have been toying with the idea for a while now but not sure what the benefits are?

have worked out that even with selling my current xtr drivetrain to replace it in 2×10 race spec its going to cost about £500

is it really worth that amount?

Yes.. But why bother with XTR? XT is all you need. I prefer the XT shifters over the XTR actually. 🙂

I’ve often thought about this as well, look forward to seeing the answers.

Pros- loose a bit of weight on the bike (just eat less pies!)
Cons- loose some gear ratios

As I’ve said, it’ll be good to actually see some thoughts.

😀

Full XT groupset on Merlin for £450?

http://www.merlincycles.com/shimano-xt-m780-2-x-10-disc-brake-groupset-black-54656.html

TBH I found that I gained more useful ratios to keep spinning along with less gear changes.

dont want to downgrade from current xtr to xt just to go 2×10 for less. if its worth changing for beneficial reasons yet to be sold to me then its worth paying for replacing xtr with xtr.

Why not try 2×9 first? Just take off your big ring and replace the current middle ring (32t?) With a 36 or 38.

Yes, but mostly because of clutch mechs and the new range of shifters that do two clicks upshift. I went 1×10 with a thick/thin chain ring and no chain guide. Awesome!

The only benefit I’ve found is a clutch mech. Other than that my 9 speed XT is working perfectly well.

2×6 / 10 speed ZEE on my hardtail, 2×9 9 speed XT on my hybrid-come-crosser.

Why not try 2×9 first? Just take off your big ring and replace the current middle ring (32t?) With a 36 or 38.

what would be the point in that?

now 1×10 i can see the benefit of with regards to weight savong as no left shifter, no front mech, 2 less chainrings. but for an xc racing bike? would 1×10 be adequate? I know there are some who race xc on sram 1×11 but tbh I am a loyal shimano user and have been since 1990.

Why not demo or hire a bike with 2 x 10 or 1 x 11 set up and then make your mind up? You might be surprised by the benefits. Brand loyalty is fine as long as it doesn’t hinder progress.

this is all very interesting and ive just caught a glimpse of the new 2015 xtr 1×11 stuff, but what are the actual benefits of changing??

Its not a big difference between 9 and 10 speed in terms of ratios. The clutch mech and shifters are better though. But that is just what I think and I think XTR is a waste of money for something that will get smashed on a rock.

Not until you wear out your 9 spd

xcretro – Member

Why not try 2×9 first? Just take off your big ring and replace the current middle ring (32t?) With a 36 or 38.

what would be the point in that?[/quote]
You can ride with a decent gap on the 2 rings 24/30 is about as big as you get so you get most of the gears that you would have in 3x with 2x. On top of that you loose a bit of weight. IN reality if I was thinking of that sort of money upgrade it would be XX1.

I always found 11-32 on 9-speed to be about the right spacing between gears for me, so going to 36 at the back on 10-speed just means I end up changing front ring a lot less. I like this, suits my (lazy) riding style.
Worth it or not is a personal choice; however as others have said, the clutch mech is a superb step up.

One of the 2 best upgrades I’ve ever made to a bike (the other being a Reverb)

Less duplication (or near duplication) of gear ratios, a little bit more ground clearance (doesn’t make too much difference if I’m honest though), less shifting at the front to find the best gear, quicker shifting at the front (on my X9 set up compared with the old 3 ring XTR set up I replaced it with, anyway).

Add in the advantage of clutch mechs, what’s not to like?

I’m running 12-36 at the back & 26/39 at he front. I may be missing the very top gears off my previous 11-34, 20/32/42 of my previous set-up but I very rarely used the top end anyway.

hi, i’ve literally just made the same switch on my hardtail. I spent a lot lot less than that, but I still wondered about spending the cash for quite a while.

The weight bit wasn’t an issue for me, i’m not fit enough, light enough myself, or able to buy light enough components that the weight loss would be a big benefit to me!

However, I switched based on recommendations, and so far i’ve been really pleased with the results. I’ve found that the two chainrings are far more useable for my ‘normal’ riding.

In 3×9 i found i’d be changing on the front a lot, and occasionally i’d get caught out in the wrong chainring. With 2×10 you can use more of the rear gears without changing, so i seem to have a bit more flexibility when i need it. As a practical example, there’s a climb we do locally where i’d have to drop to granny for a couple of sections, but i’d want middle gear for several other sections of it. With 2×10 i can just rack through the gears at the rear for the different sections.

Same with some descents, i can switch up then double change down a couple of times for a steep climb halfway down.

Basically, i really like the change, but it only cost me £200 or so!