Check out my latest video comparing Shimano's 12-speed MTB Cassettes: kzread.info/dash/bejne/nYF5ktuCccWnaM4.htmlsi=XIyq3gFtvgUOCPLf Or my Shimano Shifter Comparisons Video here: kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZoKt1LGEoJOflqw.html Don't forget to subscribe for more videos like this one! My recording gear has gotten an upgrade and my newer videos look and sound much better than this one!

@user-er7hx8tj3w

5 ай бұрын

your video is appreciable. can you please make a comparison video of shimano xt m8100 sgs v grx 822 sgs? and also can I use 40t or 42t chainring with xt m8100 sgs derailleur? thank you.

FINALLY someone made a video of this SHIMANO hack! I swapped XT jockey wheels in my SLX derailer last year and the shifting differences was very noticeable, it was crisper and felt more deliberate especially when shifting into larger gears. There is almost no lateral flex/play in the XT jockey wheels, compared to the bushing style of the DEORE and SLX, especially in the guide pully closer to the cassette which sees most of the lateral forces from shifting. This is especially noticeable in the bushing style jockey wheels after a couple seasons if you like to change gears a lot. The bushing style is fine for radial pressures as the chain rolls through under tension as you pedal but the bearings in the jockeys are going to be MUCH better adapt at dealing with the lateral forces when side pressure is added like shifting. The best way to convey the differences in words would be to say that with the bushing style shifting is like the chain saying "Fine, I'll change gear" where with the bearing style jockeys it fells more like "OK, Done!"

@Bikes-with-Ben

8 ай бұрын

Great explanation of what you noticed! I’m glad it worked out well for you. The upgraded wheels on a Deore shifter are for sure the way to go if you’re buying new. If you’ve already got an SLX like you and I did, it’s also worth upgrading to the XT bearing style wheels when the time comes.

@fastsvo

5 ай бұрын

Can this be applied to 10spd jockey wheels?

@chrisbraun72

5 ай бұрын

@@fastsvo if the newer 4100 10sp and 5100 11sp series use the same Jockey wheels as the Deore 6100 series then yes. Would make sense since they also use a wide range cassette but you'd have to check against the part #s on Shimano parts schematic.

@dannyk3718

Ай бұрын

I did the same hack with the m-9100 jockey wheels and the difference on my slx derailleur fantastic crisp sharp changing

Love your vids explaining the difference between the shimano lines. Ur channel is very informative and ur channel is highly underrated.

Loved the beer grams comparison 😂 As a bigger than average human I don’t care too much about weight savings and more about functionality. Great vid!

@pioroon13

4 күн бұрын

I'm not sold on beer weight analogy here. Rider's weight is in the center, derailleur's is where rear wheel's suspension is managing the movement. Any additional weight there is far more significant than in the middle of the bike!

Awesome video 👍🏽 very informative and elaborate but also keeping it short and simple. Great format. Well done mate

Just found the channel as I'm differently in need of a new cassette and chain. Forms out that you have the same polygon T8 bike as well. Bonus! Great format with the wall overlay and well explained overall. 1 more sub.

Very educational. Thanks i m saving this vid to rewatch and just changed the jockey wheels on my slx deraileur

I like the comparison! great video!

My 6100 wheels are now starting to look terrible and even cleaning doesn't help so that is a very informative video. Thanks man!

I really like the Deore stuff that came on my bike , works great and I would definitely buy them again 😊

YESSSS more of this super helpful info thanks so much!!

Great video! Everyday mountain bikers like me love saving money where we can and spending money on what counts instead.

Hey thanks for the video! New subscriber here, links to them pulleys was RIGHTEOUS!!

This was very informative. Thank you. New sub

Great educational video. Love this!

Great video and very unbiased and informative.

Great Video, quite helpful and thank you for the link to the XT jockey wheels. Great taste in beer as well (at least the glass, I hope that was a Troegs you were pouring into it!)

Thank you this was so easy to understand and wish everything was explained the same

This is very nice and useful content, thanks for the insight. Do you have plans for more of these groupset component comparisons? More of this great infor plz. Thanks

@Bikes-with-Ben

10 ай бұрын

Thank you! And, yes, I plan to work my way through the full Shimano line to come up with the best value combination of the current Shimano offerings. Stay tuned!

