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Submitted by
Nick S
a Cross Country Rider
from Burlington, VT USA
Date Reviewed: April 30, 2008 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike shop in MA | | Strengths: | This review is for the M952 rear derailleur.
Its strength is that it works, keeps working, then works some more. No fuss, no fidgeting. The derailleur came on my Cannondale T2000 touring bike, so it hasn't seen much dirt riding. I will say that after more than 13,000 road miles it shifts just fine. I haven't cleaned, lubed, or serviced this much at all during the 4 years i've owned it, the pullys are still smooth. | | Weaknesses: | Price if you're buying one new. From what i hear the XT are just as good, though perhaps not as light | | Similar Products Used: | LX rear derailleur. | | Bike Setup: | Cannondale T2000 touring bike. | | Bottom Line: | The difference between XT and XTR is a hotly debated topic. What i would say is that i'm sure you won't be sorry with an XTR. Mine has worked well for 4 years and i have no expectation of anything different in the next 4. If you've got the money it is worth it. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Fritz Lehr
a Cross Country Rider
from Raleigh, NC, USA
Date Reviewed: January 9, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Beaver Dam | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | eBAY | | Strengths: | Very light and trick looking, 90% or more of the time it shifts perfectly | | Weaknesses: | Medium cage does not work well with full suspension on extreme shifts, spring seems a little weaker than in past and derailleur is more sensitive to cable wear. | | Similar Products Used: | XTR, XT, Deore XT 9, 8 & 7 speed, Demoed SRAM XO | | Bike Setup: | Santa Cruz Blur, Using 2007 XTR Shifter Pods, 2007 XTR Rear Derailleur med cage, XTR cranks, XT cassette 12-34T, XTR disc hubs, Aztek Teflon coated shift cables | | Bottom Line: | This reveiw is for then new 2007 XTR Rear Derailleur Med Cage. Seems to be well made in my opinion, but has trouble working with my suspension occasionally. The short cage derailler is probably better suited to a smaller gear spread and a hardtail where the length of the axle to the crank does not change. Still, I think it works great most of the time, but occasionally on suspension compression and downshift I get this binding. Could be set-up, but it is inconsistent so I think it is suspension related. Also, more sensitive to cable wear than in the past. I am going to go back to a long cage and I may finally try out rapid-rise since my XTR shifter pods can now shift 2 gears on the trigger as opposed to one in the past. This limitation kept me from trying rapid rise in the past. Also the Trigger shifts quicker that it did in the past, even quicker than the SRAM XO stuff I demoed. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Gerald Badoz
a Weekend Warrior
from Orlando, FL, USA
Date Reviewed: July 10, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Jones Trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$120.00 | | Purchased At: | EBay | | Strengths: | Design, appearance, function, fit, form, quality, weight, and performance. | | Weaknesses: | None!! | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano Deore | | Bike Setup: | 2004 Raleigh Ram 2.0 with full XTR, RockShox 318 Tora and Rear SID, Avid Juicy Carbons, Truvativ Team Carbon Riser, Cane Creek Solo head set, Titec Pluto Carbon seat post, WTB Speed V saddle, and Jagwire cables. Plus a few other things... | | Bottom Line: | XTR M970 rear derailleur is simply amazing!!! It shifts butter smooth. I got it with the matching M970 rapid fire pods and the response is simple incredible. Right as you are pressing the button, click the chain shifts...
ITS FREAK INCREDIBLE!!!!! Highly recommend it...
Plus, not only shift one gear at a time but you can grab a bunch of gears at once (2, 3, 4, etc); the transition to grabbing a few gears at once is super smooth...no hestitation or clunking...just a smooth buttery shift...
AWESOME!!!!
I had cheesy performance with the Deore components. I had to search for the sweet spot for shifting and the lever strokes are much longer on the Deore. The XTR shift is just a short quick stroke...
