[Closed] xtr???

No, it's not worth it.

I have the most recent XTR shifters, font and rear mechs on two bikes

The mechs are defo worth the upgrade for form and weight ( or lack of). However, the shifters are worth their lack of weight in gold. Several orders of magnitude better than XT.

But, I got all mine s/h or brand new last year before the price hikes.

Personally I would not bother but then crisp shifting is not worth a great deal to me, whether xtr provides it or not

XTR does provide it I can assure you.

Having built a very large amount of custom bikes over the years, the difference between XTR and XT is minimal, XT coming out as the better shifting IMHO.
People that claim that XTR is better are the one's who've just spunked loads of money on it and have to convince themselves that its better than XT, when it really isn't .

Having used Exage, Deore, LX, XT & XTR over the last 20 years I've come to the opinion that XTR shifters & dérailleurs(which are made in Japan [not Malaysia} to closer manufacturing tolerances than other Shimano kit) shift better. There's less flex in the lever & give in the internals as you push so has a better shift feel and is more precise. Spring tension is also higher which means they work better in muddy conditions. In my experience I've spent less time adjusting XTR kit than I have XT during my maintenance routine, the metal parts fall out of adjustment less easily.

XTR is [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Leica_M4 ]this[/url], XT is [url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_400D ]this[/url].

Is XTR better, I'd say yes. Is it worth the extra for someone who trail rides for fun at the weekends? I'd say no, not at the current prices. As above, I loaded up on XTR when times were good. If any of it needed replacing today, it would get XT.

twohats - utter sh1te.
my xtr shifters perform far better than the xt ones they replaced.
sharper, crisper, lighter.

whether it's worth the difference in cost however is subjective.

I'd say it does perform better, but be honest with yourself, when you're barreling down some technical decent and are focussing on the trail with everything you can summon, are you really going to notice that your last shift was crisper?

I got XT before the prices went mental and to be honest, if I had to replace it on my day to day bike now I'd get SLX. My race bike will keep XT, but that's more a weight thing.

Given the price difference between the chainset and other alternatives at the moment, I would go for the the other alternatives. In my case, that means Raceface Deus XC - can pick up a chainset for £200. XTR at least £100 more if you're lucky. Plus, total cost of ownership - replacement Shimano chainrings are very pricey, and although, IMO the XTR shifts a little bit smoother, it's barely noticeable and not worth the difference in cost at the moment.

XTR on one bike, mixture of XT and XTR on the other.

Shifters on XTR are much better, and I love the multiple upshift. The XTs perform faultlessly, but feel clunky and a bit cheap in comparison.

The rest of the groupset is great, but for big improvements in terms of pure function, only the shitters feel light years ahead.

Still on the same xtr shifters after 7 years and they are great. Would second the deus comment though. I have a deus xc chainset on the ht and an xtr on the sus, can't quite work out why the xtr is well over £100 more expensive.

Earlier on this year (just before the price rise in shimano kit) i had to replace my drivetrain as it all had worn out. I had a full XTR groupset. Since i originally specced XTR i've changed jobs and now i'm earning 60% less that what i used to. Of course i couldn't warrant spending approx £600 on XTR. Luckily CRC had their flood sale and i managed to grab a XT cassette, XT shadow rear mech and SLX chainset reet cheap.
I have to say that i really haven't noticed any difference at all, i am a convert to SLX, i think for the current prices (and aesthetically) you can't get anything better.

But i 'spose this is all a moot point - If you don't clean and lube your cables, gear shifter internals, set up and clean your mechs correctly, replace your worn rings/chain then your XTR/XT could feel like a badly set up Tourney groupset

Iamtheressurrection's got it right, An XT/XTR mix is good, works for me. I can't really justify spending 400 quid on an XTR chainset when less weight and perhaps some stiffness are all I would gain. XTR chainrings are also way to pricey to replace and a bit like cheese, allegedly. I think shifters & dérailleurs are worth it though. I'm really happy with my XTR shifter pods. They were pricey but have upped the performance of my bike.

i only use 1 xtr right hand shifter these days because they feel better than everything else i've tried and shift cleaner, got an xo gripshift on lhs for my double rings.
is xtr value for money, NO WAY
will xtr make you faster and win more races NO WAY
is xtr more reliable NO, i dont think so, i still have to change cables and adjust them now and again just like xt.
would i ever consider an xtr cassette LOL, hell no, XT all the way!
are xtr mech's better than xt, hmm i cant tell the difference but my gs xtr mech is sweet and i've not trashed it yet.
xt cranks are quality too, but i dont use xt rings or a tripple so an upgrade to xtr seems pointless for now

XTR is better, fact.