@horusgarcia1

9 ай бұрын

@@Bikes-with-Ben I really enjoyed this hack, which is my theme. However, almost nobody cares or don't have the brain capacity to understand or the time to do their research. With bike companies going out of business, staying on top with the best bike hacks can definitely help on the builds. I remember in 2013 when a 3x9 was expensive to have, now I am overstocking them. I currently have 30lb XC build at $532, which I am very happy with it and not even done, and it would of cost $1500 or more. I apply these savings to other builds.

Take my thumbs up for the beer/weight comparison

Love the vids! ThNk you! New sub here!

chain durability is a big jump from slx to xt, another channel did a test and found slx wears/stretches 50% faster than xt😮

Best vid I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen a lot, maybe you can do one with sram sx to xx1?

@Bikes-with-Ben

6 ай бұрын

Well that’s just not true, but I’ll take it! I’d like to get to the SRAM stuff eventually. I really don’t know that much about SRAM so it would be good to dive into that and research everything SRAM as well.

This has always been a ‘hack’ option within Shimano’s line of derailleurs. Once upon a time, XTR derailleurs were significantly stronger than XT or LX, which was down to the superior alloys used. Today they are using thermoplastic to differentiate XTR, which is very robust but also hard to compare against alloy; you can’t really compare their ability to be bent back into shape. I would suggest folks spending on a pulley upgrade to consider Kogel’s options, which will last a lot longer than the plastic Shimano sealed bearing options, and also offer some colour fun alongside a bit of an efficiency gain.

FYI, I have jockey wheels for XT to put on my Deore and I have ordered an XT shifter for the same.

Not only jockey wheels. Look closely to the joints in parallelogram mechanism. It's always been with Shimano that lower grops has less joints made the proper way. This attributes to how much play develops in parallelogram mechanism over time. Deore XT has all (4/4) the joints made proper way. SLX - 3/4, Deore - 2/4, Alivio - 1/4, Acera 0/4. Not sure how it is for 12s groups, but I assume same principle.

Nice video. Just found u bcs ur chann3l was recommend. Keep it up!!!

Great video - 80 Grams of weight to liquid.

Thanks for that hack. These are the videos most people need, because most of the higher priced components really doesn't make financial sense for the most part. I'm running a SRAM GX rear mech for the performance of an XX1 with the same hack - swap out the retaining bolt and install the one found on an XX1. You pay about 17 Euros extra and get what (insert the ridiculous price for an XX1) would get you, of course without the weight difference.

I usually go full SLX groupset on my Bikes with a XT Shifters. This works best for me so far in terms of cost and weight and overall feel of the componets. I just recently build a Stumpjumper Carbon this way for me . I have to try the XT jockey wheels on mx SLX derailer next spring for sure :) Cheers from Switzerland

@IIISentorIII

4 ай бұрын

Edit: Today I installed the XT Pulley set on my SLX Derailleur :)

If you want THE PERFECT FULL Function you can also add the rubber bumper and the extended cable-hausing end-cap, that XTR and XT use, its like 4 bucks more and one could argue you then have ALL the funktionality, but the bearings are the main difference, I wonder if Drilling and inserting ANY bearing (like skateboard or even cheaper) in the m7100 pulley wheel would work, I'll try

@desertrat250

3 ай бұрын

Do you have a part # or link for the extended cable housing end cap you spoke of? Thanks.

Used to ride XTR with deore shifter, pretty useless, because a lot of the "comfort" is coming from the shifter... Carbon cage broke, impossible to find a remplacement ( in carbon, possible to change it for an aluminum one....) Now, after breaking 4+ GX derailleur, i'm back on shimano but wiser this time: Deore derailler + xt shifter Best shifting I've ever had. and now even more wiser, i'm gonna upgrade the jockey wheel :) Thx!!!

Nice video Ben, have several shimano deore and slx cassettes , derailleurs, and shifters. will be updating jockey wheels and shifters for xt. Can you direct me to that excellent wall mount bike hanger? I'm running out of floor space ! Thanks again Ben, keep up the good work, I Liked and subscribed, David

@Bikes-with-Ben

4 ай бұрын

Awesome man! The bike hooks I have are linked here: amzn.to/3vcqyqA There may be cheaper ones, just check the dimensions to make sure they're the big beefy boys.

