The Shimano XTR RD-M972 'Shadow' specific rear derailleur features a lower profile body with direct cable routing, stronger spring, and redesigned bracket to avoid chainstay contact. It also has a wide link parallelogram design which allows for more rigidity and more precise shifting. It features:
Designed for 11-32 and 11-34 cassettes only.
Carbon cage and aluminum B-attachment with a Top-Normal return spring (ideal for RapidFire Shifters)
Wide link parallelogram design increases rigidity and service life
P-body rubber bumper reduces noise and adds durability
4 flourine coated link pivot bushings minimize friction
Aluminum construction with sealed bearing 11 tooth pulleys to reduce wear by alternating tooth contact
Speed: 9 speed
Min/Max rear cog: 11/34T
Capacity:
o 33T (GS Medium Cage)
o 45T (SGS Long Cage)
Weight:
o 180 grams (GS Medium Cage)
o 185 grams (SGS Long Cage)
Submitted by
ashka1000
a Downhiller
from brisbane, qld,australia Date Reviewed: September 30, 2009
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$220.00
Purchased At:
tbsm.com.au
Strengths:
good all round, quick shifts, design keeps the derailler well away from trouble (better than standard anyway)light yet strong (not flimsy). Looks great also (for the show ponies).Great cable feed stop you from having a massive loop of cable flapping in the breeze.
Weaknesses:
none yet haven't had any problems with it yet
Similar Products Used:
ox, older model xtr.
Bottom Line:
exellent but a bit on the expensive side.big bling factor.
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Submitted by
junglist_matty
a Weekend Warrior
from Cambridge, UK Date Reviewed: September 18, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Afan, Wales
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Rutland
Strengths:
Light
Weaknesses:
Very Weak, Easy to brake
Similar Products Used:
XT Shadow
Bike Setup:
Kona Dawg Supreme 2008
Bottom Line:
First off, this mech slips all the time over rougher ground. I've never hit my mech on anything (rocks, logs etc.) but after just 8 months the swing arm lost all spring tension; the cage went horizontal and the chain went slack.
There is a tab on either end of the inner spring; this tab is prone to popping out of the hole releasing the inner spring and the swing arm goes limp!
Waste of money, don't bother with this mech, its just a real pain to setup and a rubbish on the trails, great mech if your never going to take your bike somwhere with rough terrain, but that little tab will come loose after repeated use on rough terrain and you will end up with a useless mech half way round a 30km trail... Not fun.
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Submitted by
ASherby
a Cross Country Rider
from SLO, CA, USA Date Reviewed: August 21, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Dry Pond
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Purchased At:
Came w/ Bike
Strengths:
Smooth Shift, quick response, low profile
Weaknesses:
Cage is super delicate, replacement parts are extremely pricey
Bike Setup:
'09 Stumpjumper Elite
Bottom Line:
The cage got whacked by a piece of wood while I was riding, not very hard mind you, and the bottom part of the carbon cage snapped. While the light carbon is cool and aggressive in weight reduction, it doesn't really stand up against the rough riding associated with anything mountain. Go with the SLX or the XT Shadow, both have metal cages and wont break if you look at them wrong like carbon will.
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Submitted by
Pilot
a Cross Country Rider
from Chatsworth, CA Date Reviewed: August 17, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Rocky Peak trails
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
Chain Reaction
Strengths:
Light, low profile
Weaknesses:
Flawed design
Similar Products Used:
950 series XTR, SRAM X.0
Bike Setup:
Titus Racer-X
Bottom Line:
Like another reviewer, I have problems with the chain coming off the upper pulley on hard shifts. I have put many thousands of miles on the older XTR derailleurs and SRAM X.0 and never had this problem. This design holds a lot of promise, but Shimano needs to address this flaw.
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Submitted by
midmountain
a Weekend Warrior
from Date Reviewed: July 3, 2009
Favorite Trail:
United States
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Purchased At:
LBS - came with bike
Strengths:
looks cool
Weaknesses:
carbon cage broke during rough climb causing the chain pull the derailleur around the spocket, thereby twisting the derailleur on the hanger enough so that it can't be used. Shimano's engineers need to get out and test ride their designs so that we don't have to do it form them. Oh... I almost forgot... that little "bridging" pin designed to keep the carbon separated... well it clogs with mud which also resulted in a broken hanger. Sad shimano, really sad.
Similar Products Used:
25 years of riding so pretty much everything.
Bike Setup:
2009 Yeti 575 with the works.
Bottom Line:
Buy XT or SRAM X9/XO.
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Submitted by
Mr Cooper
a Racer
from fernie Date Reviewed: June 10, 2009
Favorite Trail:
hedonism
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Purchased At:
straightline
Strengths:
line. beautiful. work of art.