Don't think it shifts better than anything else? You're kidding yourself.

Chainrings last as long as current XT, longer in fact for the middle ring (Ti harder than steel).

Is it too expensive? If you buy it at retail (or even CRC prices) it totally is at the moment due to the crappy exchange rate. The trick was to buy it when it was cheap, or get fast and get a sponsor ;o) Stockpiling it has also worked out nicely for me.

Other than that, most of what dobo said.

Ti isn't harder than steel!

Depends. I suppose a steel chainring is hardened.

No, the XTR middle ring is tough becuse it's carbon coated and LIGHT because it's Titanium.

Titianium is not a hard metal in any of it's alloys. It is used predominantly in place of aluminium, where lightweight and strength and heat resistance are required, but generally is not used to relpace steel where strength is required.

IME anyway.

Ive run XTR & XT for a number of years. IMHO XTR is far better than XT - but it costs a lot more too. Having said that XT is still very good. If Im feeling flush Ill go for XTR otherwise its XT - Im equally happy w both.The ideal mix is a combo of XT & XTR (my opinion). I think anyone who reckons XT is better than XTR are should probably ask themselves why they are running XT and not SLX?

I'll agree that XTR is better than XT, but the OP asked if [b][u]"these days"[/u][/b] it was worth the extra?

I still say NO! Is it really worth double? - NO!

XT .vs SLX - I'd chose based on what looks best as theres nothing to split them on performance. I think most folk are running XT as they already had it when SLX came out.

Several orders of magnitude better than XT.

how can you justify that statement? Are they telepathic ?

if it was my money it'd be XTR shifters and then a mix of SLX taking care of things around the front; deraileur, cranks, BB and XT overseeing things at the rear; cassette (or SRAM) and rear deraileur.

I like the adjustability of the shifters and the finishing.

an order of magnitude is a factor of 10, so "orders of magnitude" implies at least 100 times better - and to me that would require:

a) indestructible
b) makes bike lighter (ie negative weight)
c) causes attractive women to discard their clothing

Always with the girls you Mr Barnes 😉

[i]C) causes attractive women to discard their clothing[/i]

now [u]THAT[/u] would be worth forking out for.

I personally like the built in "uggo" filter.

Always with the girls you Mr Barnes

can I just point out the blokes [u]NOT[/u] interested in naked women are an evolutionary dead end ?

sram - x9 better than shimano every time

Sir, I am in utter agreement with your penchant for the ladies - I agree despite Sean Penn's assertation (Milk) that the gay community are doing their best to procreate I feel it is an utter dead end..No pun intended...

Oh my, only XTR, Dura Ace and X0 on my expenses account - don't you know..... Just hope I get relected!

[i]seven - Member
sram - x9 better than shimano every time [/i]

It was a good discussion until then! 😉

SRAM isn't close to Shimano in terms of build quality on their mountain bike groups. I run X9 on the tandem because of the long cable runs and 1:1 pull. It's plastic (not so) fantastic.

At the old price-yes. New Shitamo price rise-No way regardless of economics.

I have some new SLX gear after using XTR for 2 years now.

The finish, weight and shifting quality (brakes too) are great.

Sort of feels like BMW/Merc and Ghia Ford. Both do the same Job and both above average but you notice the build quality and refinements on the XTR compared to SLX.

Weight weenies and racers/ppl with extra money who want the best-XTR.

AM solid/reliable/who cares about weight-SLX.

Bit of all round bling/shifting/lighter/finish-XT.

Does the job reliably and cheap to buy-Deore.