Shimano XTR M9000 Mechanical group’s actual weights & detail photos

Written by Tyler Benedict Feb 09, 2015 11:17 p.m. ET

Support us! Bikerumor may earn a small commission from affiliate links in this article. Learn More

The all-new Shimano XTR M9000 group launched last April but has only recently started shipping, both on complete bikes and as separate components through the aftermarket channels.

We’ve covered the tech details for the drivetrain here and the new Race/Trail brakes here, and now we’ve got hands on the individual components for photos and actual weights…

The crankset will be available without chainrings, a feature already being taken advantage of with aftermarket narrow/wide chainring offerings from Wolf Tooth Components and OneUp Components. Regardless of whether you want to run a single, double or triple, it’s all the same crank arm…but two different Q-factors are available.

Technically, to get the bare cranks as shown above, you’ll check off the 1x option on your order form, and then just not order the chainring if you opt for 3rd party gear. You can also go ahead and order up a Stages power meter equipped non-drive arm.

The new derailleurs are a big departure from past models. The clutch mechanism has been slightly relocated and you can use the rear on Direct Mount hangers. The front’s the biggest news, though, with a redesigned parallelogram structure and, more impressively the new Side Swing design (not shown here) that really and truly makes front shifting otherworldly. It’s about as good as we can imagine mechanical shifting to be and we’re curious if this design might port over to the road someday. Dura-Ace is amazing, but this takes it to another level.

The brakes are offered in two versions, Trail and Race. The Trail models, shown here, get the IceTech pads with heat sinks and finned caliper bodies. The levers get adjustable reach and free stroke, too. The Race models pare things down to save weight, as you’ll see further down on the scale.

Pick your focus. The new 11-40 cassette breaks down into a whopping eight pieces including lock nut. Curious how those gear ratios stack up to XX1? Check out this chart.

The larger clusters use carbon fiber carriers that are quite impressive. The molded spiders are bonded to a metal spline for solid contact with the freehub body, and they’re wider than single-cog contact patches to help prevent digging into softer alloy FH bodies.

XTR M9000 ACTUAL WEIGHTS

The double crankset with a 36/26 and the narrower Q-factor is 621g.

The naked crankset is just 472g. That adds up to a complete 1x crankset at just about 520g with one of the third party 32T chainrings. We don’t have weights for the XTR single chainring yet.

Direct mount ~~side swing~~ top-pull front derailleur is 135g. Rear mech is 222g.

The cassette comes in at 328g.

The M9000 Race bracelet is 206g for the rear and 190g for the front. We’ve weighed the Freeza rotors before and a 160mm CenterLock version comes in at 116g. So, total for two wheels of stoppers with 160mm CL rotors would be 628g.

The M9020 Trail brakes come in at 255g front and 270g rear. That’d put the set with rotors at 757g, or 129g more than the Race kit.

Shifters are 106g front and 118g rear.

Setup the complete bike with a double and Trail brakes and you’re looking at 2,287g (5.04lb) plus the chain and cable housing. Build up a 1×11 group using one of the aforementioned 32T chainrings with Race brakes and the group (minus chain and housing) would be just 1816g. Compare that to 1,7629g for the same parts to build an XX1 group with the new direct mount chainrings and the SRAM Guide brakes…keeping in mind you’d need a new freehub body for the SRAM system.

Huge thanks to Jason at Fresh Bikes for making the parts available. Check back soon for XTR Di2 weights, and read our ride review of the new XTR Mechanical and Di2 groups to see how they perform out on the trail!

Tyler Benedict

11,186 articles

Tyler Benedict is the Founder of Bikerumor.com. He has been writing about the latest bikes, components, and cycling technology for almost two decades. Prior to that, Tyler launched and built multiple sports nutrition brands and consumer goods companies, mostly as an excuse to travel to killer riding locations throughout North America.

Based in North Carolina, Tyler loves family adventure travel and is always on the lookout for the next shiny new part to make his bikes faster and lighter.

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

28 Comments

Oldest

Newest Most Voted

Inline Feedbacks

View all comments

Calvin

9 years ago

Thats not the side swing front derailleur. Pictured is a standard “top swing” derailleur. The newly designed “side swing” derailleur rotates on a axis parallel to the seat tube as opposed to parallel with the chainstays.