Weaknesses:
design problem - chain falls off upper shifter wheel
Similar Products Used:
sram xo
Bike Setup:
trance xo
Bottom Line:
there is a design problem that shimano has to correct. Chain falls off upper deraileur wheel all the time. if you are having this problem which I here lots of people are be sure shimano hears so problem is corrected. Go with the sram carbon xo or go with the xt deraileaur till problem is fixed.
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Submitted by
Ben Lennon
a Cross Country Rider
from Windham, VT, USA Date Reviewed: April 22, 2009
Favorite Trail:
West River Trail, Jamaica, VT
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$200.00
Purchased At:
Mtn. Riders bike sho
Strengths:
I have run XTR for years now and have been a die-hard rapid-rise fan. I ride a mix of cross country and free ride, so the appeal of the low profile Shadow was too good to pass up. The shifting was smooth and precise. Easy to set up and just go.
Weaknesses:
First the short cage is not short enough. I trashed the lower pulley guide on the carbon cage first ride out on a rock. It was still useable so I ran it for another 3 months babing it before I finally ripped the upper pulley in half. Strange since the carbon cage was still intact. I swapped to a XT shadow for the rest of the season and had no problems. The aluminum cage was bomb proof, but I still wish it was a little shorter.
2007 Rocky ETSX 70 Frame, XTR deraileurs and shifters, Hope Mini Pro disc brakes, Chris King wheelset and headset.
Bottom Line:
Shimano needs to seriously look into offering an alternative aluminum cage for the XTR shadow at a lower price. I am personally swapping to a Saint shadow for the rear derailleur.
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Submitted by
Drea
a Racer
from Svendborg, Denmart Date Reviewed: March 26, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Blåbjerg, hvid
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$130.00
Purchased At:
Bike-discount.de
Strengths:
Faster than fast, smooth, precise, light, bling, top-quality.
Weaknesses:
None yet.
Similar Products Used:
Shimano LX, XT, Normal XTR and SRAM X.9
Bike Setup:
Steel frame, SID Race, DT Swiss hoops on XTR hubs, Shimano drivetrain, Avid Elixir R brakes.
Bottom Line:
Great product from Shimano at a fair price compared to X.0.
I don't have a lot of rocks to smash the carbon cage so no worries there. Run great no matter how much I stress it. Uphill, downhill and in acceleration, just epic shifting. Shimano is my favorite choise.
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Submitted by
pdeinatl
a Weekend Warrior
from Atlanta, GA Date Reviewed: March 6, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Bull Mountain
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$180.00
Strengths:
Great shifting, precise.
Weaknesses:
If the two other posts had been reviewed before I bought mine, I could have saved the money. I caught a downed tree branch in the cage and snapped of the inside of the cage, also snapping the hanger off.
Similar Products Used:
Have had a complete XTR drivetrain for several years and decided to upgrade to the XTR Shadow a few months ago.
Bike Setup:
Intense 5.5, XTR drivetrain, Lyrik fork, Cane Creek Double Barrel shock, King hubs laced to Aeroheat rims
Bottom Line:
Save some cash and buy the 970 or 971. They do not tuck in under the frame as well but they are almost bomb proof and still shift very well.
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Submitted by
ReD_tomato
a Racer
from All over Date Reviewed: February 25, 2009
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$199.00
Purchased At:
LBS
Strengths:
Super smooth shifting. Very quick reaction, and very light. plus looks bling!
Weaknesses:
Very weak carbon cage. Side swiped a rock and snapped the carbon cage in half making it useless. Took only one hit before it was trashed. Mucho money to replace!
Similar Products Used:
xtr m970 (non shadow/with alum cage)
Bottom Line:
It was great the whole month I had it. Once the cage snapped, i decided to go with the regular xtr. Ive used the reg. xtr (m970) since the day it was released. over 2k miles on my training bike with no issues. Decided to throw the shadow on my new race bike, and lasted a total of one month. not worth the extra $$ imo. If you ride technical rocky trails with tight switchbacks were you are prone to smack the derailleur a few times... stay away and get either the xt shadow, or the reg. xtr.
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Submitted by
pinkyetimtb
a Cross Country Rider
from Denver, co Date Reviewed: January 28, 2009
Favorite Trail:
Deer Creek
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Purchased At:
came with bike
Strengths:
This was a great until the carbon frame broke. It shifted like a dream.
Weaknesses:
carbon snapped when I went over a really small rock -- very $$
Similar Products Used:
Sram xo
Bike Setup:
xtr yeti asr
Bottom Line:
When I broke the carbon frame on the xtr version, I went to the xt version. It is basically exactly the same --- slightly heavier - but the carbon won't snap . the xt version shifted just a good.
$ 209.95
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