Shimano

Company

A Japanese Drivetrain Maker That Added Motors in 2014

Shimano was founded in Sakai, Osaka, in 1921 by Shozaburo Shimano and trades on the Tokyo Stock Exchange under code 7309.

Shimano announced STEPS (Shimano Total Electric Power System) in 2010, withdrew it, and relaunched it in Europe in 2014 with the E6000 series: a 250 W rated, 500 W maximum output mid-drive with 50 Nm of torque, a drive unit under 3.1 kg and a 418 Wh, 36 V battery. A pilot ran from February to August 2014 with the German dealer groups Bike&Co and ZEG. The E8000 of April 2016 was the first STEPS motor built for eMTBs, and the EP8 of August 2020 raised torque to 85 Nm. Every STEPS motor is a mid-drive that turns the cranks, so it works with Shimano's own derailleurs, internal gear hubs and Di2 shifting.

Shimano does not report e-bike sales separately. Its bicycle components segment, which covers e-bike drive units, batteries and shifting, sold 355 billion yen in 2025, up 2.7%, while group operating income fell 20.6%. In the first quarter of 2026 segment sales fell 0.7% to 87.4 billion yen and segment operating income fell 46.3% to 7.8 billion yen, and Shimano forecast a 9% fall in full-year bicycle operating profit to 39 billion yen.

Shimano's main plants are in Kunshan, China, in Malaysia and in Singapore, with further sites in Japan and elsewhere in Asia and Europe; it does not state which plant builds STEPS drive units. In January 2026 Shimano said it would skip Eurobike in Frankfurt, then in April 2026 confirmed a smaller presence at the June show built around an outdoor test area instead of a stand.

Lineup

Shimano Sells Five Drive Units, Topping Out at 85 Nm

Figures are Shimano's own. A dash means the figure was not confirmed.

BIKE Magazin's 2024 lab test measured the EP801 at 545 W and 79 Nm peak, level with the Bosch Performance Line CX it tested, with power dropping off early at high cadence. An October 2024 firmware update, developed with the Yeti/Shimano EP Racing Team, Orbea OOLab and the Rotwild Schwalbe Enduro team, gives the EP801 its full 600 W with less rider effort, raises Boost assistance to 400%, and adds adjustable overrun of up to 2 m after the rider stops pedaling. Orbea runs the EP801 in a lighter "Rise" tune of about 60 Nm. Forum reports of an EP10 or EPX motor at 90-100 Nm remain unconfirmed by Shimano.

Ecosystem

Shimano Ties Its Motors to Its Own Di2 Shifting

A STEPS bike with a Di2 rear derailleur lets the drive unit read cadence, torque and speed and shift gears on its own.

• AUTO SHIFT: the system shifts automatically from cadence, torque and speed, and since 2022 the rider can override it with a manual shift; on the E5100 it works only with internal gear hubs.
• FREE SHIFT: on EP801 and EP6 bikes with XT Di2, the motor turns the chainring so the bike changes gear while coasting.
• Di2 drivetrains: DEORE XT Di2 in LINKGLIDE and HYPERGLIDE+ versions and CUES Di2, all launched with the EP801 in July 2022; DEORE Di2 RD-M6260, a wired e-MTB derailleur powered by the bike battery, added in June 2025; Nexus and Alfine Di2 internal hubs.
• Q'AUTO: launched in June 2025 for CUES, it shifts automatically on bikes without motors, powered by a dynamo in the FH-U6060 freehub; e-bikes use AUTO SHIFT instead.
• Batteries: BT-EN817-B, 36.3 V, 712 Wh, new in the 2026 catalog; BT-EN806, 630 Wh; BT-EN805 and BT-EN805-L, 504 Wh; earlier BT-E8036 (630 Wh, integrated), BT-E8035-L (504 Wh) and BT-E8016 (630 Wh, external) from May 2020.
• Partner batteries: Shimano's partner program covers frame-maker packs from 300 to 900 Wh; Shimano has serviced Darfon-made packs on STEPS bikes since May 2022, and Merida's eOne-Sixty uses a 750 Wh Trendpower pack.
• Displays: SC-EM800, 1.6 inches, for eMTBs; SC-EN610, a detachable 2.8-inch center display; SC-EN600, 1.6 inches; SC-EN500, 1.4 inches with built-in assist switch.
• Software: the E-TUBE PROJECT Cyclist app updates firmware wirelessly and offers FINE TUNE mode with 15 assist characters, AUTO SHIFT and FREE SHIFT settings and two saved profiles; E-TUBE RIDE turns a phone into a bike computer with navigation and assist control.

Bike brands

Merida, Orbea and Rotwild Still Build Flagship eMTBs on the EP801 as Yeti, Pivot and Canyon Move Away

Brands below are named in their own specifications or in trade-press reports.

In November 2024 Canyon told owners of Spectral:ON CF and Torque:ON CF bikes with EP8 or EP801 motors to stop using their 720 Wh and 900 Wh batteries, from batches BT0001 to BT0004, after cracks in the housing let water in; replacements shipped through mid-2025. Shimano's own 504 Wh and 630 Wh packs on Canyon's aluminum models were not affected. On October 13, 2026, Canyon launched the new Spectral:ON CF with a DJI Avinox M2S motor in place of Shimano's.

Legal classes

Every Shimano Drive Stays Inside Street E-Bike Limits

Shimano sells no drive above 250 W rated output, so its bikes fall in EU pedelec and US Class 1-3 categories set by the motor version and its speed cutoff.

The EP801's 600 W maximum output sits well under the 1,500 W to 1,700 W peaks of the DJI Avinox M2S and Bafang M560RS. Class 4 E-Bikes covers machines that exceed them.

Competition

Shimano's 85 Nm Trails Bosch at 100 Nm and Two Chinese Drives at 150 Nm

In ExtraEnergy's 2019 count of e-bikes shown at Eurobike, Shimano drives were on 19% of bikes against 33% for Bosch and 16% for Bafang; in the same study's retailer survey Shimano held 8% of motors sold in stores against 69% for Bosch and 9% for Yamaha. Yamaha bought Brose's e-bike drive business in 2025, and the Chinese makers DJI and Bafang now sell more torque than either Japanese maker. Shimano's advantage is the motor, Di2 shifting and brakes from one supplier. Drive Systems compares all the flagship units.