It’s interesting what you say njee about the compatibility between SRAM 11spd and XTR. I’d have guessed they wouldn’t work together, but happy to be told otherwise.
From my own perspective, I prefer Shimano shifters. Just prefer the action, the dual release on the upshift, XTR feels premium to me (whereas SRAM feels a bit plasticky at times) and although not cheap, it’s cheaper than SRAM.
But… Having messed with a 40T ratio expander and 10spd XT/XTR mix for a while, a 364% gear range just isn’t quite enough for me, whereas I know a 420% range is.
Which causes me another dilemma… The whole XD driver thing pisses me off. I appreciate it’s necessary for a 10T cog, but it also means another expense (Easton, DT or Tune hubs/wheels are what I have available, and the freehubs are silly money for each!). Then the SRAM cassettes are just damned expensive too. If I could get away with 11-40 I’d probably have bought an XTR setup already!
So do I try a 42T bottom cog and a One Up Rad cage for now, and just pedal a bit faster on the descents? Or go sod it, sell my VGC XTR/XT to a mate who wants it, and buy a SRAM setup? Or the 3rd option of running XTR shifter and mech on a SRAM cassette to get the shifter I’d prefer with the ratio I want?