainrings, cassette, lever, shifters, etc...

 

[sworksm2]

Long live Suntour

I Used Suntour from about 87 until 97 and raced at pro level for some of that time I agree that Suntours cassette wasn't as smooth shifting as Shimano but the rest of the XC pro stuff was much better from a durability point that anything from Shimano. Grease guard in the headset, pedals, hubs and BB made bearings last ages (I still have a set of hubs I used at the worlds in 92 that are as good as new) Sealed bearing pulleys in the derailleur etc. I suppose the fact my parts are still alive means they wouldn't have sold enough replacment parts.
Don't forget Suntour introduced Micro drive which essentially became the standard we have now.
I still have bikes that I occasionally race with XC pro on them.
They tended to buy other peoples technology and use it.
Self energising brakes (pedersen)
Grease guard (WTB)
Beast elec front der (Browning)