Great video. I’d love to see you work through a similar analysis on other shimano components-hopefully that’s coming. Where is the bump up to a higher spec worthwhile? Shifters? Brakes? Rotors?

@Bikes-with-Ben

6 ай бұрын

Jim, thank you! That’s exactly what’s coming. I’m editing the shifter video right now and hope to have a whole series for these. In the end, my goal is build up a hard tail build using the best “bang for your buck” components.

xtr bearings are smaller but lighter, if you want sturdy bearings the XT pulley wheels are waaaay better. Replacing the stock grease with oil or a lighter grease greatly reduces friction, they have good seals so it's not going to be a problem.

I did the same weight calculation with ground coffee when trying to decide between I9 aluminum and carbon wheels. Went with the aluminum because the difference was about 1 filter of dry ground coffee, but the price was about double 😂

If you're running Shimano 11spd, the best setup in my opinion is: 11spd Deore 11-51 Cassette, 11spd XT shifter, and _12_spd SLX derailleur. The only 11spd derailleur that can do 51 is the Deore, and it is not so great. But the 12spd derailleurs have the same "travel", and they work totally fine. I'm doing that on 3 bikes. A friend suggested I try a SRAM GX derailleur, but I haven't done that yet.

I've been doing this jockey wheel hack since 2020, when I couldn't find an XT M8100 rear derailleur anywhere, but Deore M5100 (11 spd) rears and the XT pulleys were available. Since then, when I finally got ahold of an XT M8100 rear derailleur, I've noticed that while the XT M8100 rear derailleur works fine on an 11 speed system, it still didn't shift as crisply as the Deore M5100 with the XT pulley hack. Keep in mind that Shimano is planning on discontinuing the Deore M5100 groupset and replace it with the (supposedly) incompatible CUES groupset.

@Bikes-with-Ben

8 ай бұрын

Nice! I didn’t realize that Deore was going to be part of the CUES change up. I thought that was only for the Sora/Acera/etc lower end stuff. Good to know!

@watertankhikes

8 ай бұрын

​@@Bikes-with-Ben , From what I've read, only the Deore 10 and 11 speed groupset will be discontinued, since CUES will be 9,10, and 11 speed only. The Deore M6100 12 speed groupset will still be available, since there will be no CUES replacement for that groupset. CUES will be kind of a downgrade, at least when it comes to replacing the excellent Deore M5100 11-51T cassette. The CUES replacement cassette will be more expensive, be heavier, and will have less gear range (11-50 vs 11-51T).

@Bikes-with-Ben

8 ай бұрын

@@watertankhikes Ahh, good to know! I’ve mainly dealt with the 12sp stuff so it makes sense that I didn’t see that. Thanks for the info!

Much more interested in how many beers you can buy with the price difference! 😁

Excellent video dude! Liked and subscribed. I have a deore 11 speed and I think the cheap jockey wheels are quite noisy. Do you know if the ones mentioned on this video are the same for 11 speed?

@Bikes-with-Ben

7 ай бұрын

Thanks! Looking at the exploded views of the RD-M5100 (Deore 11sp) vs the RD-M6100 (Deore 12sp), the 11sp uses Y3HL98010 jockey wheels and the 12sp uses Y3FY98010. Though I'm not exactly sure the difference. I do think a lot of the 11sp stuff can be used with the 12sp, but I haven't had first hand experience with that. If you're ever looking to make a comparison, Shimano's site here can be really handy: si.shimano.com/en/

@downtoridemtb

7 ай бұрын

@@Bikes-with-Ben cool thanks. I was more thinking upgrading to higher end 11 speed jockey wheels with sealed bearings. Looks like I need M9000. Either way, thanks again for the video and giving me the idea to upgrade.

I bought a deore derailleur just to have as a spare as I've broken 2 XT's previously. The body is way more robust on the Deore and when I brake my next xt I'm just going to use the xt wheels and run the Deore. For Enduro type riding where it's eventually going to get hit, it just doesn't make sense to keep throwing XT's at it. When Deore does the same thing, is stronger and half the price.

