It just feels VERY stiff from new and never mellowed with mileage. It feels very cheap and requires a disproportionate amount of effort, I much prefer Deore or SLX but that's way too working class for me (joke, -ish). I think I set it up well and it shifts very well indeed, just the amount of finger work seems crazy.
Anyway, I am running an X01 cassette and chain so perhaps that's the reason?
With the Merlin discount, a X01 shifter and rear mech is £160 and I can probably get half that back from selling the barely used shifter and XT rear mech. Would it feel better and less hard work?
Cheers!
Mine don’t feel like that. Light, positive action despite one being on its original stock cable and SP41 outer from over 5 years ago.
Doesn’t sound right.
Drop me a message if you do decide to move the Shimano stuff on. I might know someone who is keen to buy.
Sounds like it's either broken or got really bad routing?
I've got all sorts of combinations from SLX to XTR, all 11 speed, and none of them are anything other than light pressure.
I'll change the outer, thanks. The routing is a bit twisty in the Tallboy but it felt similar with the Rascal.
The shift is perfect TBF, it just feels very stiff and unpleasant at the lever.
Would using a X01 cassette be a factor?
The cassette shouldn’t impact the stiffness of the shifter; the mech doesn’t touch it. The eagle 90 shifter has a much lighter action than xt - I’m not fancy enough to have tried xtr.
I personally find mechanical Shimano infinitely better than mechanical SRAM both in the mech and shifter departments. I don't find the trigger action any stiffer and prefer the stop at the low gear end rather than being able to push a lever that does nothing. The double action of the top trigger is a favourite too - other than that I find it all a crisper action too. Shimano stuff doesn't seem to self destruct either
I like my SRAM XX AXS though
Of the 4 bikes I ride regularly:
Ragley HT - 12sp SLX mech and cassette, XT shifter
Kenevo ebike as above
Stanton FS - all XTR
Levo - AXS
Unless the mech is almost touching the cassette (i.e. *much* too close) it'll make no difference to the shifting.
The cabling could just be as simple as cable ends not being square or a kink/bend somewhere in the inner (or outer).
I've no experience of XTR, but had plenty of 10/11/12 sp XT shifters over the years, and find them very light & easy to use.
I suspect - then - that if it's not a cabling / routing error, you have a broken/faulty shifter; if it's new, I'd send it back for a replacement!
How does it feel with the clutch on the mech off, you can run them too stiff which affects shift feel. Also could try undoing the inner off the mech and operating the shifter to see how it feels, this will let you know if it’s a cable or shifter issue
Have you got the cable routed the wrong way around the bolt on the derailleur that clamps the cable in? That can make it quite stiff
Thx for all that! Cable mounted the right way (an easy mistake to make though). I swapped with my son's SLX shifter and it's much much lighter so cabling might be ok and perhaps shifter faulty which would be disappointing but it does happen.
IME of xtr shifters they're arguably too light in action if anything. Gotta be something faulty with this one for sure.
I've got two xt shifters and one slx and the slx feels lighter, xt both feel a bit clunky. The only thing is that the slx is on my hardtail and the xt is on full sussers, so maybe it's cable routing.
Definitely doesn't sound right. Is it 12sp?
I always preferred XTR shifters in 11sp - a more definite action, whereas Deore/SLX felt less so - more fluffy but less mechanical feel with Deore/SLX. I've only used XT and SLX in 12sp and same differentiation exists there IME.
I'll change the outer, thanks. The routing is a bit twisty in the Tallboy but it felt similar with the Rascal.
The shift is perfect TBF, it just feels very stiff and unpleasant at the lever.
Would using a X01 cassette be a factor?
using xtr on a tallboy and it’s very light. How does the shifter feel with no cable installed?
I neglected to say that my xt shifters are 12 speed whereas the slx is 11 speed, so maybe that's a factor too.
Thanks again. It feels clunky and stiff without the cable so it must be a dodgy shifter. Will return. I have a new Deore (also 12 speed) which I paid £5 for on my last German order as I needed to spend a bit more. Glad I did.
I am still tempted to go X01 but that's just for the sake of change now 😂
I personally find mechanical Shimano infinitely better than mechanical SRAM both in the mech and shifter departments.
I would have agreed with you at any time over the past 3 years up until very recently - after having trying it, I have now gone all in on SRAM T-TYPE Mechanical Shifting, i.e. Eagle 90.
Its really very, very good.
Thus I happen to have two 12 speed XT Groupsets for sale @Ambrose, funny eh!
Update. I sent the shifter back and got a replacement. I routed it in a new Shimano SP41 outer outside the frame. It feels exactly the same way. Very stiff, unpleasant.
I then fitted my GF's 5 year old GX battered shifter and mech. Shifts really well and half the effort?!?
Really struggling not to go X01 at £160 for both.
I just don't understand why XTR + XT mech should be that much worse.
Weird. Mech knackered?
How does the shifter feel pulling cable when not attached to the mech?
It feels the same. They both felt the same. I purposely got a refund and bought the new one somewhere else just in case it was a poor batch. I have never heard of a faulty new Shimano shifter, but two?
Then again, at the risk of validation bias, I don't seem to be the only one finding the XTR shifter unnecessarily stiff compared to SRAM or SLX/Deore....
The mech is practically new and works fine, including with the Deore shifter.
I had a similar experience between SLX and XT. Same cables, same mech, SLX shifter was lovely and light action but an XT one I tried felt very stiff in comparison. The person who I sold the XT one to said that it felt fine and they are all like that.
I expect XTR is more like XT that SLX in that regard
Just been and pushed both my SLX (mech) XT setups and my XTR/XTR and they feel pretty similar.
Maybe we have different definitions of stiff? I don't have a mechanical SRAM to compare them with though
^ Cheers. It's baffling, I admit. I just don't know what to make of it. It's probably is a 1st world "problem".
See when I had issues I found the XT shifter actually felt OK on quick garage shifts. Stiff, yea, it was crisp without being overly unpleasant.
But after a few rides I realised the weird inner wrist pain that I started getting only happened after I changed shifter. Changed it back and boom, no more pain. So the shifting force is obviously higher.
