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XTR m9100 12s shifter too stiff

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ualar

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
Hey folks !

Upshifting to higher gear the shifter is too stiff and can require a little extra finger strength, it's even more when you try to upshift two gear in once, when you press once while holding lever and push down the lever for second upshift. Realy surprised how hard the lever on my thumb, maybe it's new and need some hours with it i don't know...

it's too hard to push when you start from 51 tooth down to rest, then it's get bit more easy at higher gear toots.

it's me or my installation or the shifter i don't know realy... it's new and need some hours with it maybe but, downshifting to easier gears were ok, very smooth and way better than XT m8100 while upshifting to harder gear requires more pushing than XT m8100...

Anybody experienced this problem when you install or later after some hours riding ?

Thank you !
 
#2 ·
Did you replace both inner and outer shifter cables? The M9100 shifter is also sensitive to kinks and really tight bends. I had to re-run my first shifter cable run because I was also having stiff shifter issues.
 
Discussion starter · #3 ·
almazing said:
Did you replace both inner and outer shifter cables? The M9100 shifter is also sensitive to kinks and really tight bends. I had to re-run my first shifter cable run because I was also having stiff shifter issues.
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Brand New shifter mate. Replaced outer cable with original Shimano one from shifter box. İnner cable also its brand New black teflon xtr cable i believe.

Shifting to bigger tooths, its so nice almost did not even notice shifting gear.

Howerver going smaller casette tooths is so stiff, you can shift two gear as you know. Second shift even stiffer. Most of the time i click twice instead of pushing still for 2 gear change...
 
#4 ·
ualar said:
Brand New shifter mate. Replaced outer cable with original Shimano one from shifter box. İnner cable also its brand New black teflon xtr cable i believe.

Shifting to bigger tooths, its so nice almost did not even notice shifting gear.

Howerver going smaller casette tooths is so stiff, you can shift two gear as you know. Second shift even stiffer. Most of the time i click twice instead of pushing still for 2 gear change...
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Interesting. I had issues downshifting(to larger cogs) where the lever felt too stiff, and was remedied with new cabling. The upshift lever always felt lighter and consistent in comparison, even when double shifting. Maybe it just needs to be broken in? Try opening the shifter to see if there's any grease or lubrication in there. I've read some people have gotten completely dry shifters brand new from Shimano.
 
Discussion starter · #5 ·
almazing said:
Interesting. I had issues downshifting(to larger cogs) where the lever felt too stiff, and was remedied with new cabling. The upshift lever always felt lighter and consistent in comparison, even when double shifting. Maybe it just needs to be broken in? Try opening the shifter to see if there's any grease or lubrication in there. I've read some people have gotten completely dry shifters brand new from Shimano.
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Already opened the top cap and replaced with i spec ev çap. Mine was clamp version originally. There was lubricant, it was not dry. Even added some more muc-off dry lube to the "trigger shifter" Side.
 
#7 ·
Its just the crappy Shimano shifter design. Mine is VERY hard to press, its completely ridiculous. Luckily SRAM eagle shifters will work so I plan on getting an X01 shifter eventually, dropping gears on SRAM shifters is lightning fast and much easier than Shimano's.
 
#8 ·
Below is an excerpt from a long term review on cyclingmagazine.ca, 11/13/19.

Shimano's Hyperglide+ shifting is spectacular. We have said it before, but it's so good it is worth mentioning again. At first the lever feels a bit stiff and can require a little extra finger strength to switch gears, however after a few rides the shifter really breaks in and gives a crisp precise feel. The lever almost feels disconnected from the derailleur in a good way. You depress the lever and the gear shifts. You don't need to worry about the minor tension held in the shifter like you do with other groups.
The ability to drop 2 gears at once seems like a minor advantage, but I was surprised at how many times I opted to drop 2 gears instead of one when cresting climbs or dropping into downhill sections. Also, being able to pull on the shift lever as well as push was a welcome change to what we are used to with 12 speed drivetrains. When pedaling on flats or up steady climbs I often rest my hands on the top of my bars, and it's nice to have quick easy access to shifting from multiple hand positions.
 
#9 ·
new ones are stiff. yes, they do get less stiff as they break in.

it's been awhile since I was on SRAM shifters, but the 10spd XX shifter I had was TOO light to upshift. Sometimes that lightness was nice. But it also resulted in a lot of unwanted shifts.
 
