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Submitted by
Nuno Prazeres
a Racer
from Lisbon, Portugal
Date Reviewed: June 9, 2008 | | Favorite Trail: | Monsanto, Grandola | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$70.00 | | Purchased At: | http://www.bike-x-pe | | Strengths: | M-970 - Precision and low weight | | Weaknesses: | Showed some play after 2000k. Broke after 3000km | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT - 96 model still around in my HT after 15000 km with zero play | | Bike Setup: | Fox F100RLC. DT Swiss Wheels (240s, XR 4.2D, Aerolite). XTR crankset and F Der. XO R Der. and twistshifters. Magura Marta SL brakes with Hope Mono Mini Pro rotors. Crankbros EB SL pedals. Nokon cables. XTR cassette. SRAM 991 hollowpin chain. Syntace seatpost and stem. Easton carbon handlebar. SLR XC sadle. Nobby Nic 2.1 kevlar tyres without inner tubes. Total weight 10600g | | Bottom Line: | Excelent in the first times but cannot stand a rough winter...
I am a careful cyclist (wash & lube type one) so I cannot imagine how fast this deraileur loses capacity for people who ride in muddyer trails and does not wash and lube that often.
It couples so well with the crankset and it is so precise when new I might buy one again and be ready to replace it yearly | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Paul
a Cross Country Rider
from Western Australia
Date Reviewed: September 28, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | Boddington | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Purchased At: | On bike | | Strengths: | None | | Weaknesses: | Face plate is too weak. | | Similar Products Used: | 950, 960, 760. | | Bike Setup: | 07 Giant XTC carbon, full XTR. | | Bottom Line: | This is for the 971 unit. The outer face plate on the cage is too weak near the pivot point. On dropping the chain off the big ring the outer plate will open out, this can lead to the chain coming off on the next up shift and no granny gear. Bending it back in place is only a very temporary solution. This unit didn’t last long at all, very disappointing from Shimano. | 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: |
$67.00 | | Purchased At: | EBay | | Strengths: | Design, appearance, function, weight, quality, fit, and finish. | | 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 front derailleurs is 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...
I had easy 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... | Value Rating: Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
steve holcomb
a Weekend Warrior
from tampa florida
Date Reviewed: March 30, 2007 | | Favorite Trail: | n/a | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | beyond bikes | | Strengths: | Still working with no flaws. Its 5yrs old with many 1000's
of miles of use. The very best ! | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | campy record and super record | | Bike Setup: | doesn't matter | | Bottom Line: | The very best | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
evilgeek
a Cross Country Rider
from calgary, canada
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2006 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$90.00 | | Strengths: | shifting, setup, bling | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | LX | | Bike Setup: | sram pc99 hollow pin chain | | Bottom Line: | replaced my 2001 LX front der with 2006 XTR, and the difference is night and day. the XTR is actually 4g heavier than the LX, but the weight has obviously been put where it counts, and isn't just untrimmed fat. the XTR is crisp, really, really crisp, making the LX seem like a piece of bread that's been left in the rain. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Ryan R
a Cross Country Rider
from Long Island N.Y.
Date Reviewed: May 3, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | Pandora | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$85.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Junkie | | Strengths: | Strong, cage is acutally a double cage for extra strength
Light weight, for a double caged derailleur
Stiff, Never misses a shift not a one, perfect shifting!
