Speaker: In 1995, Shimano made the choice to only introduce componentry at the top-end
level and then it would filter down.
Last year, we saw XT take on the 12-speed form previously laid out by the top-end XTR
transmission.
We also saw the budget-conscious SLX take it on, which was so good, but I questioned
why you would need it anymore, but now there's an even cheaper one.
I know totally, you didn't see this one coming.
This is Shimano Deore M6000 100 in 12-speed.
Now, just before I go on about the 12-speed set up here in front of me, you might be interested
in the fact that you can also get a 10 and 11-speed option.
There's also a double available.
Now, the 10, 11 options aren't quite as good as the Deore because they lack some of that
newer technology that came down from the XTR level, but nonetheless, it means you can go
10, 11, or 12-speed and, of course, with the 10 and 11, you've also got the option of a
double or a single, so that's a huge array of components in the Deore line.
Now, Shimano actually sent me a bike with the Deore group set on to make this video,
but it wasn't quite doing it for me.
I wanted to show you everything close up.
Look at it, look at the details on this stuff.
When did budget ever look this good?
Let's take a closer look, shall we?
[music] Speaker: Okay, so let's look at the cranks
first.
As you see, they look really nice budget these days doesn't mean cheap, two different times,
completely, and this shows that, completely.
They got a lovely black finish to them.
They got slightly grayed out merge areas with some laser etching on here with the Deore
branding.
They look really nice.
Now, they don't share the same Hollowtech construction as the more expensive options
in the range, but they're not that much heavier.
It took about 150 grams heavier for a set with the equivalent chainring over a set of
XT.
That's pretty amazing.
Now, there are only available in 170 and 175, but that will suit most riders out there,
and they only have to chainring options, a 30 or a 32.
The good news, though, is all of the 12-speed system is completely interchangeable.
This chainring design fits the same exact way as you see on SLX, same as XT, and the
same as XTR, so you can share the chainring sizes across the board there.
They just offer two to get going with at this level, and to be fair, the 30 and 32 are going
to suit most riders in the Deore level really well.
Like I said, there's two options in length, the one 170 and 175, but there's also three
Q factors available.
There's 172, 178, and 181.
The 181 is the huge super boost, so it's really called super-boost at this level.
As well, the rest of the 12-speed range, it shares the same chainring profile design as
well as the Dynamic Chain Engagement system.
Essentially, they've got really long profile teeth.
You get a narrow one, and you get a wide one.
In conjunction with the Dynamic Chain Engagement Plus chain, you get essentially a perfect
fit.
The whole point is it reduces friction, it reduces noise, it increases retention, and
it reduces wear.
What is not to like about that?
[music] Speaker: Next up comes the cassette.
Actually, this is my favorite part of the 12-speed system by Shimano.
From the ground up, it's exactly the same layout as you see on the XTR all the way down
to this Deore level.
It installs onto the bike using the Micro Spline system, which is a slightly different
take on the regular spline system.
Micro Spline is slightly smaller in diameter and slightly shorter as well to compensate
for this little 10-tooth sprocket.
It's a 10-51 spread on here.
The connection to the actual Micro Spline is much, much better.
Especially for the 12-speed interface, it puts a lot more torque through that body.
It's specifically designed from the ground up, and I love the fact that Shimano hasn't
skimmed it.
You've got this on all four levels.
From Deore all the way up to XTR, there is no difference in the way it fits.
The cassette itself is a little bit heavier, as you might expect, because of the fact it's
made from steel.
The good side of that is it means it's cheap and is very durable.
That is exactly what you want to be hearing.
The XTR 1 has three alloy cogs at the top, it has a load of tire ones in the middle to
keep the weight down, and has some steel ones at the low end there.
XT has two alloy cogs at the top and the rest is steel.
SLX has a single alloy cog, whereas this is complete steel.
The ratio is exactly the same, though.
