Fresh Produce: New Shimano Deore
Shimano’s Deore groupset is definitely the unsung hero of the Shimano range, and it’s now had a makeover to make it better than ever. If you’re looking for a value for money groupset then Deore is very hard to beat. Thanks to the trickling down of technology this bargain priced groupset offers many of the features that you’ll find on Shimano’s top end offerings, and we reckon it even looks pretty good too.
Here are some shots and details of the new groupset…
So yeah the biggest news is definitely that a Deore rear mech will now be available with the excellent Shadow Plus clutch stabiliser. It’s a pity that a medium cage is the shortest that it will be available with, but then the short cage Zee rear mech is fairly reasonably priced if you really want a short cage.
It’s also good to see that Shimano have taken the wise decision to not do much to the brakes. Without question Deore brakes have been the best value brakes for several years, and their performance puts many more expensive brakes to shame. Shimano reckon they have improved the modulation and power a little, but on the whole the feel of them remains largely the same as before. The main change then is a new IceTec rotor and compatibility with IceTec pads. With those additions we reckon these brakes might actually be so good that it becomes hard to justify spending any more on some brakes.
Because of the rise in popularity of bigger wheeled mountain bikes Shimano have now also started offering a 40/30/22T tripple chainset option alongside the more conventional 42/32/24T setup. This addition isn’t just with Deore either, you’ll also now find it as an option on both SLX and XT chainsets.
Anyway, as soon as we get some definite prices on this new Deore kit we’ll let you know, and by the time it hits the shops in June we should hopefully have had some to test out and so we’ll be able to let you know if it is every bit the bargain that we reckon it’s going to be.
Sweet. But, if Deore’s got all the upgrades, doesn’t this mean we’re due a new XTR (with all new better-er bits) within the next few months?
If by better-er you mean lightweight, efficiency and bling, then yes just as ever.
Oh you know, fifty percent stiffer, 30 percent more efficient, more gears (even more gears) and a new mount/cable pull/whatever so it doesn’t work with the old one. The usual.
Hello everyone,
I know this is slightly off topic; does anyone know if Shimano will continue to produce their 9 speed Saint rear derailleur?
deore is sweet if you’re on a budget. brakes are great
SX 2 – no they won’t it’s 10spd only going forward. When the 9spd is gone it’s gone.
The only thing that I would like Shimano to produce, is a few different outer ring sizes for their double chainsets (to buy separately, or as a whole). Maybe a 34t and 36t chainrings. The trails I ride and the fact I ride 29er, means that the 24/38t and 26/38t combos are jut a waste. More choice please, as I want to ditch my triple (and I hate the messy look of removing the outer ring).
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Good to see Shimano keeping Deore in the spotlight. It’s a great groupset for people who can’t afford higher-end stuff, or simply can’t justify it. With this, there is almost no need. Top marks for their brakes! Simply awesome.
@Alam, Thanks for the confirmation. The day the 9 speed derailleur brakes, I’ll have to brake the bank to upgrade to the new Saint. The discontinuation of the 9 speed version blows…
you can run this rear mech with a sram x7 and upwards shifter been trying it out and its the best of both worlds shimano crisp shift with sram responsiveness!! love it still got nine speed and a clutch mech!
Which rear mech are you using with the Sram X7 or one of the higher versions? Do you mean, you’re using the new 10 speed Saint on a 9 speed cassette along with a sram shifter? Thank you!
surely mechs are not 9spd 0r 10 spd specific? they do whatever the shifter tells them. i know ppl running 9sp shimano shifters on a 10spd clutch mech and 9spd cassette. couldn’t tell you how accurately it shifts… anyone here want to confirm/deny whether this setup works?
I don’t know about shimano but srams 10 speed clutch derailleurs have to pair with a 10 speed shifter they dont work properly otherwise.
@Gabe. Using a Shimano 10 speed rear mech, with 9 speed Shimano shifters won’t work. It’s not just the shifters that makes the difference, so too does the rear mech. The new 10 speed Shimano is designed for (very close to) a 1:1 pull ratio, so as the 9 speed ones are designed for 2:1 ratio, they won’t work – certainly not well, anyway!
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I haven’t tried the SRAM 9 speed set up with a 10 speed Shimano rear mech, but as SRAM uses a 1:1 ratio it will be super close to the new 10 speed Saint/Zee, and should possibly work.
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To reiterate, 10 speed Shimano and 9 speed Shimano are NOT compatible.
^^ all shimano btw… shifter mech and block.
Yeah, I thought it should work fine if I adjust the limit screws on the 10 speed rear mech, but I’m not sure as I heard at a shop that 10 speed doesn’t work with 9 speed components-keeping in mind, I do doubt the source. In addition, I heard that the new clutch hits the chain-stays pretty often and violently on the FSR design as well as some others too.
yeah certain things won’t work. 9 speed chain on a ten speed cassette for example will not shift cleanly or accurately. but i believe rear mechs are pretty much interchangable. im currently running a 9spd tiagra mech on my 7 spd road bike with no issues whatsoever. the only reason it wouldn’t work is if shimano have changed their cable pull rates for 10 spd. the sort of move i expect from sram but usually shimano aren’t dicks like that. still tho, im not certain they haven’t this time. i’d better find out if i ever want a clutch on my dh bike, cos i sure as hell dont want 10 gears on it.
ah, didnt see chris-m’s post up there. cheers chris.
Thanks guys!