New Shimano DEORE XT & SLX Groupsets Bring 12-Speed Features To Mountain Bikers

Announcement
author By Madison, 4 years ago

Building on the experiences of the world’s best mountain bike racers, Shimano has brought its race-winning technology to competitive and enthusiastic mountain bike riders.

The new DEORE XT M8100 series, the latest iteration of the original MTB groupset, continues its legacy with high performance features for today’s demanding and adventurous mountain bikers, available from mid-June 2019.

At the same time the new SLX M7100 series, molded from the same DNA as XTR and DEORE XT, has been designed to deliver quality performance for those exploring their mountain bike calling, available from July 2019.


DEORE XT

Durability and performance for today’s mountain bikers

The new DEORE XT M8100 series includes features such as Shimano’s groundbreaking 12-speed MICRO SPLINE cassette sprockets with either a 10-45T or 10-51T range, 1x12 or 2x12 HOLLOWTECH II cranksets, powerful 2-piston or 4-piston brakes, fully adjustable ISPEC-EV shifters, 12-speed precision-shifting front and rear derailleurs, rapidly cooling ICE TECHNOLOGIES FREEZA rotors and complete XC or Enduro wheelsets, all perfected for today’s mountain bikers.



Cranksets: The new DEORE XT 1X12 crankset features HOLLOWTECH II crank arms with an integrated bottom bracket axle and hollow crank arm. Chainrings come with a Dynamic Chain Engagement+ tooth profile, which, with its narrow/wide teeth, is key to the improved chain retention, smoothness and quietness of the drivetrain. For secure and fast mounting of the chainring the crank has a direct mount system to simplify how chain rings are changed. The crankset comes with 28T, 30T, 32T, 34T and 36T chainring options, interchangeable with XTR and SLX rings, has crank length options of 165mm, 170mm, 175mm and  180mm.



Cassette: DEORE XT 12-speed cassettes come with the MICRO SPLINE fitting system and are available in a 10-45T option for small gear steps or a 10-51T option for maximum range. Both cassettes also feature HYPERGLIDE+, allowing for quick up and downshifts and an extremely quiet drivetrain. The cassettes have an aluminum spider to house ten steel sprockets and two aluminum sprockets for optimum durability and weight.

Chain: The new DEORE XT 12-speed HG chain has been redesigned with an extended inner plate to improve chain engagement and retention and comes with chromized roller link plates for enhanced durability and smoother and faster shifting both up and down the cassette.


Derailleurs: Coming in either single (RD-M8100-SGS) or double (RD-M8120-SGS) chainring variants, the DEORE XT rear derailleur enables precise and quick shifting over a huge gear range. Both derailleurs feature SHIMANO SHADOW RD+ positioning, bump stoppers and 13T pulley wheels to make rides quieter and more enjoyable.

The DEORE XT front derailleur comes in one specification for both 48.8mm & 51.8mm chain lines but is available for D-type, E-type or M-type mountings.



Shifters: With side adjustment and rotational adjustment options the ISPEC-EV shifters, which bolt neatly to the brake lever, offer solutions for tailoring the riding feel. Rubber padding on the paddles and a two-way release enhances shifting even further. The right hand shifter (SL-M8100-IR) uses a multi-release feature to quickly dump cassette gears and, for riders using a 2x12 set-up, a MONO lever on the left (SL-M8100-IL) shifts the front derailleur both up and down with precision. DEORE XT M8100 shifters are also available in a clamp band version.



Brakes: DEORE XT brakes calipers are available in an XC-specific 2-piston version or a Trail/Enduro 4-piston version. The 2-piston version shares the same design as the previous XT M8000 version, which means the previous G02A/3A/J02A/3A resin brake pads or G04S/J04C metal pads are compatible, whereas the 4-piston version is a new completely new construction drawn from the XTR M9100 design, sharing the same N03A (resin) or N04C (metal) finned pads (compatible also with D03S or D02S pads).

The DEORE XT brake levers work with both the XC and Trail/Enduro calipers and come equipped with Shimano’s SERVO WAVE system for quicker engagement, improved power and a shorter free stroke. The brake levers are now angled in two positions against the handlebar for a stiffer brake sensation. The levers also feature a reach adjust dial and a free stroke adjustment screw for simple brake tune-ups on the trail.


Wheels: Unlike the XTR M9100 series, the Shimano DEORE XT M8100 series offers complete 27.5 and 29” wheels for XC and Trail/Enduro riding. Shimano XC wheels offer a 24mm wide tubeless ready, fully closed rim bed for tyres up to 2.35”. The 28 double-butted straight-pull spokes offer a perfect mix of stiffness and weight for fast XC riding.

On the other hand, DEORE XT Trail/Enduro-specific wheelsets offer a 30mm internal rim width made for tyres up to 2.6”. Rear hubs come with zero-dish (O.L.D. 148mm) and the aluminum rims take 28 J-bend spokes to keep these tubeless wheels strong yet light for aggressive riders and riding conditions.

