Shimano launches fifth-generation XTR group

Progression in mountain biking happens at an alarming rate. Unlike in road cycling, where bike geometries and the basic designs have remained largely unchanged for years, mountain bikes are constantly evolving. Today’s bikes have complex suspension designs and massively varying geometries, which makes for challenging times for drivetrain manufacturers.

Over the past two years, the biggest developments in the progression of drivetrains have been the introduction of 10 speeds and 2x systems – where only two front chainrings are used. SRAM introduced its XX 2×10 group last year, and then expanded that technology to its lower-tier drivetrains this season. Then there are companies such as FSA, who have introduced 2x cranksets for use on nine-speed drivetrains, in addition to their 2×10 options.

Behind the scenes, Shimano had been working on its own 10-speed mountain bike drivetrain system, and it was introduced in the spring at the Sea Otter Classic with Dyna-Sys, a 10-speed drivetrain initially made available for the XT and SLX systems. As expected, the company then released details of its brand new XTR group in late June, but until this week it hadn’t been available for riding.

Shimano set up shop near the tiny town of Graeagle, California this week for a media camp to officially unveil the fifth generation of the benchmark cross-country drivetrain. Day one featured a more cross-country oriented ride on some technical trails outside of town. Day two was more gravity-driven with the group riding the famous Classic course in Downieville. These two contrasting rides were not coincidental as Shimano is marketing its latest XTR group under two distinct personalities – Race and Trail.

The central theme of the group is Rider Tuned, which is to say riders can completely customize the new XTR group based on the type of riding they do. The Race group is lighter and more XC-oriented while the Trail group is based around all-mountain riding. But the parts are all interchangeable and, rather than having to select one entire group, riders will be able to pick and choose between the two setups based on what they want. The parts are all interchangeable. Shimano compares it to ordering a large meal from a restaurant where you can pick all of the individual aspects of the dinner, as well as the finer details.

The new XTR drivetrain will be available to the public and on complete bikes around October. Retail pricing hasn’t been finalized, but it will be close to the same as the previous XTR generation. A major highlight of the new group is the option of a 2×10 crankset, but pricing won’t be any different based on that selection. As for weight, the race-oriented XTR group will be around 200 grams lighter than the M970 group from the previous generation (not including additional weight savings from the new wheels and pedals). Even the trail-oriented version with its bigger rotors, tuneable brake levers and finned calipers will weigh around 50 grams less than M970.

Shimano’s Devin Walton said the ‘rider tuned’ concept isn’t just marketing hype, but a reaction to the changing needs of cyclists. “Mountain biking is evolving and when that happens, the product has to evolve to remain relevant. What we’re doing with XTR, it wasn’t as simple as just saying, look at the bikes now. It was about the people who are riding them and where they’re mindset was. Something that looked really challenging before, now all of a sudden, you give them more travel and better suspension and they’re trying it.”

But even though riders might be riding more aggressively and pushing their bikes and themselves on terrain they may not have before, Shimano believes even the baggy-wearing crowd still wants lightweight and top-quality components. The result is an XTR groupset that can be customized to how you ride and can handle the type of terrain being conquered these days. “It doesn’t matter how you ride or where you ride, there will be some combination of the product that creates this perfect package for the way that you ride,” said Walton.

At the heart of the new groupset is Dyna-Sys, Shimano’s 10-speed mountain bike technology. Introduced at the Sea Otter Classic in April on the 3×10 XT and SLX groups, the technology is all about efficiency. Short for Dynamic Power Transfer and System Optimized Stability, Shimano says the Dyna encompasses improvements in function through drivetrain redesign such as the new gearing options, and the Sys covers improvements in shifting through redesigned shifters and derailleurs and a new directional 10-speed HG-X chain.

For example, Shimano’s new gear options give riders the ability to go to a 32×36 gear combo instead of what in the past would be a 22×26 option. The gearing ratio is nearly identical, but the company says the new setup gives a 30 per cent decrease in chain tension. “Bikes are built around a 32t chain ring, so when you’re using something other than that, your bike isn’t going to react the way it was designed,” Walton said.

 CRANKSET – Though there will be a 2×10 option available, Shimano still feels its primary market will be 3×10. But because of the larger rear cassette (34 or 36t), they’ve now gone with a 42-32-24 combination at the front. 

