Deore XT® continues its evolution as the definitive high-performance mountain bike group. Now with Mega-9 Drive Train, Rapidfire 9 speed light-action shifters, all new V-Brake, Dual-Pull Front Derailleur, Rear Derailleur, 9 speed chain, Hollowtech Crankset, Cartridge Bottom Bracket, Hubs and SPD 434 Pedal
Submitted by
Kris de Valle
a Weekend Warrior
from Ringwood, Victoria, Australia
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2003
Strengths: Easy to adjust, responsive, tight tolerance, looks sexy
Weaknesses: Very touchy, requires adjustment.. kinda highly strung
Bottom Line:
The shifters are just gorgeous. Can't be faulted. However the 9-speed rear derailleur was sending me nuts - ghost shifts up AND down, like it couldn't make up its mind. Dropping a cog at takeoff, nasty stuff you don't want to have to deal with. I ride in peak hour traffic too so I didn't want to be weaving all over trying to recover.
Anyway, I downloaded the tech specs pdf from the Shimano website, figured it all out, made the adjustments and now it is seamless. An extension of myself. What you want, really.
So I would say it is more flighty - kinda race-bred I suppose, but once it's adjusted, it's magic.
Strengths: Light, cheap...durable (well some of it) Very nice look Vees har great stopping power, parallell push is great Chain and cassette are pretty light and durable
Weaknesses: crankset (2001) suxx bigtime. Creakes and comes losse because the splines are worn down XT-vees squeaal XT rear mech har a spring that is too soft XT indicators dont have the awesome feeling that the XT -99 had
Submitted by
Mike
a Weekend Warrior
from Houston, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: March 6, 2002
Strengths: Pretty cheap when found on sale. Works well when adjusted properly.
Weaknesses: None so far. Just wish the rear cassette was lighter.
Bottom Line:
The XT group works as I expect it to. Shifting is clean & crisp when properly adjusted. No problems after a year of use. Near the same weight as XTR group.
Strengths: Very, very smooth shifting. The whole thing just feels solid!
Weaknesses: Well, the RD will scratch easily if you happen to be stupid enough to ride over black ice. Since that's not Shimano's fault ... no complaints!
Bottom Line:
Bonus comes in ... bonus goes into bike to upgrade to XT. Absolutely no regrets. Given what I had before (STX), I had no doubt that I would love this component group. Now that I've recovered from the crash listed above, I've had a chance to ride this a few times and I'm more impressed than I expected. I don't expect to have to make any changes as long as I own this bike ... it's just a great product!
By the way, REI did the full component swap for me (shifters included) for only $55. It was the best deal I found by 50%!
Submitted by
Alfred
a Cross Country Rider
from Guilford, CT, USA
Date Reviewed: July 22, 2001
Strengths: lots of gears, quick shifting, nice user interface
Weaknesses: lots of gears, there are a lot of useless ones in there. i haven't gotten the chance to run it through some muddy new england snow yet, but my drivetrain doesn't look like it's going to like it.
Bottom Line:
well, i'm not really a cc rider. i hit the trails now and then but i do most of my riding in commutes on and around my college campus. when my old bike that i bought when i was twelve was finally beaten into submission, i decided that a new bike was in order. a mountain bike is a good choice for where i live, because it allows me to ride through the winter when road conditions are poor. what ended up happening was that i was sucked into the shimano planned obsolecence circle of doom. since i bought my previous bike (a raleigh m-40) when i was about 10 inches shorter than i am currently, i needed a new frame. i managed to find a mangled and abused giant frame for approximately 10 bucks at a LBS. it was then that i found out that the Outer locknut dimension was 126mm as opposed to the now standard 135mm. it also had semi-horizonatal dropouts which makes using quick releases just a little dangerous. but, i said to myself, i'll just find some obsolete parts. being a part time computer geek and hardware loser i figured that i should be able to easily find NOS or refurbished parts that fit my frame, just as i can find a mainboard for a P200 in good condition very easily. the key word here is wrong. i was wrong. the only thing that i could find any resonable distance away from me were either beat up used parts, which was what i was replacing, or brand new parts that did not work on my frame. i had originally intended on replacing my bent front rim, my cassette, my cranks, my bottom bracket, and my derailleurs/shifters. however, due to the fact that i could only aquire new parts that were incompatible with old parts, i "had" to buy a whole new bike. to get new derailleurs, i had to get a new cassette, which required a new rear hub, which required a new frame, which required a new headset, which required a new fork, which required a new stem. so, i figured, as long as i'm spending the dough, might as well go for XT instead of alivio as i had originally planned on doing. The bottom line is this: i wanted a new drive train and ended up with a new bike. The parts are good and i can't really complain i guess, but now i'm nervous about leaving my bike places and scratching the paint. these are things i don't like to worry about, my life has enough problems to worry about getting my ride stolen. So what i eventually did was build up the old giant in all its rustoleum glory with a sturmey archer 3 speed hub (ok MTBers, don't start crying on me now, 3 speeds is not all that bad) for about 200 bucks with parts scrapped from my old raliegh and some other ones i needed (it has rear u-brake mounts) and i use it to get around. when i hit the trails i ride the goose which i find enjoyable, so for that i guess it's worth the dough.
