Hey everyone!
After about a season of using the XTR 12 speed shifter and derailleur
on my mixed drivetrain here,
I got my hands on an XT derailleur,
and why don't we take a closer look and see how much it differs,
and how much it is the same with the XTR.
For a wide range cassette like this Eagle GX
or the Shimano 10-51t cassettes, 12 speed,
you're gonna need one of these:
RD-M8100 SGS, or long cage.
This is for 1x12, and you see that tiny icon that says 51 tooth max in there.
The alternative being the medium cage, which is for 1x or 2x12 drivetrains,
but with a maximum of 45 tooth cog.
That is what's called a Rhythm Step cassette.
In here you can see Hyperglide+, as a new technology,
that's Shadow Plus, that's the clutch,
they are made for trail, cross-country, and enduro,
and here in the corner you're gonna see that
these are made in Japan.
The two icons specifying the max capacity of the derailleurs
are not to be found on the XTR box
however the XTR box specifies 11 speed,
something that Shimano dropped in the meantime.
Also here you're gonna have the mention of carbon,
something that is only for XTR, XT doesn't use any carbon pieces.
Right next to the two I have an 11 speed derailleur from Shimano,
because I wanted to show you this tiny icon that says Direct,
as in Direct Mount, Direct mount hanger or frame.
These derailleurs can be converted to Direct Mount
The 12 speed cannot, so if your frame requires one of those,
you're probably stuck with 11 speed for now.
Inside the box we don't have the little user manual anymore!
Instead, you have this little leaflet,
telling you that Shimano's going digital.
If you scan that QR code you are going to be directed to si.shimano.com
That's where all the documentation
is going to be posted going forward
so they're going green!
And here's the derailleur wrapped in their usual cling wrap
Fairly easy to take out of the packaging, here it is.
XT rarely introduces any new technologies
and this time is no different.
From this side you can see them looking exactly the same,
aside from finish and materials most probably.
The same design of the cage,
you can see the clutch cover which is absolutely identical,
You have the clutch lever here that has
ON and OFF written on the lever in case of XT,
for XTR is actually painted right here on that knuckle
but that's the only difference.
Then the shape continues to be the same here,
the fixing bolt, different finish but it looks the same.
Cable housing will end right here on this side
and that is the only thing that is worth mentioning.
The "cover with tongue", which is the little piece that is available for the XTR
you're supposed to replace that every time you replace the inner cable,
that doesn't exist in the case of XT.
From the back you can see that the cage is designed exactly the same way
You have Japan, SGS on both of them, that is long cage,
and you can see the 13-tooth pulleys used on both.
Now even though these look very similar,
if you look carefully you're gonna notice that the bearings used on the XTR are bigger,
So I assume they might last longer
These pulleys are directional, and you will see here G-pulley written down.
This one is tension pulley.
Tension pulley has that little shoulder on its surface,
whereas the G-pulley doesn't.
And you see the arrow here signifying how to install it properly.
Aside from that, the 51 tooth B-gap adjustment,
it is an indent on this plate on the XT.
whereas the XTR has it painted.
Aside from that, they're pretty much identical.
You can see the B-screw over there,
and again that little piece of Teflon.
You know what you have in your hand because the product code is stamped there on the XT.
In case of the XTR is actually painted right here on that heavily machine piece.
This rubber silencer exists on both, it's replaceable, and it helps with chain slap
when the chain it's on the smaller cogs.
It only exists on the long cage derailleurs.
Design and dimensions are very similar to SRAM Eagle, and I made that comparison
when I introduced the XTR to you.
The cage length it's pretty much the same,
the only difference being that this is a 12 tooth Guide pulley
and this is a 14 tooth Tension pulley on the SRAM.
Other than that, check the video for the XTR for details.
XT is 281 grams, as opposed to XTR which is 243 grams,
so 38 grams difference between the two,
mostly coming from the materials used.
This is the tiny "cover with tongue" that's mentioned on the XTR,
and not on the XT, however
you can just drop it right in,
and it looks like the part is machined to take this, no problem.
This is going to reduce the friction
between the inner cable and that piece of metal when you're shifting gears.
So, if you have access to one of these,
I'm going to add the part number in the description of the video,
I will probably recommend that you install it.
In a previous video I called the XTR derailleur bent and twisted.
That is because, if you look at the two jockeys here,
they're not really parallel with each other.
Even more visible if you look at this inner plate, it seems to be bent out of shape.
Well, XT copies that exact design, and it will have the two jockey,
not parallel with each other.
This plate it's going to look bent,
but before straightening it up, I would highly recommend
to watch my video to better understand
how the design helps the extreme chainlines of the 12 speed drive trains.
As usual, I expect the XT to be in the sweet spot of the Shimano offering,
With the little trick here, borrowing the part from XTR,
we're talking about the 40 grams difference,
and maybe different bearings on the jockey wheels,
even though the jockey wheels seem to be identical otherwise.
And that's pretty much all I wanted to share with you guys today.
I hope you found all this information useful
If you did, please consider subscribing and liking my video.
I will put a lot of information
in the description below.
And until next time,
I will see you folks on the trails.
Cheers guys, cheers!