The other side of the chain management coin is the actual chain and front chainrings. For racers looking to shave a fraction of a second during a sprint, it’s a nice bonus that you’ll only find on XT and XTR. I also really like the double-shift capability of the release trigger. Indexed shifting was invented by Shimano, and they’ve mastered it here. It takes that meager input and finishes the shift, yet I don’t think it ever over-shifted with a more aggressive push. Which is good for someone like me to tends to give the thumb lever a half-assed effort quite frequently. Even with it on, shifting action felt light, and quick to engage. Shimano’s clutch worked great, and you can turn it off for easier setup and wheel swaps. I can’t recall a single chain slap, skipped shift, or noisy segment. It wasn’t until I started writing up this review and reflecting upon my time with XT that the flawless performance really dawned on me. There were several descents where we (I, anyway) definitely dragged them nearly continuously for a couple minutes, but never felt any fade. Power delivery came on smoothly, and it always felt like more was on tap if needed. But recent models have seemed to level out the abrupt transition, and these new brakes seem even better. I’ve long preferred a more linear feel to my brakes, and earlier ServoWave braking came on rather harshly for my tastes. Now, I don’t have to be as careful metering out the stomps with the shifts. In a race environment, I’d want to start shifting to a harder gear as I crested a climb or came out of a technical section and started putting down the power. The solution is Hyperglide+ and it works pretty well. That “clunk-clunk-clunk” of slamming the chain into a smaller cog when you’re sprinting for the finish wasn’t addressed until the new XTR group came out last year. With no specific tooth shaping or ramps to guide it, things could get harsh. It’s dropping the hammer in the other direction that left the chain a bit confused. Shimano figured that out long ago with Hyperglide. Shifting under load, like when a sudden incline surprises you and requires an emergency dumping of gears as you’re already starting up the hill, is no problem. The latter is what makes shifting ultra-smooth in both directions, and it worked to a tee. The big news with the new XT revolves around axle-width compatibility options and the addition of Hyperglide+ to the cassettes. This staged sprint was at the top of a monstrously long and steep fire road. We need a West Coast Bikerumor office, right? Throw in the amazing outdoor culture, killer bike-friendly vibe (and tons of pros and others to ride with), and I kinda want to move there now.
There’s even a sick jump line with options for all skill levels. Bellingham’s trails are expansive and varied, with everything from dry dirt to perfect loam, some roots and rocks, and inclinations from almost 28º to sheer drops. Its BB is definitely low, resulting in quite a few pedal strikes, but overall decent handling, particularly at speed. The fleet of test bikes included a number of brands, but they put me aboard the Yeti SB130, which proved to be a good all-round bike for the Bellingham trails. I’ll touch on those other things, but the focus is how the new drivetrain handled climbs, descents, sprints, and shifting under load.
#Bellingham mtb ride leader pro#
It also had the new XT wheels and hubs with the revised Scylence system inside, trail pedals, their own dropper remote controlling a PRO dropper seatpost, and a PRO cockpit.
My test bike was outfitted with the 4-piston trail brakes and a 1x drivetrain with a 32-tooth front chainring and the 10-51 12-speed cassette. In this story I’m reporting on XT’s trail performance.
Check out our complete tech overview for all the details on that and the new SLX group, and our mega-specs list, weights & pricing comparison post here. Surrounding the official presentation, we spent two days ripping around the Bellingham, WA, trails on the all-new Shimano XT M8100 group. Support us! BikeRumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article.
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