As for the double, there will be 42/30, 40/28 and 44/30 options available. These will be slightly lighter and will have a narrower Q-Factor, but Shimano feels most riders outside of XC racers will likely get the most benefit from riding the 3×10 setup. A third option is what the company is calling a close-step double, which is a 38-26 combo based off the triple crankset, so it has the same Q-factor and bolt pattern as the triple crank. All of the cranksets will be available in 170, 172.5, 175 and 180mm crank arm lengths.

 SHIFTERS – The ergonomics on the new XTR M980 shifters have been largely improved from their predecessor with a design that puts the hand in a more natural position and anti-slip dimples on the trigger surfaces. The mounting position is adjustable horizontally and the clamp is more narrow, making it easier to find the exact spot you want on the bar without interference from the brake lever clamp. The same shifters are used for either the 2×10 or 3×10 systems with a small dial used to set which option is needed.

CHAIN – Shimano says the new Dyna-Sys HG-X chain is a big part of the reason the system is so smooth and efficient. It’s a dedicated 10-speed mountain bike chain, but is as strong as the previous nine-speed chains. The XTR option has hollow pins and is directional (similar to the Dura-Ace chain). Company officials are making a big push to remind people that both of their top road and MTB groupset chains are directional. “We want customers to enjoy the best performance that we designed and they’re not getting that if they put the chain on the wrong way,” said Walton. Chains should be installed with the logos facing out, or away from the bike.

BRAKES – There are two options for brakes depending on the type of riding you do. The calipers themselves are the same, but there are cooling fins that come mounted on the Trail setup. The calipers have oversized, full-ceramic pistons and pad options include aluminum-backed resin pads (standard), metallic pads or IceTech versions of both with cooling fins attached. Rotors use Shimano’s centrelock mounting system and have an alloy spider. They come in 140, 160, 180 and 203 mm options. The brake levers are different between the two setups. The Race version has 13 mm shorty levers which offer 110 per cent more power over the M970 XTR levers. The Trail levers have a servo-wave pivot adjustment, pad contact adjustment and 14 mm levers with an estimated 125 per cent increase in power. Both levers have dimples for better grip and integrated barrel reservoirs with a new, easier bleeding system.

OTHER COMPONENTS

Front Derailleur – Four different mounting options for the 3×10 and five for the 2×10.

Rear Derailleur – Completely redesigned to offer easier shifting and more linear shifting effort across the whole cassette.

Cassette – Hyperglide 10-speed cassette has been optimized for the new HG-X chain and Shadow derailleurs. The cassettes have five titanium cogs and a three-piece spider arm. Available in 11-34 and 11-36 options.

Pedals – There are two pedals, a race version at 310 g for the pair with an 8.1 mm platform height and a significantly bigger surface area (where the shoe contacts the pedal) than the previous generation. The M985 trail version weighs 398 g for the pair and has more than twice the platform area of the race pedal and an integrated cage.

Wheels – Like the pedals and brakes, there are two versions of the fifth generation XTR tubeless wheels. The Race wheels use 19 mm-wide rims, 15-gauge spokes and have both QR and 15 mm thru-axle options. The weight comes in at 1,480 g for the set (with QR hubs). The Trail wheels use 21 mm rims, 14-gauge spokes and QR or 15 mm hubs. There’s also a 12 mm rear hub option. The weight for the set is around 1,700 grams. Both use angular contact bearings.

 HOW IT RIDES – The new XTR groupset is, to put it simply, extremely impressive. The new cassette and gearing will change the way you ride. On our two days of test riding in the Sierra Nevada mountains, we spent very little time in the lower ring. For the most part, the middle is where you’ll spend the bulk of your riding time. And if you do have to drop to the granny gear, going down to 24 instead of 22 will result in a less dramatic drop in cadence, and fewer recovery shifts at the top of the hill. Shifting itself is quick, precise and amazingly quiet. The new directional chain takes an already well-tuned shifting system and makes it even better. The brakes offer a noticeable improvement over their predecessors. We rode the trail version of the XTR brakes and both modulation and power were excellent. Brake fade was non-existent, even during a 5,000-foot, hour-long singletrack descent.

The great thing about this new XTR drivetrain is the customizability. Bike shops will have to know their stuff in order to handle the questions they’ll get when customers come in to order the group, but there’s never been a more tuneable drivetrain at this level.