# 1990 Deore XT II Thumbies from Klein Attitude



## tymelero (Jun 15, 2006)

Looking for information on Thumbies from 1990 for my Klein Attitude. I have a 1989 Shimano catalog that has pics of them for that year. As I remember on the 1990 thumbies it said Deore XT II on them instead of Deore XT. Is that correct? Were they the same 7 speed thumb shifters for both years? Can anyone shed some light on this?


----------



## mojo_matic (Jul 15, 2007)

Cool that you would bring this up. I am interested as well... I'm likely incorrect, but I believe that the XT thumbies are 6 speed, with an additional ghost click. XT II are 7 speed with additional ghost click.


----------



## tymelero (Jun 15, 2006)

I belive you are right. My attitude has a 7 speed cassette which I am pretty sure was original and I know the thumbies were XT II. Since I am looking for some what I really would like to know is do the XT II thumbies say Deore XT II or do they simply say Deore XT on them. I see some on ebay that state they are 7 speed but do not say XT II. If I put thumbies back on the bike I want to make sure they are the correct ones.


----------



## mojo_matic (Jul 15, 2007)

Well, crap. My XT shifters do not state "XT II," but they do say "7s." They have the 8th "ghost click." On that note, I'm going to hang out with ya' and see what the resident experts have to say.


----------



## Guest (Apr 21, 2008)

all XT 7spd thumbies i have are labeled just XT, not XTII but i think i have seen them labeled XTII too. in any case both are 7spd SL-M732. the 6spd is the SL-M730 (or the M700).

Carsten


----------



## Guest (Apr 21, 2008)

tymelero said:


> I belive you are right. My attitude has a 7 speed cassette which I am pretty sure was original and I know the thumbies were XT II. Since I am looking for some what I really would like to know is do the XT II thumbies say Deore XT II or do they simply say Deore XT on them. I see some on ebay that state they are 7 speed but do not say XT II. If I put thumbies back on the bike I want to make sure they are the correct ones.


yup, they say XT and 7s on the top cap. those are the 7spd which also work for 8spd. those with XTII on the top cap ,if they really exist, would be the same.










Carsten


----------



## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

I know the Deore II from the same year in fact said Deore II on top of the lever but I'm not sure about the XT's. I have a set of the Deore II's in my inventory. I had a bike with XT from that vintage but after checking my pic library can't come up with a cockpit picture of it to see whether or not it says Deore XT II on them. Have you checked through some of the catalogs in the German catalog website? There's a sticky link in the link thread.


----------



## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

Think there was a Deore DX II but not XT II. A pair of the DX ones sold recently on eBay

https://cgi.ebay.ca/Shimano-Deore-D...ryZ42330QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

The stock 7 speed XT thumbies on my 1993 Kilauea are just like the ones shown above, no 'II' visible on them.

EDIT: Just looked more closely and saw this: (check out the user manual)










There was an XT II! But as the DX units in the box aren't marked 'II' probably the XT units weren't either (If I recall rightly the only difference between the later (& final) DX and XT thumbies was that the DX had crappy pressed steel mounting clamps insteand of the much more bar friendly cast alloy on the XT, the actual shifting mechanism was identical.


----------



## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

http://www.bikeman.com/attic/catalogs/shimanoXT1989catalog.pdf

No visible II's on the Deore XT II or Deore II catalogs from 89 either.


----------



## mojo_matic (Jul 15, 2007)

My Deore shifters, which state 7s, so not have "II" on them.

I am fairly certain that I owned a set of XT thumbies that exhibited a "II" on them, in red/orange. I could be wrong, but remember them clearly.


----------



## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

The Deore XT U-brake in that catalog does have 'UII' on the booster plate though, the only item in the group to actually have the 'II' on the component?

Off-topic but also in above linked catalog - Biopace HP........................:idea: :crazy:


----------



## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

I know the blister card packaging that the XT II's were sold in said XT II but I don't think the levers ever did. Just 7 speed if me remembers right. I've got four sets and none say XT II on them. Haven't found any online anywhere that do either.


----------



## tymelero (Jun 15, 2006)

Does anyone have a Shimano 1990 catalog? In pdf they could send me or a link?


----------



## cdeger (Jan 18, 2004)

*Cat scan*



tymelero said:


> Does anyone have a Shimano 1990 catalog? In pdf they could send me or a link?


