I’ve been a big fan of SRAM’s drivetrain components since they released the XX1 10-42t group. The pricing was steep but the weight, reliability, longevity and performance of their top tier group has kept me coming back year over year. Yes, there have been some issues, but those quirks have largely come from their less expensive options. In this blog, we do a Shimano XTR M9100 Test to see how it stacks up!
In 2019 Shimano finally joined the wide-range cassette party with their flagship group. I jumped on the bandwagon, eager to give Shimano a play at my drivetrain business once again. The main reason I have not actively run Shimano drivetrains on my bikes the past few years is because their wide range cassettes were significantly heavier than Sram’s and the freehub interface was dated. I also found that the large jump from their widest range XT cassette (37 to 46t cog) resulted in poor shifts which was annoying in race situations.
Over the past 4 months I’ve been testing the XTR 10-51t as well as the 10-45t 12 speed cassettes, an XX1 Eagle 12 speed chain, Shimano’s 12 speed chain, a Raceface 11/12 speed and a Wolftooth M9100 XTR 12 speed chainring. I also purchased their direct mount and traditional mount shifter, long and medium cage derailleurs, so I had a variety of combinations to play with.