Don't waste your time with other components; go with XTR, you will not be disappointed!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lemão
a Weekend Warrior
from Brazil
Date Reviewed: May 22, 2007 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Strengths: | very Strength derailleur, in 5 years of use, I didn't have any problem. Very easy maintenance and instalation. It changes gears better than my car! | | Weaknesses: | None at all | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: | XTR deraileeur, with attack grip-shifts | | Bottom Line: | Buy it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
TrailMaker
a Weekend Warrior
from Vestal, NY
Date Reviewed: November 30, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Quality | | Weaknesses: | None | | Bike Setup: | It's been with me on 2 bikes; Sugar 2+D and now my Heckler | | Bottom Line: | This derailleur came on my '02 Fisher Sugar 2+ Disc. It is now on my '05 Heckler. If you take the time to learn how to adjust your cables/shifters/derailleurs, you will find that this product is excellent. Although I never broke a hanger, in the time that it was on my Sugar, it got SERIOUSLY bent from an unknown event. The jockey cage runs nowhere near parallel to the cassette, and it will not cycle through its complete range. I set it up to shift the lower gears because who cares about 9th anyway?
Other than adjustment, I've never touched it. The worst it does is cackle a little because of wheel missalignment. Despite being seriously tweaked, when I do the proper and necessary periodic adjustments, it shifts beautifully. I ride LOTS of creeks, MUD, MUD, MUD, ROCKS, ROCKS, ROCKS, sand, logs, roots..... It still works like a derailleur should.
I'm debating replacing it right now. My first inclination is to save a buck and go XT, but in the back of my mind I know that this XTR has been a great piece. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
ftydfgf
a Weekend Warrior
from UK
Date Reviewed: August 16, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | every one | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$45.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | stiff strong light looks cool light,quick action | | Weaknesses: | weakness?what weakness? | | Similar Products Used: | acera | | Bike Setup: | trek 3900 xtr fox f80 rlt | | Bottom Line: | well worth upgrading especially on ebay!!!!!!!!!!! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Giancarlo Pelosi
a Weekend Warrior
from Miramar, FL, USA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Markham Park | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Purchased At: | Bell's Bikes | | Strengths: | Very fast. Lives up to the XTR name. Smooth and reliable under adverse conditions. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | XT and SRAM X9. | | Bike Setup: | 06 Giant Trance 1 stock set up with a Chris King headset, Mavic Crossmax SL disc, XT rotors, Kenda Nevagal UST's, and an ODI Rogue lock on grip upgrade. | | Bottom Line: | Keep it in the family so it can continue to live up to the XTR name. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael Lopez
a Downhiller
from Phoenix AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: May 26, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | any one I can find! | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$40.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | Extremely light for its class. Oversized spring keeps the chain rigid so it doesn't suck or slam on your chain stay as much as other derailures. | | Weaknesses: | They stopped making em!!! Screw rapid rise | | Similar Products Used: | Sram XO | | Bike Setup: | 06 gary Fisher Big Sur. Giant DH team, gary fisher cake 2 DLX | | Bottom Line: | Bottom line: If you arn't completely familiar with every aspect as a bike, or couldn't even build one up yourself., or at least read product reviews before use, You shouldn't even be on this page writing a review. Keep your sorry @$$ comments away from this page!!! do not down a product because your a moron and broke it out of stupidity! Do yourself a favor and rate yourself a 1 chili! this is and will always be one of the best derailures out there! Its hard to beet!