Can you do a Shimano brakes comparison? Would it be GREAT! 1)brake lever and caliper (would it be great if you consider the 4 pistons ones) they say you could buy an SLX and have the freestroke adjust by replacing a screw and basically have the XT 2)then rotors comparison 3)maybe pads comparison, material, fins exc *)extra, the hose that is different between the lineup Thank you

Awesome video! I have all SLX and stuff on my bike. Definitely gong to be getting these XT jockey wheels. Worth it to get the XT shifter as well?

@Bikes-with-Ben

6 ай бұрын

Yes! The XT shifter is absolutely your best option. I’ve been lazy in editing, but my next video is all about Shimano shifters. The bottom line is you can get the XT on eBay new for about $33 and it’s absolutely worth it!

@JT-MTB

6 ай бұрын

@@Bikes-with-Ben awesome! Thanks for the tip. I’ll be searching now.

@themannymouse

6 ай бұрын

Personally, I would stick with the slx shifter. I just prefer the light action.

well done

To enduro I always buy XT and remove bearings wheels to Standard from Deore. Bearings dont like mud and water. I'm doing the same think in my GX Group.

It's when you do a complete comparison with two identical bikes(frames) and you kit up number 1 with low end parts, and number 2 with high-end, that you will definitely feel the difference when you head out for a test ride. What something is worth is just a matter of preference, and I personally value the overall package feel because it does mean that you will appreciate it longer because it will feel less outdated over time. I got an expensive bike now just because I wanted at least once in my life to know how it feels, and I have no plans nor the funds to swop bikes every six months. I plan to own this thing till it falls apart basically, so it's never going to be sold basically. Just use and maintain. Wash, rinse, repeat. That being said I personally think all these electric devices is a load of bollocks especially given the prices, and I personally love the feel of a wire pull over anything electric. If I compare my XTR rear derailleur to the equivalent electric unit, I'd have to pay 3x the price, and that's just for the derailleur. That's insane.

Smoked an XTR derailleur on a rock and didn't fell like paying that much for a new one. Installed an XT and sure feels like it shifts better. It seemed the carbon/plastic cage had more flex than the alum XT. Couldn't tell the difference in the jockeys if there was any but had some Kogels I won at a raffle and put them on instead. Also switched the creaky XT8100 cassette to a 6100 all steel cogs and definite better shifts in the 3 biggest cogs and no noise. So as of now I have OEM installed XT shifter which I love due to the 2 gear dump on the upshift, XT derailleur and Deore cassette. Lovin this setup. Wifes bike has the SLX shifter which is an awesome piece too, but Ive gotten spoiled to that XT.

@Bikes-with-Ben

7 ай бұрын

Good info! I’ve got a video planned that compares the 12-sp shifters and in my opinion XT is the winner. I’ve had the SLX and the design and build of the XT is far better imo. I haven’t looked at the jump from XT to XTR much yet, but typically the XT has 90% of the XTR for a lot cheaper. After that video will be a full cassette line-up comparison. There’s not too too much to talk about there other than weight and materials used to shed weight. It’s good to has some first hand experience about the creaking on the bigger cogs!

@BRTbike-fz5fn

7 ай бұрын

@@Bikes-with-Ben the XTR shifter is not significantly better also to justify that $$$. same operation and supposedly smoother but I really couldnt tell. Wife loves the SLX due to light action and she's not really aggressive on shifts either. It is a very smooth easy shifting piece though. Just a slightly longer lever throw. I thought my XTR cassette creak was where it contacted the hub. Nope had the little plastic washer like spec'ed and still had the noise even on another bike with a different hub.

@Bikes-with-Ben

7 ай бұрын

@@BRTbike-fz5fn yeah the SLX definitely isn’t bad, but if I remember correctly it’s not sealed really so it’s likely to require more servicing. And yeah I know the plastic washer you’re talking about. That’s interesting that the creaking came from those lighter metal gears.

@BRTbike-fz5fn

7 ай бұрын

@@Bikes-with-Ben I cant 100% confirm but it seemed to be from the rivets that held the alum cogs.

