I’m prety certain my new XT’s can downshift 2, there’s a double “click”.

In my experience, the shifters are perhaps the only XTR component worth it – I would run XTR shifters with XT everything else. They’re a vast improvement in feel and performance.

I went from 10spd SLX to a single 10spd XTR and it is the best £60 spent on my bike!

They are much nicer to use than the XT and the double dowmshift is hard to live without once you have used it!

I’ve got an XT group with XTR 9sp shifters at the moment. The XTR’s were massively better than the SLX ones I had before.

I’m fitting a 10sp M780 2×10 XT group today and have got a set of XT M780 shifters to try before shelling out the extra for another set of XTR shifters.

From what I’ve read in a few places the 2012 XT shifters have gained most of the features of 2011 XTR but shift with a more positive ‘click’ so some reviewers actually preferred the XT’s as you don’t make accidental multiple changes (the XTR’s are so easy to shift it can happen).

Do xtr shifters have the little windows showing current gear selection? I’m looking on eBay now and confused

Do not buy your XT M780 shifters from Merlin Cycles 👿

Had taken off all the 9 speed kit and came to fit the shifters. On opening the packet I found Merlin don’t supply them with the blanking covers to remove the shift indicator windows which makes them useless for me as they won’t fit. I took the windows off hoping they would be hidden underneath but it must be a separate item.

I’m taking the bike away on Saturday and now have to either refit all the 9 speed kit again or try to get some alternative shifters before Saturday. Not a happy bunny.

My 2012 Xt’s are going back to Merlin and I’ve ordered a pair of XTR’s from welovemountains.com – decent price and they will get them to me by Thursday (hopefully). How many shops man their phone so late – I phoned them at 7.45pm and they answered the phone to confirm they had stock.

Fingers crossed they arrive in time. Otherwise Friday will be spent refitting the 9 speed stuff. Doh!

Why on earth do Shimano make a big deal of the fact you can remove the XT windows and then not include the covers.

Seriously? Why not just put some electrical tape over the holes until you could get the blanking plates! Mountain/molehill confusion for sure!

Weird, my 10 speed XT had the blanking plate. Take the shifter window off, the blanking plate is inside, no?
Prefer the XTR I have now though, just wish I could purchase a single I-spec clamp for it though.

njee20 – if you have absolutely nothing useful to contribute other than troll, why bother.

Nowhere seems to be selling the blanking plates as they are included with the retail packaged M780’s (I checked this morning). I didn’t want to swap all the 9sp stuff back on again having already fitted all the other 10sp stuff and removed all the 9sp kit.

The M780 10 speed shifters are totally different to the M770 which had blanking plates you accessed when you removed the windows. On the M780 they are separate items which are included if you are supplied with retail packaged shifters but are not if you get OEM like Merlin supply.

I thought about using tape over them but the plates are strange shaped on the new XT’s and butt up against the mounting bracket so would be tricky to seal properly. Plus if you can’t easily source the covers what’s the point.