No time to scan the complete thing. So tell me which product you're interested in.


----------



## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

cdeger said:


> No time to scan the complete thing. So tell me which product you're interested in.


Errrmm.................................I think he wants to see the thumbshifters...............maybe...............I'm just guessing here............


----------



## cdeger (Jan 18, 2004)

*More to guess ...*

Well,

I'd be more than pleased if you helped me find those thumbies on that group shot. :thumbsup:


----------



## kool maudit (Nov 27, 2007)

88 or 89 xt were definitely xtII - i've seen 'em.


----------



## tymelero (Jun 15, 2006)

cdeger,

That is very interesting. Are there no thumb shifters in the 1990 Shimano catalog? If there is what I want is a picture of the top of them so I can see the logo. Do they say Deore XT or Deore XTII.


----------



## cdeger (Jan 18, 2004)

*Sl-m732*

Why don't you guys just believe what Carsten said?

An obvious difference between SL-M730 (6 speed) and SL-M732 (7 speed) is the colour of their top cap(s): white letters for 6s, yellow/golden letters for 7s.

No "II" on the 7s' cap.

And, no, Shimano didn't show the thumbies in their 1990 dealer catalog as they were trying hard to make STI ("push-push") the new standard. One year later, SL-M732 had its comeback in the same catalog (no photo, drawing only) ... and on quite some bikes, i.e., Spec's Stumpjumper Comp.

'nuff said?


----------



## tymelero (Jun 15, 2006)

cdeger,

Keep your man panties from getting in a wad. What Carsten said was all his don't have XTII on them but he thinks he may have seen them with that labeling. Which goes along with what I remember. It just seems that I remember staring down at those for so many years it is ingrained into memory, OK maybe not that good of one.

Anyway thank you for the information.


----------



## Guest (Apr 21, 2008)

ty, what is it exactly you are "worried" about? would the shifter with "XTII" on the top cap be more period correct or do you think there's a technical difference between the usual XT 7spd thumbie and that one? 

i've looked at all pics with XT 7spd thumbies i could find on the web so far and none of them had the XTII on hte top cap so i start to think that my memory plaid tricks with me...

Carsten


----------



## tymelero (Jun 15, 2006)

Carsten, I guess the bottom line is to get the specific part for the bike that was one it new. Seems to me if they are 7 speed indexing then the mechanical is fine. From this thread it is looking more like what was on the bike is thumbies which say Deore XT without the II on it. Maybe I was just remembering the packaging. 

Cdeger, Sorry for the snide comment. I just got out of bed and I think I must have gotten out on the wrong side.

thanks everyone for the informaiton. I think I am going to look for some Deore XT 7s thumbies.


----------



## Shayne (Jan 14, 2004)

*In My Experience...*

This is all a moot point.

Both 1990 Attitudes I've owned and every one I've seen in person came stock with the Rapidfire shifters. As is evident in that catalogue Shimano was pushing the new technology hard.


----------



## tymelero (Jun 15, 2006)

That is so weird. Mine came with thumb shifters and all I have seen online excpet for the picture on the 1990 klein catalog have had thumb shifters. It is a little confusing. Which makes me wonder if many of them came with 1989 thumbies installed since it seems that in 1990 Shimano did not make thumb shifters?


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Ive been hunting for years for an XT II shark fin. Did it exist? Does someone have a scan of one? Its for a 7 speed bike of course and is supposedly 3.2mm wider to protect the chainstay with the wider 7 speed cassette.


----------



## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

Fillet-brazed said:


> Ive been hunting for years for an XT II shark fin. Did it exist? Does someone have a scan of one? Its for a 7 speed bike of course and is supposedly 3.2mm wider to protect the chainstay with the wider 7 speed cassette.


Do you have to practice or does it just come naturally


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

tymelero said:


> That is so weird. Mine came with thumb shifters and all I have seen online excpet for the picture on the 1990 klein catalog have had thumb shifters. It is a little confusing. Which makes me wonder if many of them came with 1989 thumbies installed since it seems that in 1990 Shimano did not make thumb shifters?


What catalog specs and photos show from that era doesn't necessarily represent what was sold through bike shops. Shops often bought framesets and built them up with parts that were in stock.