Xt shifter is leaps ahead of deore. Also a great way to get the best experience.

@Bikes-with-Ben

7 ай бұрын

Agreed! Running the XT Shifter with an upgraded Deore Rear Derailleur is the way to go!

@matthijs317

5 ай бұрын

What makes the XT shifting so much better than Deore? My bike got with a XT derailleur with a deore shifter

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

@@matthijs317 honestly, I think the shifter is more important when it comes to shifting. The sealed bearing jockey wheels are pretty much the only difference in the derailleurs and the bearings mainly help with longevity and help a tiny bit with how smooth pedaling feels. The shifter plays a bigger part in how responsive shifting feels and that comes down mainly to the instant release feature that is on the XT and XTR shifters. If I had to pick the best value combo I would go Deore Derailleur and XT Shifter.

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

@@matthijs317 my latest video compares the shifters if you’re looking for more info kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZoKt1LGEoJOflqw.html

@trishaleaver3581

5 ай бұрын

Fist thing I changed on my slx is a xt shifter. I may go to an xt derailleur as well and use the slx on another bike.

i use Deore with Narriw wide sb jockey)) realy nice

Run a Deore derailler with the XT pulleys, clutch cover and shifter, bingo

Would also like to see a brake video like this.

@Bikes-with-Ben

8 ай бұрын

I hope to do a full series like this for each component. My ultimate goal is to build up a hardtail for myself using the best value pick from each video for each component.

@briand6386

7 ай бұрын

@@Bikes-with-Bennice

Hi, I have Deore 10s on my MTB. I don’t recall the model number of my RD and bike is in other city, so my question is, can I just buy any xt/xtr pulleys on it? Because I found at least three different XT and XTR sets.

I love videos like this. Granted at 300 lbs i'm not buying xtr/xx anyways. It always cracks me up when LBS try to sale me on a groupset. I just think, have you really looked at me? like, really?

@Bikes-with-Ben

6 ай бұрын

😂

I'm not sold on beer weight analogy here. Rider's weight is in the center, derailleur's is where rear wheel's suspension is managing the movement. Any additional weight there is far more significant than in the middle of the bike!

thank you for this hack

if you take your wheel of regularly the clutch mechanism is a massive improvement

I have xt on my hard tail and gx on my yeti lunch ride…. Sram sucks so bad man I hate it. That xt for my commuter is smooth it’s nuts.

There's a good video like this for SRAM called the SRAM SCAM change out the mounting bush for 25 bucks and makes it one the next top of the line its crazy

I have been riding off road for over 20 years. I worked a bike shop for 10 years. I maybe rode 2 seasons with a full XTR drivtrain and replacing worn parts with XTR. For me even with getting XTR components at big discount, I did not think it made a difference between Deore to XTR for drivetrain.

@Bikes-with-Ben

6 ай бұрын

I was convinced Shimano has never actually sold an XTR part. To me they’re in this mythical realm of products that are just there for people to gawk at the price of. I’m glad to hear from first hand experience that I would still be just as bad on an XTR groupo as I am on anything else 😂

I would also like to see such a good comparison with SRAM mechanical 1x12, but it's probably way too expensive😂

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

I’d like to do one too! I don’t know all that much about SRAM so it’d be interesting to research.

I rode with the deore and xtr today, separately, and the only noticalbe difference was the noise, xtr was more quiet.

@Bikes-with-Ben

8 ай бұрын

That’s interesting, I wonder what contributed to the noise. Maybe other parts of the drivetrain worked together to quiet the full thing. The only other thing I can think of would be the Carbon Fiber vs the Steel/Aluminum, but I wouldn’t think it’d be that if I had to guess.

Can you please do brakes next

Any more vids for this series?

@Bikes-with-Ben

7 ай бұрын

Definitely! Next up (once I get through some other maintenance vids) is a shifter comparison video. My end goal is to build a hard tail using my “best choice” from each component comparison video.

I wonder what the weight diference is with the xt/xtr wheels on the Deore compared to the full XTR deraullier?

