With the Yen to Sterling balance going bonkers and the likes of XTR becoming even more unattainable for many people, the more budget conscious end of Shimano’s product line up is becoming more important. Good job Shimano have just re-vamped their Deore groupset then. It’s not just a spit and polish update either, it’s a full-on overhaul.
Here’s what’s what…
The Deore rear mech is now Shadow flavoured, so you now get increased rock clearance for decreased cost.Deore has gone a bit more angular and looks quite like Saint and SLX now, all good. As well as cosmetic changes there are some neat technical changes. The brake hoses and gear cables now exit at the same angle for tidier cable routing.And what you've all been waiting for, hinged brake levers for easy removal, bolts in the same place and both the same size. The brake hinge has a neat fail safe device, so even if your bolt falls out your brake levers will stay on your bars.If you're one of the ten people who doesn't run singlespeed on your 29er then Shimano has something for you, a 29er specific cassette with matching hubs to cope with the increased torque.It has to be said some of Shimano's latest disc brakes, whilst being great performers, have been a pain to bleed properly. But no more! Re-designed internals mean trouble free bleeding.OEM Shimano components are now available in white, so expect to see these cropping up on bikes in your local bike shop soon.
“Once again, Deore looks better, and probably performs just as well as the next up SLX. Remind me what the point of the LX/SLX groupset is..?”
Between LX and old Deore, there was a hell of a difference in performance, quality of finish and weight. IMHO, the last MTB specific incarnation of LX (M580) probably did more to make XT of the time (M760) look a bit redundant.
Hmmmmmm, still can’t hang the brake-levers inboard of the Shifters.
no pics of the 10speed 2010 XTR grouppo?
“Once again, Deore looks better, and probably performs just as well as the next up SLX. Remind me what the point of the LX/SLX groupset is..?”
Between LX and old Deore, there was a hell of a difference in performance, quality of finish and weight. IMHO, the last MTB specific incarnation of LX (M580) probably did more to make XT of the time (M760) look a bit redundant.