KHABAR BIKE (Cycling News) - MTB

BIKEmagic photos

The folks at BIKEmagic got to try out Shimano's 2008 XT groupset on a bike recently. So, what do they think? '...The new XT cranks stick with the twin pinch-bolt arrangement for the non-drive side arm rather than the new XTR style of an axial bolt and bearing preload doofer. The arms are a new shape, which most people (us included) find a little disappointing in terms of appearance — the current cranks are quite distinctive, but the '08 ones, well, aren't. Durability should be improved, though, especially with the introduction of a steel/carbon fibre middle ring instead of the old aluminium one. It'll come as no surprise to hear that the front shifting is swift and snappy. The innovative stuff is elsewhere. The big news is the rear Shadow derailleur, with a low-profile design that not only promises a number of benefits but looks likely to deliver...' More

Shimano's new redesigned XT groupset features their Shadow rear shifting technology -- a derailleur with a narrower profile "where the parallelogram sticks out less and the whole mechanism sits inboard of the QR nut so the end of your axle will end up taking the impact of a dropped bike", according to BIKEmagic. More / More 2 / 2008 Deore XT