@Bikes-with-Ben

2 ай бұрын

I doubt the jockey wheels save you any weight, they’re just sealed bearings so they’ll last longer. The XTR has light materials on the cage pieces which is likely where most of the weight savings comes from.

Another level down? The new deore 11 speed derailleur is exactly the same part as the 12 deore.. minus a sticker. I've used em. They work perfectly. Got mine for 30 bucks

I went for rear 11sp Deore + Microshift 10sp cassette + 10sp Deore shifter for an 11-48 range, cassette weighting 424grs and costing 50€...not a bad solution if you ask me.

@Leo-gt1bx

2 ай бұрын

I bought the XT for 40 more and the difference is substantial

For that rather large price difference between XT and XTR, the XTR better have Titanium!

What about using the XT/XTR shifter to get the double shift in a single press?

@Bikes-with-Ben

Ай бұрын

You can use the XT/XTR shifter on any of the derailleurs.

One thing not mentioned here is that I could imagine that in the higher range derailleurs the bore tolerances of the linkage could be tighter, resulting in less play throuhgout the lifetime. ive had a deore and an xt 12 derallieur and the deore was worn out way faster. Just personal experience tho

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

That’s a good thought. I know a worn out chain can cause damage to the derailleur or cassette over time, but I haven’t found any info on the derailleur linkages to know if one is better than the other.

I agree with you on several points. However, with the XTR, there is the multi-shift up to 4 speeds when shifting down and 2 speeds when shifting up, whereas with the Deore, there are only 3 clicks when shifting down and none for shifting up. And of course, I'm not even mentioning the durability of the XTR; unlike the Deore, it is much more reliable.

@Bikes-with-Ben

8 ай бұрын

The multi-shift on the XT/XTR is a favorite feature of mine. However, that is a feature of the shifter lever and not of the derailleur. I use and XT shifter with my SLX derailleur because the XT shifter is such and upgrade over the SLX and Deore shifters. As for the durability difference between the derailleurs I’ll have to disagree. Based on the materials of construction being so similar and the actual design being identical aside from the jockey wheels, I don’t see how the XT derailleur can be said to be any more durable than the Deore.

@andrewnorris5415

7 ай бұрын

​@@Bikes-with-Bendid they not use a different coating on the bushes? At least when I last checked.

@Bikes-with-Ben

7 ай бұрын

Are you talking between the XT and XTR Jockey Wheels?

@kyus1974

7 ай бұрын

Reliability is the same for both. Springs, hinges and clutch are great on the deore.

I paid 💰190.00🍁 for an XT M770 Shadow rear derailer back in 2009. It's still going🤘🤘

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

Glad it’s still going! And even happier they are not still $190!

@glen3509

5 ай бұрын

@Bikes-with-Ben Well, like I mentioned, it's 🍁💰😁👍👍

rear mech upgrades were always done to sell bikes, but the best upgrade for shifting was always shifters, xtr shifters with a deore mech will always give better shifting then deore shifter with a xtr mech

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

I agree! My newest video talks about the differences I’ve noticed in the Shimano 12-speed line of shifters. Shimano Shifter Showdown | How is the Deore XT Shifter this CHEAP?? kzread.info/dash/bejne/ZoKt1LGEoJOflqw.html

I think XT shifter mekes even more diffrance with it's rapid realise

Based on the difference in materials, it sounds like the Deore might be more durable than XTR?

@Bikes-with-Ben

9 ай бұрын

It’s definitely easier and cheaper to repair if nothing else. With the Deore you can bend stuff back into place. With the XTR you’re ordering new carbon fiber parts.

No short cage in 11 and 12, like my GS cage. So staying clear of those products. Though, 1 bike is about to go 11spd CUES: Interesting, I know someone that bought an M8100Der for $87usd. Was not on sale.

@Bikes-with-Ben

7 ай бұрын

Yeah, I think the short cage is only available in lower gear ranges. With the Shadow tech the RD tucks back in well enough and I haven’t wanted for a shorter cage at all.

what should we be putiing money into ? 1st upgrades

@Bikes-with-Ben

6 ай бұрын

Depends on your type of riding, but if you do single track and don’t have a dropper post then that should be #1, imo. After that maybe grab the XT shifter. Then maybe brakes. It all depends on what your bike has on it already. Get out there and ride on it and you’ll know what you want to upgrade next.

