https://bike.shimano.com/stories/article/new-shimano-deore-mechanical-mtb-components.html
https://bikepacking.com/news/new-shimano-deore-drivetrain/
An attempt at a realistic / non-cynical take: this better be cheaper or have some wins baked in that we’re not seeing because dropping the clutch and making what seems a heavier cassette, dropping mechanical XT / moving it to SLX level is all around a loss.
Similar to SRAM‘s new generation of 100/200/500 being a quiet nerf and potentially being the elimination of X0 and XX mechanical, this looks pretty lame.
Many of us don’t want batteries and don’t want shit cassettes. The bike media is basically complicit at this point. A new high end piece of shit part comes out and there are 300 articles but SRAM and Shimano quietly ”update” their mechanical drivetrains to be cheaper and lesser and its a bit swept under the rug.
I hope to be wrong about some of this but all the early reports are that the new Shimano mechs have more chain slap. Maybe they bounce off rocks/sticks better and survive better, we’ll see, but XT, XTR, X0, and XX mechanical appear to all be dead or headed that way.
Hopefully there’s enough of us out here pushing back and continuing to buy prior gen parts that they’ll get a clue.
Hopefully bike makers also get a clue that a lot people don’t want mediocre suspension and mediocre brakes, a shit dropper, and shit wheels paired with a carbon frame and wireless shifting. Those builds are literally all hat and no cowboy…
by Antpitta
5 Comments
A few things:
I’m absolutely livid they announced a Deore brake update 3 weeks after I bought XT 8220 brakes. I would have saved money and gone with these lol.
I don’t understand your comment about “shit cassettes.” Shimano’s one thing is the teeth machining (hyperglide) and tolerances are the same from Deore to XTR. That’s their whole thing: that there’s no point to going with XTR cassette unless you’re actually sponsored by them or weight weenie-ing. And honestly, difficult to justify going above Deore or SLX either. The cassettes are mostly the same as last gen, but they take the spider changes the new XT 8200 cassettes had. The old rivets could start creeking.
The new upcoming XT 8200 mechanical update is a poorly kept secret. A few brands with it spec’d on their future 2027 bikes like Orbea already released pictures with a new derailuer with a big XT printed on it. But I’d imagine its not going to have a clutch. I have no clue why Shimano didn’t announce new XT yesterday with all these. I do think they’re getting rid of XTR mechanical. But again….who cares? Anyone who wants it specced on a $10k+ new bike wants electronic.
“They removed a clutch” when Shimano’s announcement literally includes a RD-6200 that still has a clutch.
I’m fully of the opinion the hatred for the clutch deletion is making a lot of hay over nothing or confirmation bias over chain slap. I have the XT di2. The double spring has the same force if you pull on it as the old clutch and has the same chain slap. I agree that I liked the clutch could be maintained and tightened on the old model. But I have another comment on here about how few people actually did that.
“Now with our new patented “chain slap” technology. I know SRAM doesn’t have a clutch either with the AXS systems (I run GX AXS Transmission) but the old Shimano clutch when working properly was superior for chain stability.
I’m not sure what there was to improve with the old deore drivetrain other than refinements, it was and is fantastic still.
This group is probably targeted at e-bikes, not mountain bikes per-se.
Re-using cyclocross model names for gravel bikes is similar. Same name, completely different bike.
the clutch deletion is annoying but shimano cassettes really are just shimano cassettes so people complaining about that part seem off base
Unless you’ve got some numbers not otherwise shared, there’s no reason to think the cassettes are heavier. The m8200 cassette has been available for months with the same mention of increase in durability but weighs less due to changes in the alloy spider, so these cassettes are probably tens of grams less as well.
MSRP cost have jumped on the cassettes at least but that’s to be expected after a 6(?) year product life cycle on the first 12spd versions. Actual paid prices are TBD, no one pays shimanos MSRP.
The shifter IS a cost decrease b/c now you get the benefits of the xt shifter in a deore pricepoint.
I don’t know what bikes you’re buying or what you consider mediocre/shit but there are plenty of options with decent suspension, brakes and droppers at or below AXS drivetrain price points.