Reliable, Once it's set it is eally a set a forget item! | | Weaknesses: | A little on the pain in the a$$ to set up intially. At least the e-type model it took a little bit to set it but no it's a set and forget item . Took two rounds of tuning and a fine tune from a friend at a shop to get it running right. I have yet to have to mess with it since! A little expensive for a Front Derailluer | | Similar Products Used: | Mostly Shimano: LX (SUCKS) XT (Good but has draw backs) XTR (THE BOMB) | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper FSR XC With a full Shimano XT XTR Drivetrain (soon to be switched out for SRAM X.0) with much too many goodies to list here and do you really want to read the list? | | Bottom Line: | This is the one piece of drivetrain equipment on my bike that will survive my drivetrain rebuild! I like Shimano for their Crank sets so far so good with my XT's and I like the M525 Deore discbraks on my bike. They are inexpensive to mantain and cost less for parts then the XT or the way overpriced XTR's. If they do decide to go then I'm going for Avid or Hayes for brakes. As for this derailluer I like it allot. It has crisp action you don't get with the XT and it is much more reliabable than the LX that came on the bike. The LX never seemed to be able to stay tuned and I was always messing with it on the trails. I like to use my front derailluer I paid for all 27 gears I'm going to use them!! I have yet to miss a shift or have the chain drop of or jam up! It is a little of a chore to set it up though but I think this is only for the E-Type my buddy had no problems setting up his clamp style one what so ever! If your interested why I'm changing over to SRAM X.O see my newest review for the non rapid rise XTR rear derailluer. For this piece of the Shimano XTR drivetrain I like it! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
MAXXED
a Cross Country Rider
from Honolulu
Date Reviewed: March 20, 2004 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$59.00 | | Purchased At: | Price Point | | Strengths: | Smooth, silent shifting. Never misses a shift! | | Weaknesses: | Only comes in top swing configuration. Will not work on Cannondale Jekyll, Mountain Cycle San Andreas, and other frames that require a bottom swing derailleur. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano LX, XT, and '03 XTR. | | Bike Setup: | '04 Mountain Cycle Fury, Avid 160mm discs, Avid Speed Dial 7 brake levers, XTR front and rear derailleurs, '04 Shimano XT crankset, Progressive 5th Element rear shock. | | Bottom Line: | This is a review of the '04 FD-M952 derailleur with differential plate action. The two side plates of the cage move independently and are hinged at the rear of the cage.
Dramatic improvement in upshifting and downshifting over the rigid cage XTR '03 derailleur.
Shifting is lightning fast and never slips or skips on the chainrings.
It is noticeably quieter on upshifts and downshifts than the '03 XTR. The chain is literally lifted off the chainrings and dropped onto the next chainring.
In the non diff plate action XTR, like the FD-M953, you can feel the chain being forced against the chainring, and grinding into it when you upshift. I was disappointed in the FD-M953, which displayed no improvement in shifting performance over the XT derailleur.
The diff plate action also solves a nagging problem inherent in all conventional fixed plate front derailleurs; sluggish shifting or hanging up when downshifting to the granny gear.
I can be in the smallest rear cog, and it will instantly and silently downshift to the granny gear. You'll never use that particular gear combo, but try doing it with your current derailleur!
Upshifts are amazing silent and quick, without the grinding against the chainring to upshift as described above.
Another welcome design improvement is the angled seatpost collar mounting setup. This is a blessing for those with full suspension bikes, as it makes it so much easier to access the derailleur mounting collar allen screw head.
Also, the cable mounting clamp bolt is angled, making access much more convenient for those with full suspension frames and elevated chainstays.
Another improvement is a wider derailleur cage that makes chain rub almost nonexistent in those awkward chainring/rear cog combos. The older FD-M953 was a real pain with it's narrow cage. It really limited the gearing combos you could use with each chainring.
Shimano really did their homework on the new '04 diff plate derailleur!
Only problem is, it is currently available only in top swing configuration, which will not work with all frames, as mentioned above. If you can't use a top swing derailleur, you're out of luck.
It is quite a bit more expensive than their non diff plate action derailleur, but once you've tried it, there's just no comparison.