Arguably the sealed bearing jockey wheels impart more drag (from the seals) than the cheaper bushing only jockey wheels. The main difference is reducing the grit noise…..as the performance differences may actually be worse with the more expensive part

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

I’m going to have to disagree with you on the performance note, a sealed bearing will offer smoother rotation in the long term. As soon as mud and grit get into the non-sealed setup, you’re going to have reduced performance. The difference in performance between the two may be negligible, that’s a debatable “what-if”, but I feel that a sealed bearing is definitely going to stay cleaner longer and provide higher performance long term.

If you're on a full sus, 80g off your rear end is alot, ive just shaved 150g off with a new cassette and the suspension is noticeably more active. If you're on a hardtail i would take the weight penalty and save the money

How do I know I got the actual XT jockey wheels? I ordered them and they look identical to the SLX ones.

@Bikes-with-Ben

2 ай бұрын

The SLX will have little metal washer/cup things on both sides of the wheel and a little pipe spacer piece. The XT wheels will be all one piece.

@mattx3190

2 ай бұрын

@@Bikes-with-Ben aah!! Thank you for clarifying. Please keep your videos coming. Your channel might be underrated right now but it’s so informational. I’m building up a bike(well semi building, im transferring some parts), and just got a $40 SLX derailleur and got the XT jockey pulleys. So $60 for everything. 😁

Please do one on their brakes!

@Bikes-with-Ben

4 ай бұрын

Coming soon!

The jockey wheels are $50! 😆

@IIISentorIII

7 ай бұрын

Just don't drive slightly over the speed limit next time in your hometown when coming home from work. and get a 50$ bill from the friendly Police and you are set :D

@nyreppin1

7 ай бұрын

@@IIISentorIII lol you've got a point

i have slx 7100 DR and shifter.. if i change the pulley to xt do i need to change also my shifter to xt? thanks

@Bikes-with-Ben

4 ай бұрын

Nope. All of Shimanos 12-speed components are compatible with one another. You can use any shifter with any derailleur. I do think the XT shifter is worth the upgrade even more than the pulleys though. The pulleys are nice, but definitely not a must have. The XT shifter though makes a big difference in how snappy your shifting feels. I put out a video on the sifters as well if you’re interested to learn more.

@user-iv8do8nk9i

4 ай бұрын

thank you so much@@Bikes-with-Ben

This is right

Why would I want one of these when the bottom bin Altus/alivio derailleur I paid $5 for works just fine? Genuine question

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

So, the Deore line and up are the only lines that offer a 12-speed drivetrain. Having a 12sp setup allows your rear cassette cogs to range from 10 teeth all the way up to 51 teeth. This gives you a super wide range that makes peddling uphill easier while still having the fast gears necessary for descents. The Altus/Alivio derailleurs/cassettes are all 9 speed options (or less) and have a cog tooth range of only 11-36. So, you’d get close to the same downhill fast gears, but your climbs would be much harder. Typically, you’d pair those with a front derailleur as well and have multiple front chainring cogs that would allow you to extend that gearing range lower. Mountain bikes have gone almost exclusively to a rear derailleur only setup now that these wider range 11/12 speed drivetrains exist. Using only one derailleur saves on weight, complexity, maintenance, etc. If you’re happy with your setup then absolutely no need to change, but if you’re looking for new options or upgrades, a 12sp drivetrain really is great!

Conclusion, get the deore... You ll save twice, in the derailleur and beer

i'm over here calculating how much more beer i can drink if i just go full XTR on everything

That's potentially a very dumb question, considering how cheap and/or old they are, but are there any good jockey wheels for a 7 speed derailleur?

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

I’d say the ones that are on it are the best ones! 😁

XT is the best bang for your buck end of story. There is a vast difference compared to Deore. The bearings vs bushings is immense.

The XT in constantly on sale just buy that.

But can you buy and install the rubber bumper?

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

I think you can buy the rubber piece in a kit, but you’d have to get the right one for the derailleur. I don’t think you can add one to the Deore model either.

