Got these a while back from Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK (that was a story unto itself!) and put them on the Chase back in December of last year. The winter rains and switchover to snowboarding mode kept me off the bike until recently, but now with the lengthening days and drier weather, it’s two-wheel time again. Outwardly, these are similar to the XTR SL-M970 shifters, with blocky pods, long, awkward looking finger levers, and skinny perches. Shimano has purposely gone with a more “prototype” or “werks” appearance on their newer MTB parts instead of the fluid, beautifully sculpted look of their earlier parts. Unlike the XTR’s, these are provided with optical gear displays. The release levers are dual-release (push or pull) like the XTR’s, but aren’t multi-release (only one shift per pull). The pods are adjustable laterally on the perches, but only two positions are available, instead of the stepless slide.
Functionally, these shifters work great. I don’t miss the multi-release function. This feature is a peculiarity of the Rapid Rise backward acting rear derailleurs so downshifting into easier gears is faster. Since I run traditional rear derailleurs, I don’t gain anything from multi-release. They have about 5mm more offset below the handlebar than the XTR’s This may be an advantage if you have blocky brake master cylinders, but in my case, it just adds bulk to the control cluster. The finger reach and lever throw doesn’t seem noticeably different from the XTR’s, but I can feel a slight difference in the smoothness of the lever movement. There is a finger effort difference, but that could be related to the derailleurs.
Depending on the shape of your brake levers, if you run them outboard of the shifters, you will likely have to remove the OGD’s. Luckily this is an easy process, and Shimano thoughtfully provided block-off plates as part of the shifters themselves! Here’s a step-by-step walk-through of the removal process.
Step 1 – remove two screws that retain the OGD. Put screws aside for reuse.
Step 2 – rotate OGD away from perch until tabs disengage.
Step 3 – lift OGD off and put aside
Step 4 – locate cover plate on back of OGD
Step 5 – slide cover out from behind retaining tabs on OGD.
Step 6 – install cover on shifter pod and reinstall screws (you don’t really need to put the other screw back in, since it does nothing to retain the cover on or hold the shifter body together, but it will keep junk out of the hole, and it will be there if you ever need ot put the OGD back on)
Made in Japan
Three-and-a-half techno monkeys out of four
Recommended
That’s very clever. Good thinking Shimano.