As is evident by the Bridgestone specs, Shimano was selling thumb shifters well into 1993.


----------



## mojo_matic (Jul 15, 2007)

cdeger said:


> Why don't you guys just believe what Carsten said?
> 
> An obvious difference between SL-M730 (6 speed) and SL-M732 (7 speed) is the colour of their top cap(s): white letters for 6s, yellow/golden letters for 7s.
> 
> ...


No. Why the twisted panties? The suggestion that an "XT II" marked shifter has obviously sparked enough "recollection" to warrant some investigation. Bikes were offered with XT thumbies well after 1993....


----------



## mechagouki (Nov 30, 2007)

ssmike said:


> What catalog specs and photos show from that era doesn't necessarily represent what was sold through bike shops. Shops often bought framesets and built them up with parts that were in stock.
> 
> As is evident by the Bridgestone specs, Shimano was selling thumb shifters well into 1993.


As I said earlier, my 1993 Kilauea (and all 1993 Kilaueas and Explosifs) had XT thumbies, Kona specced them for as long as they were available, even the m950 equipped Explosifs and Hots and Hei Heis had the XT thumbies (I think).


----------



## stan4bikes (May 24, 2006)

*sorry for the crappi pic*



Fillet-brazed said:


> Ive been hunting for years for an XT II shark fin. Did it exist? Does someone have a scan of one? Its for a 7 speed bike of course and is supposedly 3.2mm wider to protect the chainstay with the wider 7 speed cassette.


is this what you're lookin for? it does appear to be a little wider than the plain XT one.


----------



## gm1230126 (Nov 4, 2005)

The II Shark Fin had holes predone for the zip ties.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Fillet-brazed said:


> Ive been hunting for years for an XT II shark fin. Did it exist? Does someone have a scan of one? Its for a 7 speed bike of course and is supposedly 3.2mm wider to protect the chainstay with the wider 7 speed cassette.


I have a Deore II fin...but it's .32 centimeters wider than my Deore. I'll try and put it in my scanner.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

Rumpfy said:


> I have a Deore II fin...but it's .32 centimeters wider than my Deore. I'll try and put it in my scanner.


Does the Deore fin use the same grade of plastic or is it just a rebadge of the XT? Also, is the Doere's fin as big as the XT's?


----------



## stan4bikes (May 24, 2006)

Fillet-brazed said:


> Does the Deore fin use the same grade of plastic or is it just a rebadge of the XT? Also, is the Doere's fin as big as the XT's?


The material was the same but the Deore fin was a bit less aero because it had less of a tapered edge. It also did not have the zip tie holes.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

stan4bikes said:


> is this what you're lookin for? it does appear to be a little wider than the plain XT one.


nice photoshop!  now lets see a clear picture.


----------



## Rumpfy (Dec 21, 2003)

Stan's right, no zip tie holes and the back of the fin isn't shaved out for additional reduced weight.

As a result, my bike has a little bit of right side bias. Slight, but noticeable.


----------



## XR4TI (Sep 6, 2005)

I'm completely lost. This one is just the XT not the ll but it still has the zip tie hole. This one's from Oct.1989 (NJ).


----------



## stan4bikes (May 24, 2006)

*hmmm.*



XR4TI said:


> I'm completely lost. This one is just the XT not the ll but it still has the zip tie hole. This one's from Oct.1989 (NJ).


I'm by no means an expert but I bet thats an XT from late in it's run, just before the change to XTII. Is the back of the fin kinda hollowed out? You can feel it best with your thumb, pretty easy to tell. It also could have been a prototype testing the zip tie hole placement.


----------



## XR4TI (Sep 6, 2005)

stan4bikes said:


> It also could have been a prototype testing the zip tie hole placement.


Awesome! A possible prototype. Think it'll fetch the big money? Up for auction. Prototype Shimano Deore XT SHARK FIN. When Shimano was testing the zip tie hole for longevity. "Buy It Now" for only $49.99 + $8.99 shipping. Be the only one on the block with this extremely rare Shimano acessory.

Is it hollowed out Stan? I'm not sure what you mean.


----------



## richieb (Oct 21, 2004)

Shimano continued to make the 7 speed thumbshifters for a few years after...but none ever had the "II" monicker on them. They just had different-shaped top caps than the 6-speed versions and the XT was gold.

