With 23 years as Editor of Singletrack World Magazine, Chipps is the longest-running mountain bike magazine editor in the world. He started in the bike trade in 1990 and became a full time mountain bike journalist at the start of 1994. Over the last 30 years as a bike writer and photographer, he has seen mountain bike culture flourish, strengthen and diversify and bike technology go from rigid steel frames to fully suspended carbon fibre (and sometimes back to rigid steel as well.)
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some of them look more like facelifts than actual changes to the components….but they do look better than the current range which is getting alittle dated know
So the shimano hubs feature cup and corn bearings? Is that why they go loose so quickly?
the deore levers look a bit like SLX
Are those levers split clamp?
I’m looking for something not to like… nope.
Shadow, 2-way shifts: the actually useful Shimano improvements of recent years now in the groupset that most of us depend on when things need replacing in a hurry and we don’t have time to save up.
Levers are hinged (yey).
I’m sure it’ll be brilliant and fantastic and more cost effective than ever before but God, that Deore logotype is butt ugly.
good to notice i was not the only one to notice to the cup and corn! i hope that makes it to the production boxes!
Agree with Kelvin, it’s hard to find anything not to like (except the logo!). Althuogh I suspect the price might be on that list, given recent increases and the weak pound. :^(
seems rear mech is 50 quid, shifters 60! ouch. What about Alivio – how much is that?
How big are those rear mechs? They completely dwarf the magazines that you’ve rested them on to take the photos. 😉
Those v levers look just like the old XT/XTR v levers. Do they have those funny half moon things for squeeze adjustment?
just fitted 09 deore HTII cranks on my bike and im very impressed
deore is the new black
Like the look of the deraileur. IMHO SLX made XT almost redundant. I wonder how close Deore will come to SLX.
Crank Arms look like over developed body builders muscles. Baby oil anyone?
Nice trickle down!
why, if they have shadow, can you still get regular mechs?
any reason other than cheaper?
XT will still be my weapon of choice, not a fan of SLX myself
still, nice looking stuff though!
That cut out Mech hanger on the Shadow looks “flimsy” compared to the other… will it cope with rock strikes??
Out of curiosity, what’s the benefit of the 2-way shifts? I’ve got SLX on my bike, and have always wondered what the “2-way” stickers on the shifters meant! I’ve gone over and had a quick play – as far as I can tell the “finger” shifter (the smaller one) can drop to smaller cogs (front or rear) by pushing as well as by pulling (I normally “pull” with my index finger) – but I had to do some real contortion to do the pushing way, so can’t figure out the benefit.
You can use fingers or thumbs to shift without taking hand off bars
Can shift easier when braking at the same time too.
If you’re sat down, it can be easier to push the 2-way lever forward with your thumb. When standing, it’s way easier with your finger. It’s all about choice, innit?
I know Deore never had dual control, but do you think Shimano are going to dump it for the next iteration of XT and XTR whenever that arrives, as they seem to be hated by everyone for some reason. I hesitate to admit I really liked the last dual control interations – and never accidently change gear while braking, am I the only one – should I buy stock now?
And all for the price you were paying for XTR a couple of years ago………..probably.