Similar Products Used: shimano altus 1994. good times with auto shifting
Bike Setup: mongoose zero g sx frame. xt drivetrain, lx brakes, titec bars and stem (1 1/8 threadless) rigid fork. sun rhynolite rim on lx hub in back. sun cr-18 (? poor memory kicks in) on lx hub in front. maxis mofo xc tires front an back.
Strengths: light,reliable,quick,quality,piece of mind
Weaknesses: squeaky brakes,poor gear change position-wrong way round to go up & down.you can go down 3 but only up one-thats poor
Bottom Line:
not impressed at all. the gear change has not been well thought out--its not user friendly. squeaky brakes after only 3 days--at least it all feels like it will last a long time but disapointing is the word that keeps springing to mind. at least the frame is perfect.
I have been using XT stuff since my first "real" bike. Shifting has always been great and consistent. Good all around value for the price you pay. Cost much less and much more practical than XTR. My older Cannondale has a mixture of LX and XT. Both perform the same but I like the XT look and style. My new SA uses a complete XT setup except for brakes and crank. Haven't tried the XT disc brakes yet soI opted for the notorious Hayes. Besides, I dont care if something is made in Japan (or anywhere else). As long as the product makes me happy, I dont care. XT is a kick ass group. Deserves five flaming chilis.
Bike Setup: Cannodale Super V, MountainCycle San Andreas
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Danny Jones
a Cross Country Rider
from Missouri
Date Reviewed: January 12, 2001
Strengths: Its cheap. Easy to maintain.
Weaknesses: I don't feel the quality has been put into Shimano products as much as quanity has been. The chains require extra pins if you have to take it a part. I was never really satisfied with the way the XT shifted. It seemed like I was always adjusting before I went riding. And the same holds true for all of Shimano's groups. I have had to repack the XT's hubs more than other products used. They dont seem to hold up as well in muddy or sandy situations. The Ringle's held up much better in wet conditions.
Bottom Line:
There are other products on the market. Give them a chance before buying Shimano. You'll thank yourself in the long run.
Similar Products Used: Ringle, Sram, Precsion Billet, Chris King, Sachs, Avid
Bike Setup: At the time it was set up with XT hubs, shifters, derailleurs, and BB(which by the way broke in the middle after 2 months of riding).
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Tom
a Cross Country Rider
from Overland Park KS USA
Date Reviewed: December 29, 2000
Strengths: you can save big bucks over XTR with this product and you loose little quality. Its light and stylish.
Weaknesses: Shimano Deraliurs do not work well with 9 speed groups.One time my deraliur fell off my bike and one of the puleys came detached from my deraliur and broke in half.
Bottom Line:
Great deraliur for the money, try to use on 8 speed cog sets or less. You have to pay atention and be a smart shifter to get perfect shifts.
Similar Products Used: Shimano Acera, Alivio, Deore, LX, XT, XTR,
Bike Setup: Deore all the way through tektro brakes XT rear.
