Hey everyone! It wasn't too long ago
when I looked at the SLX cranks from the Shimano 12-speed drivetrain
and I called these the best bang for your buck.
Now ever since I've been getting questions about the XT version of those cranks.
Are these better? Are these worth the 50% premium in price versus the SLX?
Let's take a closer look!
More specifically we're looking at this Shimano M7100, that's the SLX,
made in Japan, 170 millimeter long cranks
and the equivalent XT which is M8100, again made in Japan, 170mm.
And in this video I'm going to cover the key differences in weight, finish, and design of the two cranksets.
Weight comes quickly in the discussion between XLS and XT and you can see
the 170 mm with 32T chainring at 413 grams
with a complete crankset coming up to 618 grams.
So what do you think is the weight of the Deore XT cranks?
Well the same 170mm with the original 32T chainring,
just the drive side arm comes to 415 grams so that's 2 grams heavier (than SLX).
And once we add the two arms to the scale... surprise surprise here's your 633 grams
so the XT cranks are what, 15 grams heavier than the SLX?
Surprisingly big part of that weight difference seems to come from the non-drive side crank,
you see the SLX at 206g
and the XT is going to come up to 218g so that's your 12 grams right there.
But comparison aside these cranks are pretty good weight wise
especially if you use them with a lighter chainring like this absoluteBlack.
When I reviewed the cheaper SRAM cranks, the carbon cranks
you could see the SLX with that absoluteBlack next to the X1 carbon cranks from SRAM
The SLX is only 15 grams heavier than the SRAM crankset!
so maybe that's one of the reason why Shimano stuck with this Hollowtech II design of their aluminum cranks
as opposed to building some cheaper carbon cranks.
Looks is another reason why we usually get the XT and you see it next to the SLX
which by the way I covered in a comprehensive video even against the previous generation SLX
I like this SLX 12 speed generation because the cranks
don't have that bluish hue that you will see on the SLX brakes for instance.
And the finish itself is one that should wear out pretty nicely just like the old SLX cranks.
I have to admit that the XT still looks more premium
however the glossy parts that you see here are just a protective film.
For those of you that used XT cranks in the past you know that they looked worn out rather quickly
mostly because of the paint being removed by your heel rub.
The film protector should help with that or at least allow you the chance to replace it when you see it worn out already.
Finish is that semi-gloss that we're used to see with the XT
and the color seems to be consistent with other XT components in this speed lineup.
And the last minor difference in finish between the two is the aluminum spider of the chainring
You see the XT being painted black whereas the SLX is that light-ish gray
but other than that they look very similar
with SLX probably wearing out better and with the XT looking more like the XTR these days.
And the last part of our comparison it's gonna be the construction of the two cranksets.
And the reality is that aside from the slight difference in the design of the two crack arms these two crank sets are pretty much the same.
They use the good old Shimano 24 mm spindle made out of steel,
and they use the new Bottom Brackets MT800 would be the one that's common for XT and SLX.
The installation of the two cranks is identical, it relies on that preload adjuster
and you have the two pinch bolts over here.
I have that covered in the comprehensive review of the SLX, I'll list that up in the corner.
Chainring design is the same aside from the color
so you have an aluminum spider and then a steel outer ring.
This should make these chainrings last forever or definitely longer than an aluminum chainring
and they use the Shimano DCE tooth design for 12 speed,
I have a video talking about chainrings for 12 speed I'm gonna make sure to link that up in the corner as well.
The installation of the chainring will require the use of this new TL-FC41 tool that is usually provided by Shimano.
And is very similar to the Center Lock, you have a lock ring that is just going to tighten the chainring to the crank arm.
And finally if you want to save about 60 grams or go oval you can pick one of the many third-party chainrings already available in the market
By the way this chainring from Shimano weights 120 grams.
So is the XT worth the extra money versus the SLX?
As you can see the XT is a bit heavier, about 15 grams heavier,
it looks a bit better closer to the XTR than the SLX,
and for the construction, they're pretty much identical construction and different than XTR.
So what would you guys choose? XT or SLX? Let me know in the comments below.
Hope you found this useful and if you did don't forget to like, subscribe, and comment
and until next time hope to see you folks on the trails
why not riding some Shimano cranksets.
Cheers guys, cheers!