{"id":114985,"date":"2015-11-16T18:36:04","date_gmt":"2015-11-16T17:36:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mtb-mag.com\/?p=114985"},"modified":"2015-11-20T13:40:07","modified_gmt":"2015-11-20T12:40:07","slug":"test-shimano-xt-2015-1x11-drivetrain","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mtb-mag.com\/en\/test-shimano-xt-2015-1x11-drivetrain\/","title":{"rendered":"[Tested] Shimano XT 2015, 1×11 Drivetrain"},"content":{"rendered":"

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\"IMG_4322\"<\/a><\/p>\n

In the last two and half months we have been riding a Santacruz 5010 full Shimano XT spec’d: drivetrain, brakes and wheels are all from the 2015 new groupset. While later this week we’ll review the brakes and the wheels, for now we’ll focus on the drivetrain.<\/p>\n

\"F75R6610\"<\/a><\/p>\n

We chose the 1×11 option, because in the last three years the reviewer has been riding mostly on 1x drivetrains, so the comparison was easier to approach.<\/p>\n

Cassette<\/h3>\n

\"F75R6615\"<\/a><\/p>\n

The eleven speed XT cassette is available in these two configurations:
\n11-13-15-17-19-21-24-27-31-35-40.
\n11-13-15-17-19-21-24-28-32-37-42.\u00a0This is the one we reviewed.<\/p>\n

It can be mounted on a common Shimano drivetrain, because the smallest cog is a 11T. All the cogs are in steel, except the 40 and 42, aluminum.<\/p>\n

Rear Derailleur<\/h3>\n

\"F75R6614\"<\/a><\/p>\n

It’s a Shadow RD+, that means its shape and angle are aimed to protect it against impacts with rocks. In the photo you can clearly notice the so called “chain stabilizer”, activated by the grey lever when it’s in the ON position.<\/p>\n

Chain<\/h3>\n

\"F75R6613\"<\/a><\/p>\n

HG-X11, specifically designed for 11 speed drivetrains.<\/p>\n

Crankset<\/h2>\n

\"F75R6636\"<\/p>\n

HOLLOWTECH II 1×11, alloy, the cranks are 175mm long.\u00a0You can’t see the Shimano XT logo because it has been rubbed away by the shoe friction during the testing. This is how it looked originally<\/a>. Well, this happened to all the Shimano cranks in the past years, including XTR, so it was no surprise.<\/p>\n

The chainring has 32T (available in 34T and 30T also), the teeth have all the same identical shape. No narrow-wide design. The crankset and the spider can be used with a different combination of chainrings: 1×11, 2×11 and 3×11. The chainline is 50.4mm.<\/p>\n

Shift Lever<\/h2>\n

\"F75R6625\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Rapidfire \u00a0Plus I-specII, 2-way release. This means that the front lever can be pressed\u00a0using thumb or index. You can see the new bar clamp, thinner and easy to match to the brakes.<\/p>\n

On The Trails<\/h2>\n

\"IMG_4313\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Shimano’s XT drivetrain has a history of reliability and great quality for the money due to the fact that the Japanese brand brings its XTR top technology slowly “down” to the cheaper lines like the XT and the SLX. \u00a0The systems work the same way and the differences are mostly in aesthetics and weight, i.e. the materials used. For this reason I didn’t expect a big discrepancy to the XTR drivetrain I tested some months ago<\/a>.<\/p>\n