Take care.. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
garret
a Cross Country Rider
from tres rivers, ma, usa
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | sterage rock | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | COMPETITIVE EDGE ELM. THEY ROCK!! | | Strengths: | smooth shifts, light, sexy | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | lx, xt | | Bike Setup: | 06' stumpy expert stock; stans upgrade | | Bottom Line: | it does it's job, and does it well. i've been on 7 hours of riding so far on it, so i can't comment on durability, but this thing shifts the way it's supposed to, climbing, decending, i ride hard, i ride steep rocky terrain,i've seen mud, sand, hardpack... massachusetts; so we basically get all conditions.. it hasn't skipped a beat yet. will come back and post midseason
5 flamers so far.. key words there.. so far | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
garret
a Cross Country Rider
from tres rivers, ma, usa
Date Reviewed: April 6, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | sterage rock | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Purchased At: | COMPETITIVE EDGE ELM. THEY ROCK!! | | Strengths: | smooth shifts, light, sexy | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | lx, xt | | Bike Setup: | 06' stumpy expert stock; stans upgrade | | Bottom Line: | it does it's job, and does it well. i've been on 7 hours of riding so far on it, so i can't comment on durability, but this thing shifts the way it's supposed to, climbing, decending, i ride hard, i ride steep rocky terrain,i've seen mud, sand, hardpack... massachusetts; so we basically get all conditions.. it hasn't skipped a beat yet. will come back and post midseason
5 flamers so far.. key words there.. so far | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Nod
a Cross Country Rider
from Albuquerque, NM
Date Reviewed: March 3, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Foothills | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$110.00 | | Purchased At: | ABC-ABQ | | Strengths: | Light, good looking | | Weaknesses: | Breaks easily | | Similar Products Used: | XT, LX, X0 | | Bike Setup: | Santa Crux Superlight, REBA | | Bottom Line: | This derailuer was set to be the great shifting replacement for my "inferior" XT. 2 rides later, it mysteriously combusted. Shimano wouldn't cover it under warranty! I have never had a problem with the XT, but when I need a new one, it will be SRAM | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Lance Lowry
a Cross Country Rider
from La Habra, CA
Date Reviewed: January 20, 2006 | | Favorite Trail: | Santiago Oaks | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | free!! | | Strengths: | Buttery smooth shifting with no problems and it's light! | | Weaknesses: | nope | | Similar Products Used: | XT and Alivio | | Bike Setup: | '04 Mountain Cycle Rumble. Hardtail baby! | | Bottom Line: | I was lucky to get this free from my riding buddy. He said he just had it laying around so voila! This thing is just friggin killer. I always have problems with my front XT derailleur. Ghost shifting, chain suck, you name it.
The XTR rear derailleur, however, is a god send. Not only is it light, it just shifts so effortlessly. It's the type of component that performs so well, you just forget you have it there.
I ride agressive XC trails with rock gardens and some drops and this thing just keeps ticking. In addition I ride a hardtail so I'm sure it's a bit harder on the derailleur. I have a 2001 model and it performs flawlessly. Get one if you can. They are expensive but if I knew how well this performed it would have been one of my first investments. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Michael
a Cross Country Rider
from North Augusta, SC
Date Reviewed: September 16, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | Horn Creek | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | PricePoint.com | | Strengths: | Flawless shifting. Consistency. Stout. | | Weaknesses: | None. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, X-9 | | Bike Setup: | Yeti 575 very nicely adorned. RS Pike fork, mainly XT/XTR, some Thomson parts. | | Bottom Line: | I have used Shimano stuff (LX and XT) for about 17 years now with no complaints, and recently tried SRAM X-9 with zero success (I was building up a new bike and wanted to see what the hype was all about). Went back to Shimano and went with XTR this time. It does 100% of what it is supposed to do, which is consistently shift properly and shrug off trail imperfections. It has not required ANY adjustments between rides. This has been an install, forget and ride item.
This XTR rear derailleur has functioned perfectly since I put it on my 575 (Jan-Feb 05). I run full housing from shifter to derailleur. Right now I am at nearly 1400 miles of true off-road/mtb riding. Mud, muck, rocks, twigs, whatever. This derailleur is 100% worth it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
j Filgate
a
from Boston
Date Reviewed: September 2, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | vietnam | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Strengths: | Smooth shifting. Feels really good. | | Weaknesses: | WEAK!~ This product lasted 2.5 years on my stumpjumper. The knuckles came loose to the point where the chain skips whenever i hit a bump or a drop. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | 02/05 stumpy | | Bottom Line: | If you race, this might be the way to go. But if you beat on your bike at all on a regular basis, i strongly recommend looking elsewhere. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Kevin
a
from Michigan
Date Reviewed: August 22, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | slbs (somewhat local bike shop) | | Strengths: | (Review for older M952 SGS)
Flawless shifting. The only derailleur I have used that stays in adjustment after several months of use. | | Weaknesses: | Not made anymore. They seem to still be available though, and I'd love to have a spare. However, I simply can't justify the cost since I don't have nice cranks yet. | | Similar Products Used: | old shimano 7 speed SIS, C201, tourney, altus, acera, alivio, deore, plastic SRAM 5.0 | | Bike Setup: | '03 KHS FR2000 frame with Romic shock, Marzocchi 120mm MX Comp ETA fork, 4 pot XT hydros | | Bottom Line: | Simply the best. Shimano had to go and screw it up with a new shiny finish that is easily scratched, worst of all, rapid rise. I like being able to shift into higher gears (smaller sprockets) more than shifting into lower gears faster.
