SHIMANO'S LONG-AWAITED Di2 electric shifting might be the headline act of their latest-generation XTR groupset, but stripping it right down to an analogue 1x11 format reveals its outstanding level of detailing and build quality, and it's remarkably good value for money too.
For a start, even
though the cassette uses a carbon fibre spider and several titanium cogs, it's
nearly 223$ cheaper than the XX1 block and runs on a conventional freehub, so
there's no need to upgrade your rear wheel. The downside is a more restricted
11-40t gear range that lacks the top end 10t sprocket and bailout 42t gear of
SRAM. That's proven less of a problem on the trail than we expected. Some test
riders actually preferred the closer spaced cogs and if you're struggling on
climbs you can always fit a smaller front chainring.
The clutch tension of
the rear mech can be adjusted externally or switched off, depending on easy
shift or reduced chain chatter priorities. The carbon outer cage and cutaway
jockey wheels reduce weight and it's direct mount compatible for increased
shifting accuracy.
The shifter action is
the sharpest and most positive ever from Shimano, with significantly less throw
than XT or XX1 on the moulded grip composite trigger. One less downshift than
XX1 per lever sweep (four rather than five) is countered by a double upshift
too.
While XTR 9000 is new
to us, epic lifespans of previous generations of Shimano's premium mountain
bike groupset suggest the long-term performance of chain, cassette, shifter and
mech is likely to be excellent. Incredibly it's 83$ cheaper than X1 too, making
it a premium steal.
PRICE 674$