Discussion starter · #10 ·
idividebyzero said:
Its just the crappy Shimano shifter design. Mine is VERY hard to press, its completely ridiculous. Luckily SRAM eagle shifters will work so I plan on getting an X01 shifter eventually, dropping gears on SRAM shifters is lightning fast and much easier than Shimano's.
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Yeah mate ! i feel you, it's like trying to bend lever itself, that stiff and hard !

My friend have XX1 Eage drivetrain, the old 11 Speed one, i have to say that XX1 11 speed shifter is so damn good ! both up and downshifting so smooth and both require same push power !!
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
VT1trakr said:
Below is an excerpt from a long term review on cyclingmagazine.ca, 11/13/19.

Shimano's Hyperglide+ shifting is spectacular. We have said it before, but it's so good it is worth mentioning again. At first the lever feels a bit stiff and can require a little extra finger strength to switch gears, however after a few rides the shifter really breaks in and gives a crisp precise feel. The lever almost feels disconnected from the derailleur in a good way. You depress the lever and the gear shifts. You don't need to worry about the minor tension held in the shifter like you do with other groups.
The ability to drop 2 gears at once seems like a minor advantage, but I was surprised at how many times I opted to drop 2 gears instead of one when cresting climbs or dropping into downhill sections. Also, being able to pull on the shift lever as well as push was a welcome change to what we are used to with 12 speed drivetrains. When pedaling on flats or up steady climbs I often rest my hands on the top of my bars, and it's nice to have quick easy access to shifting from multiple hand positions.
Click to expand...
Yeah i have read this review mate, ''The ability to drop 2 gears at once'' that's my problem, so damn stiff plus stiffer on 2nd push !!!

Up 1-2-3-4 gear at once going larger tooths is so smooth, way too smooth, sometimes realy i don't feel that i changed gear even !.
 
#12 ·
Ive had mine since last fall and it shifts just as **** as it did when it was new. It takes so much effort the lever actually flexes and feels like Im snapping things inside it. Its an extremely bad shifter with a failure rate so high it rivals the first gen Guide brakes.

It doesnt get better, you just get used to it and your thumb gets stronger from all the bench pressing its doing to shift a gear. I had to ride SRAM for a bit and was brought back to how light and fast shifting used to feel before I got XTR.
 
#13 ·
This is the way it works. It doesn't change as it "breaks in".

 
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#14 ·
idividebyzero said:
It doesnt get better, you just get used to it and your thumb gets stronger from all the bench pressing its doing to shift a gear. I had to ride SRAM for a bit and was brought back to how light and fast shifting used to feel before I got XTR.
Click to expand...
Or you get tendonitis.
 
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#15 ·
I must admit I’ve been getting a sore thumb with xtr shifter. I will likely move it in towards the stem. The I spec ev allows some movement.

Jayem I must say I am envious of the smoothness and lack of thumb effort for the sram. I don’t 1 finger brake all the time so will try and do that more. I also use multishifting a lot with the Shimano. I’ve had SRAM x9 10 spd and xtr 11 speed and the 12 speed seems a bit stiffer!
 
#16 ·
I had an XT M8000 shifter that I thought too stiff too and then bought a Deore M6100 when I went on 12spd. Much smoother and I didn't care about the double upshifts anyway. Actually I was always shifting 1 gear at a time, I learned about the double-shift feature on another thread like this saying that the shifters were too hard to shift!

Some love that "crisp" action but it's personal preference I'd say. The OP's shifter could be defective too as there were many reports of broken XTR 9100 shifters.
 
#17 ·
Vance72 said:
I must admit I've been getting a sore thumb with xtr shifter. I will likely move it in towards the stem. The I spec ev allows some movement.

Jayem I must say I am envious of the smoothness and lack of thumb effort for the sram. I don't 1 finger brake all the time so will try and do that more. I also use multishifting a lot with the Shimano. I've had SRAM x9 10 spd and xtr 11 speed and the 12 speed seems a bit stiffer!
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Try the SLX shifter. It's has the lightes click out of all Shimano 12 speed shifters, it dosen't have the spring fail like XT and XTR and the double release is way overrated anyway.
 
#18 ·
OneTrustMan said:
Try the SLX shifter. It's has the lightes click out of all Shimano 12 speed shifters, it dosen't have the spring fail like XT and XTR and the double release is way overrated anyway.
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Good call re multi release being overrated. I have been doing single shifts up and down. Thumb for easier gears and finger for harder gears. Seems yo have helped plus I am one finger braking which also helps. Shifting two or three gears at once is hard on the thumb and not worth it for me.
 
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