The world of Mountain Biking is pushing boundaries every day. Mountain bike racing develops each year with courses becoming more demanding and bikes becoming more capable. Shimano is at the center of these developments. The giant manufacturer of cycling components philosophy revolves around speed, focus, and control. And it is for this reason that it has been able to manufacture quality parts that suit different cyclists around the world. Shimano recently presented the new XTR M9100 (1×12 speed) groupset that outgears the SRAM Eagle.
The Cassette: The 10-45T or 10-51T sprocket has been designed to minimize gear change steps to give riders the optimum rhythm and cadence between each gear.
Hub tech: fitted with the MICRO SPLINE technology, the pawls are replaced with a ratchet system to minimize drag whilst coasting and create a relatively silent hub for the rider to focus more on the trail ahead.
Crankset: the 12 speed QUICK LINK comes with a 12-speed crankset featuring a hollow crank arm. This provides enough speed for the riders. Besides, it offers a wide range of direct mount chain rings saving up to 80g in weight.
Derailleurs: Shimano offers three rear derailleurs at XTR level. All of them are sleek, aggressive, and angular anodized aluminum design. Besides, three types of front derailleurs are also available, D-type, E-type, and M-type. All of these ensure smooth shifting.
Shifters: the creation of an I-SPEC EV design allows the riders to instantly adapt to rapidly changing conditions by giving 14mm of lateral sliding range and 60 degrees of rotational positioning.
Brakes: the brakes have been designed to create a stiffer brake with more direct contact feeling and improvement in control. The design of the brake lever has been changed with a repositioned clamp band and lever body.
Pads and Rotors: the rotor design uses an improved ICE-TECHNOLOGIES FREEZA construction to either reduce weight or boost heat dissipation. The brake set features a dedicated brake lever and the calipers are made from aluminum, use a high rigidity brake hose which provides faster brake engagement, with a shorter free stroke.
