All Arround MTB

SHIMANO'S MIGHTY SAINT comes marching in with massive power, single-finger control and excellent reliability but some details disappoint.

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.

IT'S GREAT TO watch technology shunt all the way down a price range over time and the Deore group now delivers all of Shimano's 2x10 durability and chain security features at a pocket money price.

XT M780 IS now Shimano's oldest serving MTB gearset but it's still delivering shifting in a light, smooth and ultra durable format.

IF YOU'RE NOT bothered about weight, Shimano SLX is literally a super-solid, full feature gearset.

THE NEW XTR is Shimano's lightest groupset to date and also their first to boast an 11-speed cassette. While the 11-40t spread isn't as wide as SRAM's 10-42t X-DOME block, it has the major advantage of fitting on a standard freehub rather than needing a proprietary driver body.

Flagship groupset goes high-tech for 2015

SHIMANO’S AM45 IS a superpopular shoe among gravity riders and for good reason. There’s a flat pedal version too – the 140$ AM41 – but the AM45 sole is still flexible enough for plenty of feel on platform clipless pedals. It droops a bit when you’re pedalling hard but not so much that you get painful hot spots over the cleats.

THE M162 IS Shimano’s armoured all-rounder, beefed up with rubber toe and outside edge bumpers to shrug off rock scrapes. The chunky soft-compound tread wraps round the sole for extra protection and there are toe stud threads.

WHEN NEW TRANSMISSION technology is rolled out for flagship groupsets such as Shimano's XTR it's often hugely desirable, but the hefty price tag puts it out of reach of many. Fortunately, thanks to the trickle-down effect, those new features and refinements tend to find their way into cheaper groupsets in time, as has happened with the latest Deore range.

SHIMANO’S ZEE PRODUCED the biggest surprise of our lab testing to prove why it’s the ultimate cost-effective stopper. It uses an almost identical fourcylinder calliper to Shimano’s flagship Saint brake, and actually fractionally outstopped its more expensive sibling on the dyno.

SHIMANO’S LATEST DEORE brake offers all the control and power you could need in a simple, ultra reliable, user friendly, ultra bargain package. Whomever we asked for feedback on brakes from, the unanimous answer was that the Deore was absolutely outstanding, and that backed up exactly what our test team thought.

SHIMANO’S FLAGSHIP DH brake delivers vast amounts of smoothly controlled, reliably heatproofed power, but it’s not totally niggle-free.

THE XTRS GIVE you fantastic control in a feature-rich brake, but at a price. The hinged clamp makes the polished double-barrel body easy to fit. Power is decent if not dramatic, with the leverage-changing Servo Wave cam giving brilliant control and feedback through the one-finger lever. Finned pads and optional Ice Tech rotors really do reduce heat build-up on long descents. Reliability is excellent and bleeding easy.

SO GOOD: There’s no doubting the solid, high-end build quality of this device. The sprung lower guide moves on impact, is silent and causes very little chain drag.