Both the XC and Trail/Enduro rear wheels feature E-THRU axles (15mm front, 12mm rear), 148mm O.L.D. widths and come with Shimano’s MICRO SPLINE cassette interface on the rear hubs.
Individual DEORE XT front hubs and FREEHUBs are also available in widths of 100mm and 142mm, 110mm and 148mm, and 157mm.


SLX

For those exploring their mountain bike calling

Like DEORE XT, the new SLX M7100 series also features Shimano’s groundbreaking 12-speed MICRO SPLINE cassette with either a 10-45T or 10-51T range, 1x12 or 2x12 cranksets, a dedicated SLX-level 12-speed chain, 2-piston or 4-piston brakes, fully adjustable ISPEC-EV shifters, optimized front and rear derailleurs and 12-speed ready hubsets, bringing premium technologies to those discovering true mountain biking.

Cranksets: The new SLX 1x12 crankset features HOLLOWTECH II technology with an integrated bottom bracket axle and hollow crank arms. Chainrings come with a Dynamic Chain Engagement+ tooth profile, which, with its narrow/wide teeth, aids chain retention, smoothness and quietness of the drivetrain. To securely and quickly mount the chainring the crank is equipped with a direct mount system. The crankset comes with 30T, 32T and 34T chainring options, interchangeable with XTR and DEORE XT rings, and has crank length options of 165 mm, 170 mm and 175 mm.
SLX M7100 cranksets are available in three chain lines.

The SLX 2x12 HOLLOWTECH II 36-26T crankset offers the ultimate range when matched with the 10-45T cassette, maximizing your possibilities on all sorts of terrain while maintaining small gear steps.

Two 2x cranksets are available, both featuring a 2-bolt system for fixing the left side crank arm in place on the spindle. Much like DEORE XT, the FC-M7100-2 crankset has a 142mm O.L.D. for chain lines of 48.8mm and a Q-factor of 172mm. The FC-M7120-B2 crankset has a 148mm O.L.D. for chain lines of 51.8mm and a Q-factor of 178mm.

Cassette: SLX 12-speed cassettes come with the MICRO SPLINE fitting system and are available in a 10-45T option for small gear steps or a 10-51T option for maximum range. Both cassettes also feature HYPERGLIDE+, allowing for quick up and downshifts and an extremely quiet drivetrain. The cassettes have an aluminum spider to house eleven steel sprockets and one aluminum sprocket for the best balance of durability, weight and riding styles.

Chain: The SLX new 12-speed HG chain has been redesigned with an extended inner plate to improve chain engagement and retention and comes with SIL-TEC roller link plates for smoother running and more durability in all conditions.

Derailleurs: Coming in either single (RD-M7100-SGS) or double (RD-M7120-SGS) chainring variants, the SLX rear derailleur enables precise and quick shifting over that huge 12-speed gear range. Both derailleurs feature SHIMANO SHADOW RD+ positioning as well as bump stoppers and 13T pulley wheels to make rides quieter and more enjoyable.

The SLX front derailleur comes in one specification for both 48.8mm & 51.8mm chain lines but is available for D-type, E-type or M-type mountings.

Shifters: With side adjustment and rotational adjustment options the ISPEC-EV shifters, which bolt neatly to the brake lever, offer solutions for tailoring the riding feel. For riders using a 2x12 set-up, a MONO lever (SL-M7100-IL) on the left shifts the front derailleur both up and down with an extremely light and precise action. SLX M7100 shifters are also available in a clamp band version.

Brakes: SLX brakes calipers are available in an XC-specific 2-piston version or a Trail/Enduro 4-piston version. The 2-piston version shares the same design as the previous version, which means the previous SLX-level G02S/J02A resin brake pads or G04S/J04C metal pads brake pads are compatible, whereas the 4-piston version is a new completely new construction drawn from the XTR M9100 design, using D03S (resin) or D02S (metal) brake pads pad (compatible also with N03A and NO4C finned pads).

The SLX brake levers work with both the XC and Trail/Enduro calipers and come equipped with Shimano’s Servo wave system for quicker engagement, improved power and a shorter free stroke.

The brake levers are now angled in two positions against the handlebar for a stiffer brake sensation. The levers also feature a reach adjust dial for simple brake tune-ups on the trail.


Hubs: Individual SLX front hubs and rear FREEHUBs are available in widths of 100mm and 142mm, 110mm and 148mm, or 157mm. The FREEHUB (FH-M7110) features a cassette body with Shimano’s MICRO SPLINE design.


Summing up a huge range of options it’s clear that the new DEORE XT M8100 series provides high performance features for today’s demanding and adventurous mountain bikers, whereas the SLX M7100 series, sharing the same DNA, draws on this inspiration to bring quality performance to those discovering the fun of mountain biking.

More you might like

Labour Parliamentary candidate for Milton Keynes North Chris Curtis visits Madison and Sportline

Get ready for Summer with Madison Clothing SS24

Record registrations as iceBike* continues its two-show format