Once my bike is complete, I buy an extra if I can still find one.
I'm tempted to rate it lower because the people at Shimano are a bunch of pricks, but that doesn't stop this particular derailleur from being perfection. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
kg stok3d
a Cross Country Rider
from clemmons, nc
Date Reviewed: August 5, 2005 | | Favorite Trail: | hobby park, nc | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$135.00 | | Purchased At: | clemmons bike shop | | Strengths: | instantaneous shift between gears. extremely durable. Lightweight. looks good. is versatile, can be used for 8/9 speed bikes.(mines 8, want to upgrade my cassette to 9) | | Weaknesses: | recommend that u upgrade the rest of your drivetrain to get maximum benefit of xtr derailleur. | | Similar Products Used: | I used a deore for about a year, and it wore out and started not changing gears efficiently. | | Bike Setup: | 2002 Specialized hr comp. XTR rear, XT front. XTR shifters, brake levers, v brakes, pads. rock shox judy tt. | | Bottom Line: | The bottom line is that people say xtr components arent worth their weight in gold, but to be honest, if u love bike riding and youre serious about it, the XTR is a must have for the best performance. Because for 50 dollars more, youll be changing gears in a whole different planet than say a deore. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Captain America
a Cross Country Rider
from Harrisville, RI USA
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Light, looks sweet, shifts smooth when working | | Weaknesses: | the bendix spring in the "P" body jumps out of its hole - makes the derailleur flop dead and ride the cogs - I junked three of them. eXTRa expensive! | | Similar Products Used: | xt, older xtr | | Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR Enduro Expert - used with grip shift | | Bottom Line: | Not made to take the tech pounding of heavy XC riding at an expert level or for that matter any downhill rec riding. - the spring will jump out of it's hole. XT is the value these days - | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Captain America
a Cross Country Rider
from Harrisville, RI USA
Date Reviewed: August 3, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Strengths: | Light, looks sweet, shifts smooth when working | | Weaknesses: | the bendix spring in the "P" body jumps out of its hole - makes the derailleur flop dead and ride the cogs - I junked three of them. eXTRa expensive! | | Similar Products Used: | xt, older xtr | | Bike Setup: | Specialized FSR Enduro Expert - used with grip shift | | Bottom Line: | Not made to take the tech pounding of heavy XC riding at an expert level or for that matter any downhill rec riding. - the spring will jump out of it's hole. XT is the value these days - | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dean
a Cross Country Rider
from ohio
Date Reviewed: March 26, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | ebay | | Strengths: | strong light takes a beating and won't break | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | deore rear,xtr rapid rise, | | Bike Setup: | 97 gt lts3 w/ xt shifters and 02 oryx freak w/sram rocket shifters. | | Bottom Line: | I have had sticks get caught in these derailluers bending them backwards and breaking the small chainring or jaming the chain.They do not bend or break.
Most problems with shifting are the chain length or bent deraillerhangers.You can find these cheap on eBay. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Ft.Wayne Indiana
Date Reviewed: March 25, 2005 | | Duration Product Used: | 2 Years | | Price Paid: |
$75.00 | | Purchased At: | mail order | | Strengths: | It works | | Weaknesses: | Price keeps going up | | Similar Products Used: | XT,STX | | Bike Setup: | Specialized M4 HT, LX shifters, xt cass, xtr derailer | | Bottom Line: | This is a set and forget derailer. Most of the complants on this part are bogus. Your cogs are full of mud and the chain skips is not a result of rear derailer failier. 90% of the shifting performance is in the shifters and the set up. The derailer is just spring loaded to travel back and forth. Your shifters determine and provide all the indexing involed. If your shifters don't perform correctly or the set up is all whacked out (cable is not tight) you will see the results in your shifting or lack there of. The XTR is one of the best on the market but just like any other rear derailer this can part can only perform as good as the shifters it is linked to and the set up or tune will allow. Properly cabeled to the right shifters and the XTR is sweet as butter. | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
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$ 80.00