I'm hooked, and can't go back to the non Diff Plate front derailleurs. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Saxon Victor
a Cross Country Rider
from Slovakia, Middle Europe
Date Reviewed: February 17, 2004 | | Favorite Trail: | everything | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike shop in the capital | | Strengths: | Its beautiful! So strong, rigid, and it works like a dream | | Weaknesses: | i havent found yet | | Similar Products Used: | Deore, LX, Ultegra | | Bike Setup: | Merida SE, XT, XTR, Marzocchi, Truvativ, FSA, Maxxis | | Bottom Line: | Ive changed my Deore2003 for this. The difference: night and day. It moves so lightly, with the XT rapidfire it moves like a Deore rapidfire without de derailleur. Its incredible for me, cos here in Slovakia we dont have the money to buy things like this, but i think we should. I recommend it to everyone who has the money, and wants incredible shifts. Anyway, i use it with LX chain and Truvativ Stylo Team cranks and its perfect, so i just cant imagine how would it be with XTR chain and XTR cranks... | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Thomas Vacek
a
from Ithaca
Date Reviewed: April 23, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | not telling | | Strengths: | very pretty, very precise shifting | | Weaknesses: | none so far | | Similar Products Used: | shimano LX | | Bike Setup: | trek | | Bottom Line: | my shimano LX front derailleur won't even move now - i greased it plenty and it just won't move - i had to buy a new front derailleur - and this solved my problems. It is a very excellent mechanism. Don't let those cheap pansies with their stupid reviews discourage you. The bolt does not strip if you use a metric 5mm alan key. The dumbass was probably using alan keys in inches. the 2003 line of XTR is very good. I recently purchased the 2003 XTR crank and rear derailleur and have yet to try both. Very nice, quality products. I wouldn't pay the ridiculous retail for them, though. Find them in places other than online retaillers - and DON'T GO TO YOUR LOCAL BIKE SHOP. Mine always rapes me on pricing. They mark things up even beyond retail. It's ridiculous. Stupid! | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Darius
a Racer
from D-Town, TX
Date Reviewed: April 19, 2003 | | Duration Product Used: | More than 3 years | | Purchased At: | wouldn't purchase, but work on them everyday | | Strengths: | matches the paint on the other XTR drivetrain parts | | Weaknesses: | Over priced, works as good as or worse than cheaper versions. | | Similar Products Used: | XT, LX, DEORE, STX, everything | | Bike Setup: | Merlin Iliad, Sram drivetrain, Raceface Next LP cranx, XTR hubs ti spokes sun 0degreeXC rims, lots of light stuff | | Bottom Line: | XTR front derailleurs are a waste of money no matter what version you get:
02 and before - On top swing versions, the parallel plate movement does absolutely nothing to improve shifting, but it does add weight for no apparent reason. Traditional versions are identical to XT and LX, they're just painted with XTR grey paint. WOOHOO!
new 03 version- the cage is so narrow that an extrordinary amound of chain rub is inevetable, and the anchor bolt is far too easy to strip out. What's even more strange is, the steel bolt strips before the aluminum threads in the derailleur do. This adds to my conclusion that with the exception of the cranks, 03 XTR can eat a bunch of goat crap. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Matt
a Cross Country Rider
from Reno, NV, USA
Date Reviewed: February 23, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | Peavine | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$85.00 | | Purchased At: | Bike Warehouse | | Strengths: | Stiffness, Weight, Stiffness, Shiny | | Weaknesses: | Failure can occur when a small rock wedges between the rotating cam and a pivot bar. | | Similar Products Used: | 1997, 2002 XT | | Bike Setup: | Switchblade, XTR, King, Thomson, Hope | | Bottom Line: | This is for the newly re-designed 2003 XTR Front Deraileur. This product is sooo stiff, and shifts so cleanly as long nothing gets in the works. There is a small little space inside of the unit that debris can get trapped in. This has happened to me FOUR TIMES in the last two months. A small rock becomes wedged in the space between the rotating cam and one of the stationary pivot bars when in the small chinring. When you try to shift up to a bigger ring, the gap closes. Anything solid (like a rock) in the gap prevents the shifter from working at all, and you have to get off and pop the rock out. Better have a small stick handy. Heaven forbid that this happens in a race. For all the positive attributes, the complicated dual pull design and abundance of stiff pivot points says one thing: Over-engineered. The old simple designs work better, and since the deraileur has completely failed me four times in two months, something that has never happened on any previous front deraileur that I've used, I'm only giving it one chili. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
.cliff
a Cross Country Rider
from City of Lights
