Sea Otter ’11: Shimano XTR and XT

With the new XTR switch in the ON position, the lower jockey wheel pulls back just like before. Photo by Lennard Zinn

Shimano 10-speed mountain-bike chains (below) have no cutouts on either plate and no beveling on the back side of the outer plates. Photo by Lennard Zinn

With the new XTR switch in the ON position, the lower jockey wheel is hard to pull forward and won’t tend to go there due to bouncing. Photo by Lennard Zinn

To save weight, steel bearing races now sits atop the WH-M985 wheel’s aluminum rear hub cones. Photo by Lennard Zinn

The low-profile XT Shadow 10-speed DynaSys rear derailleur. Photo by Lennard Zinn

Switching the XT left shifter from double to triple requires only turning the little plastic screw with your thumbnail. Photo by Lennard Zinn

The reservoir-free XT master cylinder is in-line, polished, and has a reach-adjustment knob on the lever. Photo by Lennard Zinn

Shimano’s hinged lever clamp has a safety system built into the hinge. Photo by Lennard Zinn

The set of bottles on the left illustrate how fluid flows down through the new caliper, unlike the old caliper, represented by the bottles on the right, whose bleed and intake ports were both on top. (BTW, the left bottle set is inverted; the through-port is below the pistons.) Photo by Lennard Zinn

Note the scoop at the front of the XT front derailleur outer plate. The outer chainring is spaced the same from the frame whether it’s a double or a triple. Photo by Lennard Zinn

The pads’ IceTech cooling fins protrude from the caliper body. Photo by Lennard Zinn

An IceTech pad cross-section showing its connection to aluminum cooling fins. Photo by Lennard Zinn

You can see the aluminum center sandwiched between the steel side surfaces of the IceTech rotor. Photo by Lennard Zinn

The IceTech ceramic piston (only the lower one is installed) is large and hollow behind the pad. Photo by Lennard Zinn

The bearing stance is wider on the new XT and XTR pedals (below) than on older models. Photo by Lennard Zinn

There is more mud clearance around the new oval center shaft of the XT/XTR pedal body (below) than around the larger round one from last year. Photo by Lennard Zinn

Note more outer link bow on 9-speed chain. Photo by Lennard Zinn

Note more pivot space on 9-speed chain. Photo by Lennard Zinn