It's only available in the 10-51, unlike some of the other ones high up in the range which
are available in a 10-45, but that is particularly to go with the double.
This is all about 1x12 at the Deore range.
As far as weight goes, you're talking about 360 grams for the Shimano XTR, which is super
high-end.
This one is just under 600 grams, and this only makes it about 60 or 70 grams heavier
than the SLX.
Yes, okay, it's heavier but not by much.
The durability you get from this is amazing.
More importantly, it has the same exact shifting system.
This uses Hyperglide+.
Shimano developed Hyperglide in the '90s, and the whole point of Hyperglide was to really
accentuate the shifting up the block.
If you look at the profiles on the teeth of the sprockets here, you can see they've got
these little ramps.
The ramp is designed to literally pull the chain up.
It basically means as you're shifting up the block into a lower gear, you can basically
still do under-load, it will still go up.
Bearing in mind that you're doing this with your chain under tension basically, the whole
time, when you're shifting back down again or shifting into a smaller sprocket size or
a higher gear, your derailleur is not under tension in the same way, you're releasing
tension.
The downshift has never been quite as good as the upshift, but this is where Hyperglide+
comes in because it's actually got the same ramps in a different direction, designed to
pull the chain back down the sprockets again.
Now, that is incredible.
It shifts exactly the same up or down, under load or not, amazing shifting quality, the
same as you'd expect on SLX, XT, and XTR, and you're now getting this at the Deore level.
That is bonkers.
Next up is the chain, which complements that 12-speed cassette perfectly.
Now, this is very similar to the slightly more expensive and slightly lighter options
you see further up in a range.
It's directional, so that's really important to note.
It shares the same quickly design, which makes installation absolute cinch.
Also, that's a really good spare for you to carry out in the trails.
The most important thing about this dedicated 12-speed chain for Deore is the fact it's
got a Dynamic Chain Engagement system.
These inner plates, you can see here, if you look close up, they protrude quite a lot more
than the outer plates.
They've also got a slightly chamfered edges on the inside.
The whole point of this is the fit, bearing in mind you've got a male and female link,
and that fit, again, is opposing sprockets and chainring teeth.
The whole point of this is you get the best fit possible because the fact is if there's
movement around there, the chain can come off and it also creates friction.
Friction also equates noise, you don't want any of that stuff going on.
With this Dynamic Chain Engagement Plus system you see on Shimano's 12-speed, you get less
noise, you get less friction, the chain lasts longer, and it's less likely to come off.
There's literally nothing to not like about it, as simple as that.
Okay, now it's time to talk about the rear derailleur, and actually, I'm so stoked on
this.
This is a really, really cool part of the Deore transmission.
Now, in the past, you could say that the cheaper end of transmissions, the derailleur itself
was one of the hindrances there.
A lot of people didn't mind if you had a cheaper chaining cassette because it's a consumable
part that you wear out.
The derailleur, though, is fundamental to the quality of your shifting, and many budget
derailleurs in the past were a little bit flexible, so you wouldn't get accurate shifting.
They were easily damaged although cheap to replace at the same time, a double-edged sword
there, and they never looked as good, but look at this thing.
That looks every bit as good as the SLX, every bit as good as the XT.
I think that is a really, really good-looking rear derailleur but also is really functional
as well because it shares all of the main features that you need from the other more
expensive derailleurs.
It also is rock solid.
Many budget derailleurs have a really cheap cage on them, they can be a bit bandy.
This is every bit as solid as the XT, this is bonkers for the money.
On the inside here you've got a gloss part of the lower jockey cage or pulley cage.
On the outside, you've got a matte finish, you've got the bigger 13-tooth pulley wheels
on there to handle the 12-speed system.
You've got the same parallelogram action that you see on all rear derailleurs of Shimano,
and you got the same three points of adjustment there.
You've got the B-screw and you've got your limits in and out.
Also, you have the clutch.