@TheSorrowedMan

5 ай бұрын

@@Bikes-with-Ben ah well thatsl's too bad.

the rightmost bike has the rear tyre on backwards

@Bikes-with-Ben

6 ай бұрын

well I’ll be.. you’re right. That’s my wife’s bike, I don’t think I’ve had that tire off before either. Good catch!

The only real difference between Deore and XTR in my opinion is weight

@Bikes-with-Ben

10 ай бұрын

Yep, that’s exactly what I’ve found as well. And of course, price. So, it just comes down to how much you care about weight. Which to non-pros like myself, a tiny bit of extra weight isn’t worth the price tag.

Is SRAM and Shimano 12 speeds drivetrains compatible? I bought a bike with an hg Shimano 11 spd 50t and upgraded the wheels to 29 microspline driver. After some tinkering, I had to get a new cassette; XT 12 spd 45t, but now my 11 spd shifter has a problem at 39t. I don't normally use this cog and the chain doesn't skip, but to fix it, I will replace the shifter with a SRAM NX 12 spd.

@Bikes-with-Ben

9 ай бұрын

I'm not an expert on the cross-compatibility, but I believe the Shimano 11sp and 12sp drivetrains and the SRAM Eagle drivetrains all have the same spacing between gears. You can use an 11sp shifter and derailleur on a 12sp cassette, but obvisouly you will on get 11sp out of it. You should be able to use a SRAM NX 12sp shifter on a Shimano 12sp drivetrain. In your case though, I believe you will also need to replace your derailleur to make it 12 speed as well. I'd recommend grabbing the Deore or SLX 12 speed derailluer (Deore is probably your best bang for the buck) and then going with the Shimano XT 12 speed shifter. The XT shifter is sweet and way better than the SLX for the money. Finally, when it's time to replace your chain I'd go with a Shimano HG+ (HyperGlide+). That Shimano setup is almost exactly what I run and the shifting is so clean. I'm not a big fan of the SRAM NX shifter. You don't get the trigger shift from the front and you can't downshift/upshift too may gears at once. The XT shifter gives you a sealed housing and I think 2 or 3 gears going into the harder ones and 4 going easier in a single push.

Or you can buy after market pulley. Same weight with XTR pulley and much cheaper than Deore pulley 🙂

@Bikes-with-Ben

5 ай бұрын

Im interested! Do you have a part number or link? I’ll look into it.

Did he just say we should drink less beer?... 😱...

@Bikes-with-Ben

6 ай бұрын

😂 you can have as much beer as you want. It’s just hard to justify the XTR if you are on a strict diet trying to shed every lb you can!

There is no functional difference between Deore and Deore XT. Sure XT is lighter but performance is the same. Shimano should dump the whole SLX line and just make D and DXT. No real reason to continue on with SLX especially since most people would reach for XT when upgrading from Deore, bypassing SLX. I started MTB back in the 80's and even then, I had Deore on my Diamond Back Apex. I never once thought of upgrading to XT just for a few grams of weight saving. To save 80 grams (not even 3 ounces) you're going to pay almost 5 times as much for XTR than you would if you went with Deore. Makes no sense. I've never adjusted my clutch in my life.

@AnotherMrLizard

5 ай бұрын

If you don’t see a difference don’t buy the xt. There’s a clear difference in performance between 12sp deore and xt though.

@donnovicki9771

5 ай бұрын

@@AnotherMrLizard So in the video he say's that the Deore vs DeoreXT jockey wheels that one is smoother and one is grittier, hardly scientific nomenclature to define rotational differences, which would more than likely be very minute. He even says put the XTR jockeys on the Deore and you're good to go.

@AnotherMrLizard

5 ай бұрын

@@donnovicki9771 difference is mostly in the shifter imo, anything above the deore cassette is worthless unless tou really want to save weight. . Xtr m9000 11sp is the best shifting drivetrain I’ve ever used.

sprung weight though :)

Cannot agree more, Deore or SLX anyday. XT and XTR if you are not an sponsored racer there is no point.

@jokermtb

5 ай бұрын

Slx on my bike for years now….. actually had to replace two snapped off clutch levers (talk about bad luck), but it’s a $7 part!

dee-oar-ee

Shhhh don't tell anyone