Closer Look: 2012 Shimano XT

Shimano is in the middle of running cycling-editor types through a media camp on the company’s XT group. The only negative is that the camp, held at Northstar-at-Tahoe outside Truckee, California, can’t hit the upper reaches of the resort’s bike park because there’s still too much snow.

But don’t feel sorry for the crew; plenty of riding was had on Shimano’s standby XT group, whidh now comes in 2×10 and two pedal options.

The new group also gets reworked brakes with polished, reservoir-free master cylinders, tool-free lever-position adjustment and free-stroke adjustment, flow-through calipers, hinged lever clamps and the same Ice Tech heat-removing features to the caliper and rotor that XTR got this year.

XT now comes with either a double or triple crank, but there is only one set of shifters. The same left shifter works for either a double or a triple and can be adjusted by turning a plastic switch on the left shifter from 3 to 2.

There’s a lot more to check out on the 2012 XT, so stay tuned on our long-term review. Meanwhile, check out the gallery.

FILED UNDER: Bikes and Tech TAGS: Northstar-at-Tahoe / Shimano / XT