Some of these photos are of Shimano product honch Matt Robertson's bike, but Mark Weir, Adam Craig and Jason Moeschler all were running the new XTR on their bikes at Downieville, which gave us an opportunity to pedal their bikes around to check it out. We had only ridden prototypes before this, but now we can tell you the new stuff is gonna be better than you imagined.


Weir was running the BL-M988 brake levers with the Servo-Wave mechanism and finned brake pads that felt incredible. They have a very positive feel at the lever with excellent modulation. Weir had nothing but good things to say about them, pretty much declaring them the best brakes he's ever ridden.



Craig had the compact M985 brake lever setup on his bike, which is lighter than the BR-988. These brakes are ideal for lightweight trail bikes.



The new shadow rear derailleur has a slightly stiffer spring for better shifting on rough trails. It also tucks away behind the cassette for added clearance. Setup with 2x10, Moeschler's bike shifting was amazingly light and snappy like you'd expect from XTR. And the shift paddles are comfortable with optional positions to maximize ergonomics.



Moeschler says he's been running the 30/42-tooth dual-ring setup on his bike for the past few weeks and is loving it. With the 36-tooth cog in the back, he says any capable rider can climb anything and it still keeps his Blur LT Carbon bike feeling crisp at the pedals. And Moeschler loves the big ring for getting up to speed on fast trails because it sucks up chain and lets you grab all ten gears in the back.

For more info, go to shimano.com