[Closed] Are shadow mechs any good?

I found mine flimsy TBH. It was tucked well out the way and I never damaged it but it just didn't feel very substansial, I've also seen a lot of the XTR ones explode.

"I am The Shadow, and I never miss".....the rocks, roots, weeds etc - just like all the other mechs.
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They work well enough, but don't believe the hype about them being invincible or out of harm's way. More direct cable routing is a slight advantage I suppose, but I've never caught the old-style shimano cable loop on anything...

I have an XTR (shadow) on on 1 bike & an XT on another..The XT is ALWAYS playing up but the XTR seems as good as gold..Its not the cabling thats an issue but where the mech sits.To my eyes it tucks up nicely out of the way & the action is solid & reliable. Nothing is invincible if you hit it hard enough but if you can keep it out of harms way..

on my orange 5 swingarm i used to run a big loop of cable to keep it running smooth into the mech, the slx shadow i have has cut at least 5 inches off the cable outer, shifting has improved and there is less to hook up, mech looks good in my opinion and feels solid enough, whether it is less accident prone we'll see, but i never damaged the old one.

My mechs normally die by developing too much slop in the frame mounting pivot. I've not tried Shadow as this pivot looks like it will die quicker due to it being narrower. Not used one mind so it's purely speculation. However, when I was last faced with a mech purchasing option, I went for the conventional XTR over the Shadow XTR.

Shadow is poooooo!
I had one a month and it ended up sticking out at 45 degree's. The mech hanger stayed straight tho!
I've gone back to conventional, the shift is lighter and crisper.

I've been pretty happy with my XT one, it shifts well, only thing i'm not keen on is there is no adjustment at the rear mech end of the cable. I havent hit anything yet but i'm guessing that will be the big test...

Mine's been fine - had no problems whatsoever

For a bit more money and an extra 20grams why not go for the Saint mech, shadow style in a very tough package.
My XTR shadow has been solid for a year, and never needed adjustment but when it dies I'll be replacing it with a saint.

Onzadog - it's the pivot on the Shadow that is it's weakness IMO, gets very sloppy very quickly.

I recently put a "non-shadow" on my 04 Enduro. Works perfectly but the biggest improvement was changing to a full length outer. Should have done that yonks ago.

Have to check that extra pivot now and again, 'part from that, it's been...a mech

My XT never missed a beat and pivot still fine. Would gladly buy another...

No problems at all with my XT shadow but equally I've only every broken 1 rear mech (big stick in the wheel...) so that's no suprise. I do like the more direct cable routing though.

no issues and the shift is crisp.

Shadow mechs are quieter in my experience (due to having one pivot now), although not immortal!

Replaced my 2007 XT on my Orange 5 with the new shadow but that lasted 6 months before a stick destroyed it and the cage exploded. Now replaced it with new SLX which seems abit sturdier and ALOT cheaper!

Shifting seems snappier too.

They're definitely less susceptible to being clouted than non-shadow variants, but I have real issues with indexing - it'll be perfect at the beginning of a ride, but after about 10 or 15 miles it'll be a bit out, and I'll have to "feel" every shift very carefully. It's also gone pretty sloppy pretty quick.

That all said, I *would* have destroyed a rear mech in Les Arcs if I hadn't been running the Shadow one.

As above, when this one dies, I'll try the Saint one.

No - flimsey vs older style mechs - wouldnt bother

paul

Also I though the really thin mounting pivot was supposed to snap before taking out the hanger... or is that just what someone told me? It took my hanger out and THEN snapped 👿

SLX shadow much better than traditional ones so far. I don't know about longevity, but it's out of the way and there's no cable loop killing the indexing. Like. Essential for four-bar bikes I reckon, and far less chattery than a trad one.

None of the new mechs appear to have adjustment at the mech end...

Been running an XT Shadow mech for nearly a year now with absolutely no problems whatsoever. Quieter, crisp shifting - would recommend one 🙂

didn't like my xt shadow, went back to medium cage rapid rise, the best rear mech.

Not had no probs with mine. Aboot a year now.

Had 3 XT Shadows and one SLX shadow. I smashed one of the XTs just as easily as I trashed one of the traditional mechs. I [i]do[/i] like the way it doesn't whack against your frame over bumps etc. My SLX is short cage and feels and performs (and looks) great. I do prefer shadow but would happily use older ones if they were out of stock or silly expensive.

" It took my hanger out and THEN snapped"

Surely thats what you want to happen? You can/should carry a spare mech hanger, but nobody (there are exceptions I know) is likely to carry a spare rear mech with them on every ride

"None of the new mechs appear to have adjustment at the mech end... "
If you back it off before you secure the cable, theres enough at the shifter. Though I agree a mech adjuster is easier/better to use

Don't buy it for the shadowness, just for the neater, more direct cable routing and that it doesn't hit the chainstay (whereas in the rough the old style did all the time)

Price rises mean they've gone up a bit though
The XT one has an aluminium tensioner, I bent one and have heard of other cases. £45ish on merlin, £62 on CRC!
The SLX one has a steel tensioner, isn't supposed to bend, but is 30g or so grams heavier than the XT one. But at £32 (from merlin) is cheaper.

I'll be getting an SLX one next time I smash my XT one into something

" It took my hanger out and THEN snapped"

Surely thats what you want to happen? You can/should carry a spare mech hanger, but nobody (there are exceptions I know) is likely to carry a spare rear mech with them on every ride

I've been through a fair few mechs over the years and more recently have had to replace my lovely XTR which got wrapped up around the chain and snapped the little piece of metal that keeps it from going round further than a certain point.

I decided to replace this with an XT Shadow, partly to save money and also to test it out to see what all the fuss is about.

So far so good. It certainly does remain nicely tucked away under the frame, which will innevitably keep it out of harms way to a certain degree. Shifting is smooth and up to now I've not experienced any issues with it.

here in Oz there are few mech bashing rocky trails (as opposed to the peaks or lakes) with most of the riding in forests. so I splashed out on an XTR one. works a treat so far.

"it was a steel frame with a non replaceable hanger"

Ah, fair enough.
I still don't get why steel frames don't come with replacable hangers (except the orange P7 (must be others as well?))
Surely its easier to carry a replacement hanger with you than a spare mech. That said when I mashed my old mech into a log head on, the over-beefy (compared to other mech hangers) specialized mech hanger remained straight and unharmed

Mine is great and a piece of piss getting through the motorbike gates at Afan!

I still don't get why steel frames don't come with replacable hangers (except the orange P7 (must be others as well?))

I thought the reason steel frames don't need a replaceable hanger was because steel frames can basically bend a back into position. Whereas steel is bendy, the likes of aluminium and carbon are not, hence their stiffness.

The idea is that the hanger snaps rather than the frame, so can be easily replaced. with steel frames it's less likely they will actually snap or fracture, unlike the stiffer materials that a more prone.

Still, you make a good point when you say steel frames should have replaceable hangers.

yian - Member
Mine is great and a piece of piss getting through the motorbike gates at Afan!

Yian, you have a very good point there, I clearly remember the last time I took my Spesh Enduro to Whites Level, Afan and recalling how much easier it was to get the bike through those motorbike gates. They really are much less exposed. Case in point.