Racing Up and Down on the Shimano XT Group
Top-end features migrate to a more durable, and more wallet-friendly, component line
Top-end features migrate to a more durable, and more walletfriendly, component line
In 2018, Shimano released its new xtr line, which brought the Japan-based component maker back into favour among mountain bikers. The groupset’s 12-speed 1-by-specific drivetrain and updated brakes left little to be desired on the performance side of things. Many people, however, will not know the joys of bolting a top-end groupset to their frames due to its high, although justified, price tag. Instead of breaking out platinum credit cards, some waited patiently for the inevitable trickle down effect into Shimano’s XT line of parts. For a few of us lucky cycling journalists, the wait was over earlier this year with a trip to Bellingham, Wash., to try out the new Shimano XT.
Having ridden the new xtr previously, I thought the group’s little brother, XT, had a lot to live up to. If you go to any trailhead, you are almost guaranteed to see an XT component on someone’s bike. Shimano XT parts have always had a great balance of performance, durability and value for the avid mountain biker. Shimano stuck to this model when designing the new group. It shares many features with the top-end xtr group, such as 1-by-specific cranks, chains and rear derailleur, as well as 12-speed Hyperglide+ shifting. Shimano also built in some durability compared with the race-focused xtr group. For XT, the company beefed up the new I-spec mounts at the levers and removed the more-expensive titanium cogs from the cassette. On paper, it seems as if Shimano kept all the best parts of xtr and passed them onto XT, with the exception of price. The loamy trails of Bellingham were waiting for
us to see how the parts would fare on bike.
Our first ride started in the middle of a subdivision in Bellingham. Then we entered into the forest and started climbing. As I began to get winded, such was my early-season condition, I shifted through the gears smoothly until comfortably spinning in the easiest 51-tooth cog. Yes, it has 51 teeth. Not 50. It may seem like Shimano wanted to one up the competition and add a tooth, but there is a better reason. Instead of jumping eight teeth, as sram’s Eagle does, from 42-tooth to 50-tooth, Shimano chose to incorporate smaller gear steps all the way through the cassette in order to make for smoother shifting throughout the range. This was a great move by Shimano. When you’re climbing technical singletrack, you make less of an adjustment in cadence when shifting into the easiest gear, which means you can maintain your momentum better and clear more climbs. The smaller gear steps are great, but only account for one part of what makes shifting while climbing with the new XT so good. The other is Hyperglide+.
Hyperglide+ is the evolution of Shimano’s Hyperglide shifting system of ramps and pins that help the derailleur move the chain from one cog to the next. What sets Hyperglide+ apart from the old version, and every other shifting system on the market, is its ability to change gears under pedalling load. If you attempt to shift while applying significant pressure to the pedals, with almost all shifting systems, you will be met with a host of pings and some grinding while the derailleur attempts to yank the chain from one cog and jam it onto the other. To address this trouble, you need to ramp up your cadence before shifting on climbs. Well, it seems you can stop that. Shimano designed the ramps and pins on the Hyperglide+ sprockets and chains so a change from cog to cog goes flawlessly no matter how much power you lay down on the pedals. When you are on the rivet, climbing a steep technical trail, you can just push the shift lever and keep pedalling without worrying about the chain jamming or without having to ramp up your cadence and
throw off your tempo. I can’t stress enough how awesome this technology is. You can essentially shift away recklessly never worrying about if and when the next gear is going to engage. It works so well that I went back to my personal non-hyperglide+ bike, I had to readjust my riding style, making sure I gave the chain time to move.
After experiencing new XT’S smooth shifts going up, I was stoked to try some shuttle runs on the Bellingham downhill tracks to see how the components would perform going down. In short: very well. Having the ability to shift on a whim while pedalling, when exiting corners and getting on the gas, I could drop gears and sprint hard through the forest. Being able to shift while sprinting could also allow cross country racers to shift into harder gears while going for the win. Many sprint finishes have been lost when the rider is under-geared toward the line and when a simple push of a button should put that athlete in the right gear and on the podium. For me, however, on the Bellingham trails, I found it much easier to be in the correct gear thanks to XT’S ability to drop two gears with one push of the lever, which is something specific to Shimano.
Sprinting and shifting through trails is good fun, but eventually you’re going to need to slow down. The new XT brakes come in both two- and four-piston options. I rode the four-piston brakes and found that they had plenty of stopping power with good modulation, the latter of which is something Shimano was not known for in the past. The I-spec mounting system ensured my levers, shifter and dropper remote were in the right place. The XT’S reach and free-stroke brake adjustment meant the pads had bite when and where I needed it. After two days on the trail with Shimano’s new XT, I can say that this generation is the best XT yet and I’m sure we will be seeing it at trailhead parking lots everywhere very soon.
“I can’t stress enough how awesome this technology is.”