Shimano Deore XT has been the benchmark mountain bike groupset for decades, but with new options on the market, which setup reigns supreme? We take both the electronic Di2 and classic mechanical versions to Cwmcarn to check out their performance, durability, and features on the trail. Join Owen and James as they dive into the tech, history, and head-to-head performance to help you decide which groupset belongs on your rig!
In association with ๐ค Shimano https://gmbn.eu/ShimanoDeoreXT
โฑ Timestamps โฑ
00:00 – Introduction & History of Shimano Deore XT
05:13 – Tech Breakdown: Di2 vs. Mechanical
10:09 – Head-to-Head Showdown
15:20 – LinkGlide, New Rotors & Additional Tech
16:52 – Final Verdict & Conclusion
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Are you Team James (#TeamDi2) for crisp, customizable electronic shifting, or Team Owen (#TeamMechanical) for classic cable-actuated tactile feedback? Let us know which setup youโre running and why in the comments below! ๐
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43 Comments
Are you Team James (#TeamDi2) for crisp, customizable electronic shifting, or Team Owen (#TeamMechanical) for classic cable-actuated tactile feedback? Let us know which setup youโre running and why in the comments below! ๐
Last thing Ineed is another battery. True Storyโฆ
Mechanical. But with the standard XD driver and T-Type hangerless.
the single biggest issue i have with electronic shifting is the lack of ability to shift multiple gears at once. 3 at once if fine, but sram's ability to dump 5 gears (or 3) in a single go is just flat better and more useful than shifting under load. the number times ive actually needed to shift under load is few and far between. i postulate that if you could dump more gears at once, you wouldnt NEED to shift under load.
Team Owen FTW and Iโm still on 11speed
Anyone else find it funny that James kept mentioning he had raced on it for seven whole days? As if that is impressive. If a groupset can't take 7 days of beating, I'd be livid!
He needs to do something with that head of his, just tidy it up with a cut back, at least ?!.. I genuinely thought it was a wig, it looks that unkempt !!!
This is stupid. Should just leave it only Di2. Let the SLX and below be mechanical.
In that 1982 pic of the M700 XT groupset, why do i s๐ what looked like road bike shifters๐ค๐ง
No interest in adding batteries to my shifters. More to go wrong, with no practical advantage.
Team Owen, just upgraded to the new XT and itching to try it out
Haha, I know NO ONE who uses electric shifting and suffered not at least once of an empty battery.
Team Owen. Always. โค
Using simano xt 11sp link glide on both my e bike and on my sons enduro race bike.
That dude's wig though.. ๐
In terms of durability and working performance Deore XT is completely NOT WORTH money over standard Deore. Also I hope analog, cable shifting will stay forever. Water + electricity always end in problems.
Electronic shifting sucks
Dude Owen, you should have challenged him to the track stand test! Mechanical would have won that, hands down.
I have a 1995 XT rear derailleur (M739) on by current daily driver. It's an 8 speed shifter but does 9 just fine with a friction shifter and looks amazing doing it. Besides the Arabesque 600, I think it's the nicest looking derailleur Shimano ever made.
Cable deore is all fine and enough as long as your bike does not have the ridiculous headset-routed cables like this oebea oiz which one of the most annoying setup to work on…
i mean, the price is enough to consider one being the best option
Almost no one remembers this, but RapidFire was a reaction to riders taking their index thumb shifters, flipping them left to right and rotating them under the bar, so they could keep a better grip while shifting on rough terrain. More specifically, cassette shifting was now with the left hand and chainring shifting with the right.
In 03 I set up an 8 speed like this, using the "phantom click" at the end of my Deore 7 speed thumb shifter to access all the gears.
Over enthusiasm in abundance, slow down man it just looks rushed. Not so interesting.
Shed a tear for Rapid Fire Two Way Release.
The way you brought the linkglide into presentatiom was confusing. I had to look up to understand that there are 2 options: 12 speed Hyperglide+ or 11 speed Linkglide.
Team Mechanical here! At least for the time being. I wouldn't mind ditching the cables, but realistically, if I have a few hundred dollars to spare, I'd rather spend that on better suspension.
XT Drivetrain with Deore Cranks and brakes is always my economically sound but shreds the trails parts.
Team Owen (#TeamMechanical) all the way! ๐
5:40 โitโs completely wirelessโ you lost me there mate.
I think 8 speed and triple up front all the range if ride around the corner and come across a steep hill just one click drop to the small ring up front and donโt have to keep charging batteryโs can leave it in the shed for 2 or 3 months pump tyres up and a way I go
Still mechanical! Not really an early adopter. I remember when the STX RC came out! One step below LX Deore.
just imagine years or even decades of mispronouncing a product name in your contents ๐คฃ i was corrected so many times for just saying nevada or even nike,puma rebook and i thank you for correcting me, now it's my sole duty to give in return, then i started correcting these white walkers too, i kept watching these guys in GNBN mispronounce this japanese product called Deore for the longest time, it's pronounced as Deo-RE and nor "Dior" if other race mispronounced your own proudly produced product, you will always correct then, let us give you in return, say it deo-re. again deooooo re!๐คฃ
12 speed is overpriced short lived trash, a masterpiece of marketing bullshit. Shimano know this of course hence the marketing claim for linkglide, 3x the life of 12 speed not anything else.
Team Owen โค deore m7200 the new version works as hell on e bike i use it with the new single click shifter, orbea wild gen5 Bosch
do you guys wear a wigs or is that a real hair๐
Definitely Team Owen. The reliability and durability of the Ludditeโs Analog shifting choice means that your pre-ride bike check remains just tyre pressure and chain lubrication.
Besides which, Iโve enough battery charging units in my house as it is.
I moved from a Sram AXS to the new XT Di2 earlier this year and it's amazing. AXS seems like a dinosaur compared. I just bought a new bike(Orbea Rise LT) with a permanently wired Di2 XT that supports free shift, can't wait to try it.
Mechanical, once again Iโm with Owen!
Mech XT for me, love the mech feedback during a gear change. My partner has arthritis in her thumb, mech shifter is causing issues, I think wireless might be her solution.
Been on bikes since the late 80โs and currently using SLX and XT combination. I know how to set it up and keep it tuned. So Iโm satisfied with cable actuated systems and probably wonโt try Di2 because I donโt think it improves very much for meโฆ. So Iโll ride with team Owen.
But I can see where the real advantage of Di2 is for anyone who doesnโt want to deal with adjustments or drifting of any type, and values the added cost of Di2 to have a set it and forget it type of system.
Team Alivio here, too poor for all this xD
I would prefer mechanical every time, given better trigger feedback, lower price and weight, and no dependency on batteries and charging. However… since I have approximately 0.1% chance of being able to install a cable actuated derailleur and get it to work fine, and the first time I installed a XT Di2 derailleur and trigger I got it easily to working completely fine… I have no chance but to use Di2.
God I hate these script reading style 'conversations'
40 year old rider here, I have use Shimano my whole life. Im about to pull the trigger on a Scott Spark RC, and I cannot make up my mind if I should buy the Shimano XT or the Sram GX version of the bike, also is going to be my first time buying an electronic shifting bike, so if anyone wants to put me in the right direccion it will be much appreciated.