Now, the clutch is a little bit different to the ones you see on the more expensive
derailleurs.
There is no external adjustment for how hard you want the clutches, it's just a lever to
turn it on and off, which to be fair, that is all you need.
You can still adjust the clutch by removing the housing on the outside here.
To be honest, you will never need to do that, is also using a much lighter action grid on
the inside.
It's a better-performing clutch as well, great action.
The only thing that it is lacking, compared to the more expensive ones, is a little rubber
bumper just down here.
To be fair, that's not even really essential on probably 90% of bike designs these days.
My money would be on one of those because let's face it, if you smash out on a rock,
you're not going to cry about it.
It looks great as well, awesome bit of work.
[music] Speaker: On to the shifter itself.
Obviously, it's 12-speed.
It's got the barrel adjuster there.
You've got a two-way release, so you can shift down with your finger and your thumb depending
on your preference or what you're actually doing when you're riding.
Obviously, you've got the upshift shifter here, nice and positive.
It's got a really good action.
It feels really quite stiff as well, something that not all budget shifters have.
You can sometimes get a bit of a mushy feel with them, not this though, it feels really
positive, really good.
The cream on the cake though, I guess, really is the fact it's got the I-SPEC EV mounts
on there.
That mount, you can basically change the pitch on there or roll it forwards and backwards
as much as you want.
10 degrees, that's quite a large amount when you actually try and do that.
You got 14 millimeters of lateral movement there, so you can really fine-tune the position
on the bars.
That definitely doesn't feel like a budget shifter, that just feels like a really good
shifter to use, brilliant.
[music] Speaker: Now, on to the brakes.
There's two options here.
You have the same levers, and there's two options in calipers.
Now, I've got the four-piston caliper option here.
They're a bit more heavier duty, maybe more trail or enduro focus, or if you're just a
heavier duty rider.
There's also the lighter 2-piston option available.
Again, if you're a lighter rider, or if you want to save some weight, or perhaps your
focus is more cross-country orientated, they're going to be great for you.
Lever wise, they're the same levers.
They look nearly identical to some of the other ones.
They're the exact same form.
They've got all the same main features on.
They're just missing a few of the bells and whistles, as you might expect but certainly
not when it comes to the finish on them.
That finish is really, really quite classy.
They look great.
You've got your master cylinder bolt there.
You've got the Servo Wave lever action on them, which is absolutely key to Shimano brakes.
That increases the power, basically, the deeper you get, when you're pulling the brakes.
When you really need to slow down, it helps you, it assists you in giving you more power
later on, a really good feature.
As with the SLX, the XT, and the XTR, you've got a slightly different clamp design from
previous years, and it's got the support there to really make sure the lever doesn't flex
on the bars.
It also gives you a bit more scope for where you're positioning your lever without interfering
with other controls or dropper post remotes and things like that.
It's a really, really tidy-looking set of levers.
The calipers, wow, I can't believe.
I keep saying this, I can't believe it's a budget system.
It looks brilliant.
It really does.
There you go.
You could probably tell I'm beyond impressed with this.
If you'd put XT or XTR or down in front of me, I would have expected it, I'd have been
trying to find holes with it.
Genuinely, this is the underdog transmission.
What Shimano has done with Deore, I think it's brilliant.
They've not diluted the 12-speed range, at all.
You've got all the full features that you need.
You've got the proper cassette, you've got the Micro Spline, you've got the Hyperglide+,
you've got all of that great stuff that you get on the high-end stuff.
Price point, brilliant work, Shimano.
Now if you want to see a bit more about how Shimano gears work, in particular, the Hyperglide+
that I was telling you about and the Dynamic Chain Engagement Plus system, there's going
to be a video hovering over there.
Check it out, it's really quite cool.
It might tell you a few things about shifting.
As always, thanks for hanging around guys.
Don't forget hit us up on Instagram and say hi.
See you later.
[00:12:46] [END OF AUDIO]