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
saddle sore
a
from Clagary, Alberta Canada
Date Reviewed: October 6, 2000
Strengths: Durable, Not outrageously priced, shifts good
Weaknesses: Doesn't shift as good as my old 8spd XT setup. Easliy prone to contamination
Bottom Line:
Hey it works and it has a good gear range, but after 100 miles of riding I can't help but notice that it needs more frequent tuning than 8 speed. And, after a freak snowstorm, it clogged up with ice faster than you can say "old man winter"
Obviously, the climate here is not the best for 9 speed until the snow has melted of course, 7&8 speed clogs up pretty fast too, but you could still pedal it after it clogged up, 9 speed just starts skipping like a balarena, instead of keeping one gear clean.
All in all, it is exactly what I expected, tight little package, therefore a little more fussy, but still works fast. Can't wait to wear out my cogs so I can upgrade to an XTR unit, that usually cures any shifting qualms you have.
Bike Setup: 2000 Rocky mountain Blizzard XT STI Pods, rear derailleur, cassette, LX front der. Raceface LP Cranks & Rings, LX BB
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Steve
a Weekend Warrior
from Mountain View CA
Date Reviewed: July 7, 2000
Strengths: Very smooth and quick shifting. 34 tooth cog. Surprisingly good chain wear. No ghost shifting. No chain suck.
Weaknesses: None so far.
Bottom Line:
After the poor reviews (ghost shifting - chainsuck) in Mountain Bike, I was really leery of buying a new bike with a Shimano 9-speed drivetrain, but it's been flawless. The bulk of my rides have been in wet, muddy, sandy, chain-sucking conditions, with not even a hint of chainsuck (I'll nevertheless be sure to grind off any burrs on the little chainring). The real surprise is chain wear - only .25% after 600 miles - virtually no wear - much less than I've experienced with any eight-speed Shimano or Sram chain. I'm guessing this must be due to the 34-tooth rear cog, which allows me to climb in the middle chainring a lot more than I used to. The larger cog and chainring must put a lot less stress on the chain. Whatever the reason, this is great stuff.
Submitted by
Phierce
a Racer
from Mission Viejo, Ca
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2000
Strengths: Relatively Inexpensive, worx exellent in most conditions
Weaknesses: sux like some kinda phreek when you goin over large, sharp, embedded rocks and high speeds, the chain is so thin, and has such a mind of its own...no way is it gonna stay on that big ring :/ ...shimano: I want 7 spd to return! (big chain, no probs)
Bottom Line:
OK, this gruppo is great for smoother trails...but I ride some rough singletrack all the time and I cant keep the chain on the big ring. It either jams or falls to the next ring..and I've crashed on numerous occasion becuz of this. I have it well adjusted and use white lightning lube so no probs there. It seems to go away a lil bit when I get in the middle of my cassette instead of the smallest gear. (maybe its a slack issue with my chain) ..Im gonna keep troubleshooting, cuz I hear lotza good stuff about it, and it worx great for the most part
Bike Setup: 1999 Gary fisher X-caliber...mostly stock, changed up a lil bit
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
John
a Cross Country Rider
from Tebbetts, Mo
Date Reviewed: March 27, 2000
Strengths: Light , Strong, Shifts well (there is a reason Shimano is #1)
Weaknesses: Chain suck when new
Bottom Line:
A very good system (the 8speed was better though). there was a problem with chain suck when the system was new and a little muddy. Particularly when shifting from the big ring to the little one, but this seems to have gone away with a little wear on the rings. A very good product that makes it hard to justify XTR unless you race professionally.
Havibg used XT for several years I have no complaints. The money you save over XTR is considerable without loosing quality. The new 9 speed is excellant on long climbs with the bigger 11-34 cassette and shifts smooth. The new designed brakes look bulky but have solid stopping power. Anyone wanting lighter quality components should consider this groupo.
Submitted by
Sean
a Cross Country Rider
from Nottingham (UK)
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2000
Strengths: Feels great - very fluid changes. Fairly light-weight. Even the name commands respect from other MTB'ers.
Weaknesses: None - so far!
Bottom Line:
Despite the fact that I spend almost as much upgrading to XT as I did on buying the bike in the first place, everything is great.
I wouldn't say that I can ride any further or any faster, but at least I've got more gears to choose from. And the whole bike has a different feel to it.... or am I just crazy?
