[K4izen]

Hello everyone. I am troubleshooting shifting issues with my M8100 RD. I've purchased a brand new M9100 that I am awaiting delivery on and would like to replace the cables in the process. I was just wanting to know whether this item is enough for me to perform the job:

Shimano XTR SL-M9000 OT-SP41 Stainless MTB Shift Cable Set Black

Buy Shimano XTR SL-M9000 OT-SP41 Stainless MTB Shift Cable Set Black Now at Pushys. Lowest Price, Secure Shopping and Fast Delivery from Australia's Best Online Bike Store

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Includes:

• 1 x 3300mm black outer casing, pre-lubed with silicon grease for decreased friction when shifting (4mm diameter).
• 2 x Stainless steel inner cables for rust free, lighter, quicker and smoother shifting (1x 2100mm and 1x 1800mm) • 6 casing caps
• 2 cable tips to prevent cable fraying

This is the specific post that has a list of things I have tried. Long story short, the XT never shifted cleanly. It's particularly loud shifting to higher gears on the largest 2 cogs. The RD then stopped going to lower gears/smaller cogs from the largest gear after my last ride and Shimano over email agreed for me to take it to one of my LBS to process through the vendor portal. The mechanic that looked at it "couldn't see the issue" and tried to charge me for no work. When I picked it up I demonstrated the issues to another mechanic and indicated that his entry level SRAM NX shifted better. Basically now I am here sending Shimano to try and right this wrong and sent them another email. In the mean time, I will not let this spoil my experience with my new bike which I took delivery in November. So regardless, I've purchased an M9100 SGS long cage while waiting.

Thank you.

 

[rangeriderdave]

You would need a cable cutter and a housing cutter , though I do that with side cutters. I would have taken the bike back if it wasn't working right when new. There are techniques you can use to to make shifting quieter and easier. One is as you are shifting ,you "soft " pedal . That means you are pedaling but not putting any power in to it. You can also experiment when to time the shift . The best way to do that is with the bike on a stand ,you watch where the pedals are when you move the shifter , and learn when the chain moves the easiest. After some time on a bike with new cables/housing ,they will need to be adjusted. What happens is the housing gets seated in the ferrels ,that is the same as loosing the cable/adjustment. I have a hard time believing that a entry level derailleur would shift better than a xt. I would that there was something wrong in the set up of the when you bought it, such as them not being routed correctly , being rusty or something. I would look at either the Park Tools or Sheldon Brown web sites for how to adjust a derailleur.

 

[K4izen]

Thanks I have a good quality set of cutters but I’ll look into it.

The shifting quality is actually ruining my riding experience, hence my efforts in troubleshooting. I have had no issues tuning my previous bike which used a SRAM NX RD and I could tune that and not require another retune for another 300km. I also still ride a fully rigid titanium bike and that has a 20 year old RD-M910. It’s probably currently on 400km since it’s last tune, and I tuned it. It’s unfortunate, but the XT that I have isn’t shifting as the reviews say it is. And there’s been multiple threads on the subject across communities, so I know I am not the only one.

I also forgot I need to add cable ends to that list. A 10 pack should do.

Thanks again, I appreciate the feedback.

Update: Shimano reached out and called me about my last email. The my understood the issue and we now have a new plan. I’m going to try another LBS and ensure they DO NOT even try and fix it, just remove and process the M8100 through their vendor warranty portal. At the same time, I’ll get them to install my cabling and M9100. So that means, I don’t need to perform it. I will use the XTR kit cables.

They felt I didn’t need to buy a new M9100 but I said I’ve already wasted enough time with this issue I just want to enjoy my riding. Regardless, plan is I’ll just sell the replacement M8100 when they replace it.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Reaperactual]

When cutting cables the ends may get pinched and cause extra friction so I find it good practice to wiggle something into the end to make sure to get it round again (I use a 1mm Allen key).

After that face the end of the cable downwards and file the cut edge to a smooth, square finish for best results.

As mentioned cable outers and ferrules can compress and throw shifting off after a while (cable stretch) so making sure the cable ends have a good clean edge and then tapping the ferrules down properly ensures this doesn't happen.

Take a little time to get the cable ends right and you'll get the best, crisp shifting performance from a cable set up.

 

[MOJO K]

Update: Shimano reached out and called me about my last email. The my understood the issue and we now have a new plan. I’m going to try another LBS and ensure they DO NOT even try and fix it, just remove and process the M8100 through their vendor warranty portal. At the same time, I’ll get them to install my cabling and M9100. So that means, I don’t need to perform it. I will use the XTR kit cables.

They felt I didn’t need to buy a new M9100 but I said I’ve already wasted enough time with this issue I just want to enjoy my riding. Regardless, plan is I’ll just sell the replacement M8100 when they replace it.

It's kind of refreshing to hear a story about a warranty issue getting resolved neatly.

It is worth noting that Shimano always had a "staccato" feel to them in comparison to SRAM shifting.