I believe they stopped MAKING them the year XT moved to 8-speed. They stopped MARKETING them at the end of 89, with the introduction of rapidfire. Bridgestone et al kept them alive for long enough for us to re-discover them, or discover them for the first time.

How is it that one simple question causes so may tears and hurt feelings?!?!

Buck up, boys. Egos shouldn't be that fragile!

rb


----------



## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

I don't get what the big deal is either. All the OP wanted to know was if there were two different versions of the 7 speed thumb shifter so that he could restore his bike to as close to period correct as possible.

Sometimes it's hard to tell if some of the regulars on this forum are merely ribbing in good natured fun or are being snotty a-holes. I think it was good natured.


----------



## Fillet-brazed (Jan 13, 2004)

XR4TI said:


> Awesome! A possible prototype. Think it'll fetch the big money? Up for auction. Prototype Shimano Deore XT SHARK FIN. When Shimano was testing the zip tie hole for longevity. "Buy It Now" for only $49.99 + $8.99 shipping. Be the only one on the block with this extremely rare Shimano acessory.
> 
> Is it hollowed out Stan? I'm not sure what you mean.


haha! My post was pure sarcasm and then Stan came up with one. Or maybe its a fake.

Is there really an XT II shark fin? For what its worth, Ive accumulated a little pile of fins and none say XT II (yes, I checked last night ) and some have the zip tie holes and some don't. I even have one still new in the package. If I hold onto it for 20-30 yrs maybe it'll be worth more than $3.


----------



## CS2 (Jul 24, 2007)

Fillet-brazed said:


> If I hold onto it for 20-30 yrs maybe it'll be worth more than $3.


How many years does this guy have to wait to get his price? http://cgi.ebay.com/Shimano-XT-Shar...VQQcmdZViewItemQQ_trksidZp1638Q2em118Q2el1247


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

Has anyone ever had their chain jam between the tire and chainstay?


----------



## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

No, but I did like them for protecting against chain slap.


----------



## XR4TI (Sep 6, 2005)

Fillet-brazed said:


> haha! My post was pure sarcasm and then Stan came up with one. Or maybe its a fake.
> 
> Is there really an XT II shark fin? For what its worth, Ive accumulated a little pile of fins and none say XT II (yes, I checked last night ) and some have the zip tie holes and some don't. I even have one still new in the package. If I hold onto it for 20-30 yrs maybe it'll be worth more than $3.


I kinda knew that. I was completely confused. But you never know what will pop up around here. Nice work Sensei, you completely caught me off guard.


----------



## stan4bikes (May 24, 2006)

IF52 said:


> I don't get what the big deal is either. All the OP wanted to know was if there were two different versions of the 7 speed thumb shifter so that he could restore his bike to as close to period correct as possible.
> 
> Sometimes it's hard to tell if some of the regulars on this forum are merely ribbing in good natured fun or are being snotty a-holes. I think it was good natured.


OK, OK, .. Just havin a little fun, didn't mean to ruffle feathers. My Shark Fin was a fake..but I did have some of you wondering :nono:

And if I'm considered a regular (I've always thought I was a little odd  ) then I like to think of myself as a good natured A-hole..


----------



## cdeger (Jan 18, 2004)

*Me too*



IF52 said:


> ... I think it was good natured ...


Sorry, folks,

if anybody took me and my german "humour" wrong - never meant it other than helpful, but couldn't resist to send some :madmax: flames overseas.

I always appreciate the good mood in that forum ... and Fillet-brazed's sarcasm :thumbsup:

Cheers for now and until the next scanning session,

hris


----------



## IF52 (Jan 10, 2004)

Sorry about that, I had two lines of thought going there and they got kind of merged. The first was regarding some commnets on the first page toward the original posters questions. The second was remarking on y'all smart ass side track about sharkfins. I just wanted to point out that those comments were all in fun.


----------



## ssmike (Jan 21, 2004)

...cue theme music from Jaws...


----------



## XR4TI (Sep 6, 2005)

cdeger said:


> Sorry, folks,
> 
> if anybody took me and my german "humour" wrong - never meant it other than helpful, but couldn't resist to send some :madmax: flames overseas.
> 
> ...


I'm German, Mad Max is Australian.


----------



## XR4TI (Sep 6, 2005)

Who said Mad Max?


----------