Date Reviewed: February 8, 2003 | | Favorite Trail: | single track | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$60.00 | | Purchased At: | jenson.com | | Strengths: | quick smooth light consistent | | Weaknesses: | none except the rattle reminds me when I'm cross chaining from small front ring to smallest cog (mega 9) | | Similar Products Used: | STX, Alivio, Suntour (classical gas roaddie), | | Bike Setup: | XT Mega 9 cassette/rear derailleur, XT shifters/cables, Stylo Team crankset (9spd type) | | Bottom Line: | Nice, very nice - but I ride a lot of slower rough single track stuff using granny ring and, yeah it's bad, but for some short down stretches, I like to kick up to the small rear cog for speed for a few seconds before hitting a steep climb section (not have to shift the front up and the cassette down...then back again on the steep and rough -whine/complain) Bugs me to hear that chain scrape but I guess it doesn't hurt anything. Shimano even tells you in a separate little instruction sheet that you'll get the chain rubbing. Buddy told me to try a SRAM shifter with the extra clicks to move the cage over a little???? Anyone out there using a newer XTR front derailleur with the SRAM shifter??? If so, is it worth it? OK, bottom line is that the strengths are awesome. I set it up according to the instructions on a new Team Sylo crankset (22-32-44))without a problem. Haven't had to "readjust after breakin" or mess with it. Keep chain well lubed and I expect the derailler to last; if not will post again. After continual frustration trying to get and keep previous derailleurs adjusted/shifting right, I rate this one 5 flamers for value (way worth the price), and 4 for overall cause of the rattle (cage could be another mm wider or something). | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Martin
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego
Date Reviewed: December 30, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | Supergo | | Strengths: | Smooooth shifting, well made. | | Weaknesses: | Pricey | | Similar Products Used: | XT, Alvio | | Bike Setup: | Superlight/Bomber/XT/XTR | | Bottom Line: | Had to replace an XT shifter that would not consistently shift to the granny ring despite constant adjustment (about 700 miles on it). Replaced with the XTR and front shifting has never been smoother. Setup is a little tricky and you will get some rubbing if you use gear combinations that are ill advised. Price is high but like most things you get what you pay for.
Oh, and one nice thing. the limit screws are made out of real metal not the 'cheese' metal that Shimano use on the XT.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Philip Mitchell
a Cross Country Rider
from Berkshire, UK
Date Reviewed: November 13, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$100.00 | | Purchased At: | Local store | | Strengths: | Independent pin betwen plates - superbly smooth. | | Weaknesses: | Price. | | Similar Products Used: | LX F/Mech | | Bottom Line: | If you've got the money buy it because what this F/M really did for me was to highlight the deficiencies in my shifting and taught me to make sure I was shifting in time with my pedalling. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a Cross Country Rider
from Concord, MA, USA!
Date Reviewed: November 6, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | www.jensonusa.com | | Strengths: | Works extremely well. Never had any problem with this. | | Weaknesses: | None | | Similar Products Used: | XTR rear der | | Bottom Line: | This product kicks ass. I don't use the front derailleur often, but it has never failed me when I needed it. I think the secret is in the dual plates design, becuase it shifts much smoother than the XT model. Good work Shimano. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Dan
a Racer
from Atlanta
Date Reviewed: September 26, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Purchased At: | Gift | | Strengths: | Light, Shifts Smooth and it will never miss when you need it the most. | | Weaknesses: | Can't really think of one. | | Similar Products Used: | Any highend Derailleur | | Bike Setup: | Litespeed | | Bottom Line: | I've riden anything from LX and XT and had no problems but the response and accuracy of the XTR is unbeatable.
I have to give this product 5 flamming terds. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Les
a Cross Country Rider
from Fairfax, VA
Date Reviewed: June 23, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Fountainhead and Difficult Run | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$30.00 | | Purchased At: | Washington Bike Center | | Strengths: | Precise Shifting, Extremely Reliable, Pretty Damn Durable | | Weaknesses: | Are you kidding me? The only thing that even comes close is the original cable clamp, it's a little weak. | | Similar Products Used: | XT(also good, but not as good as XTR,LX and Deore (Both are crappy) | | Bike Setup: | XT/XTR/LX/Easton and Thomson. | | Bottom Line: | Put it on and forget about it. While setting it up maybe a little difficult, then again most front deraileurs are hard to set up. I have the top swing, top pull model and I have had no problems with it except for the clamp (see weaknesses area), I had to replace it because I cranked down on it too much (an LX clamp works great). Have fun with not having to adjust the front deraileur EVER. If you're sick of bad shifting, get this derailleur. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J
a Racer
from Columbus, Ohio
Date Reviewed: June 4, 2002 | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$49.00 | | Purchased At: | supergo.com | | Strengths: | Smoothest shifting derailleur. Inspires confidence even under the most strain. Hold up much better than their XT model (2 broken XT's in 1 year). | | Weaknesses: | Can be costly if purchased at a retail shop. | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bike Setup: | Specialized Stumpjumper, Mars fork, S-works wheels, XT Crank, XTR derailleurs | | Bottom Line: | Worth every penny if you are serious about biking and expect your components to hold up. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
rob
a Racer
from santa cruz
Date Reviewed: May 31, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | twin gates | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$85.00 | | Purchased At: | Sprockets | | Strengths: | it shifts great, and is a major step up from the XT! | | Weaknesses: | none yet. i hope i don't have any at all. | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT | | Bike Setup: | Klien Mantra Pro, Judy, Mavic, titec, and all shimano XT and XTR compenents. | | Bottom Line: | great product and is worth the price. the low weight is great.
| | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Stefan Gluske
a Cross Country Rider
from Nuertingen Germany
Date Reviewed: May 27, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Schwaebische Alp | | Duration Product Used: | 6 months | | Price Paid: |
$55.00 | | Purchased At: | LocalBikeShop | | Strengths: | Great shifting action | | Weaknesses: | not easy to install (like all front derailleurs) | | Similar Products Used: | Shimano XT topswing | | Bike Setup: | Steppenwolf hardtail, Rond Magura Air Front Shock w/Firmtech Rimbrake, XTR-Drivetrain except LX Crankset | | Bottom Line: | Found that 98s Front Derailleur at my bikeshop for a good price and it works well w/9speed setup and the LX Crankset (smaller chainrings than XTR).
Anything works well in every condition (snow, rain, mud...).
Shifting is a little faster and quieter than XT.
Not really a must-to-have, buy it when you see a special offer. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
J K
a Racer
from Sterile Heights, mi, US of A
Date Reviewed: May 9, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | poontang trail | | Duration Product Used: | Less than 1 month | | Price Paid: |
$85.00 | | Purchased At: | Antoonns | | Strengths: | The shifting is smooth, accurate and done when I want, not when the component wants. A wise investment if your are not happy with XT or less. | | Weaknesses: | It requires breaking the chain to install. I advise having the shop do it. If you buy it from them maybe they'll do it for free. | | Similar Products Used: | XT | | Bike Setup: | '97 Swine Moab, | | Bottom Line: | If you are getting into some hard-core XC racing this is a good investment. Sometimes climbs are not easily foreseen and the confidence this derailleur instills is worth the $$.
I give this 5 flaming poops. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Sam VeraSforzza
a Racer
from Seattle, Wa, USA
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Whistler BC | | Duration Product Used: | 1 Year | | Price Paid: |
$80.00 | | Purchased At: | online somewhere | | Strengths: | Fastest front shifting, better quality than XT and especilly LX, weight, overall function is awesome. | | Weaknesses: | Sometimes price depending on where you get it but the best always costs a finger or two. A little intolernt of the wnt to shift to baby ring, oh well I never need the 26 small ring. | | Similar Products Used: | LX & XT | | Bike Setup: | 19.8 lb 2000 S-Works M4 with all the bling-bling, the important thing is that I can push a 26/36/48 XTR rings and shifting is just like the rear, works even better/faster since I don't need the small chain ring. | | Bottom Line: | Must have, all XTR is greaat, but this is one of the best XTR components, world of difference over LX, and still very noticeible improvement over XT, AAA+. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
Submitted by
Joe
a
from Houston
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2002 | | Favorite Trail: | Jack Brooks | | Duration Product Used: | 3 months | | Price Paid: |
$50.00 | | Purchased At: | Pricepoint.com | | Strengths: | light, looks great, works well, easy to install, easy to set up, and easy to clean.. | | Weaknesses: | none | | Similar Products Used: | Deor LX | | Bike Setup: | Trek 4900, Marzocchi Dirt jumper, XTR everything, Avid disk, Race Face Turbine LP, Race Face SRX BB, Chris King nothread headset | | Bottom Line: | Great product. | | Value Rating:Overall Rating: |
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