Bluefire

9 years ago

I don’t think it’s quite fair to claim a mere 47g (or 54g) weight difference and snicker about freehub bodies, considering the Guide brakes you weighed with XX1 are quad-pistons to XTR’s dual-pistons. There isn’t a high-end SRAM/Avid dual-piston anymore, it’s true, but M9000s have “Race” in the name and Guides are being specced on 2015 DH bikes. When you weigh XX1 with the older Avid XX brakes , it comes out to 1599g, nearly half a pound less than XTR. Shimano’s case worsens when you substitute in current-model four-pot Saint brakes for the XTRs, a swap that adds 224g to put the total weight difference at just under 0.6 of a pound. Comparing apples to apples and oranges to oranges, then, the difference between SRAM’s and Shimano’s top one-by drivetrains is roughly half a pound, and four times what you claimed.

jonas l

9 years ago

628g for complete brakeset, you forgot bolts to mount those calipers in that weight 😉

And 50g for a single chainring including chainringbolts?

None

9 years ago

late, ugly, heavy, unoriginal, the crank is just like the FC-M960! cassette…all that fancy carbon to metal contraction for sucha heavy result?

9 years ago

Its the weight of the cassette that kill me, I really wanted to get this as my drivetrain this year.

I’m not a fan of the SRAM 10t cog or the XD driver and I generally prefer the shifting performance of Shimano drivetrains.

But I can’t get over the 70g weight penalty between this cassette and the XX1. Its just not worth the money, that heavier than a 1x 10 cassette with range expander, which paired with an XT mech is the best drivetrain performance to cost option out there right now in my opinion, even for hardcore riders with money to burn (who really wants to burn it on cassettes!?!)

Nathan

9 years ago

@Bluefire Have you used either brake? I’ve got a pair of Guides RSC’s on one of my bikes and XTR on the other. Sorry to disappoint you but the XTR brakes kill the Avids in overall power (and modulation) The new Guides have a very shimano feel and are a lot better than Elixrs but still have some work to do to catch up to shimano in the brake department. Comparing them to Saint isn’t even close as they are in a different power league again and putting them on anything but a full DH bike would be silly!

haromania

9 years ago

Looks great, and you know it will work amazing, but I think they are being short sighted by not offering a 6 bolt rotor for the new brakes. I don’t run centerlock hubs and I have zero interest in an adapter. Hopefully a 6 bolt is in the works.

Author

Tyler Benedict

9 years ago

Calvin – thanks for the catch, just corrected it.

Jonas – good call on the rotor bolts, but the SRAM weights are without the bolts, also, so it’s still a mostly equal comparison.

don

9 years ago

xtr versus xx1, hard to go wrong with either. i’m not religous on either end, but right now xx1 still is ahead. Shimano seems to want to stick their head in the sand on a 10×42 option as if it isn’t a better idea. Sometime you jump on the bus. I’ve ridden both new xtr and guide brakes and both work so well I’m not sure I can make a call on functionality. I wish SRAM would run away from dot brake fluid, hate the stuff and choose Shimano brakes as a result. On the shifting still prefer ever so slightly the tactile click of xx1, but again they both work so well I wouldn’t say either is better. In my mind it comes down to do you want the best 1x system then it’s SRAM, if you are a 2x then pick what you like.

don

AbelF

9 years ago

I am a big fan of everything shimano but the crank is one very ugly component. Whats up with those bolt covers? I just hope that that fuglyness doesnt trickle down to xt or slx.

Lalalala

9 years ago

I am not sure what is the point comparing xtr to xx1. Yes xx1 may weight a little less, but it last a lot less, exp the cassette. sram is the specialized of components, all hype, little substance.

JDP

9 years ago

Both units Shimano and SRAM are good. I have used both brands and find both are very solid in the approach to making the bike lighter. They both shift very crisp. Avid falls way short in the brake department. Shimano is far supirior with better feel, modulation and even the bleed is easier with the mineral oil. Avid needs go back to the drawing board and start over. As far as getting lighter I will eat a little less and drink a couple less beers. A half pound on my bike won’t matter if I weigh 15 lbs. more than my competition.

NickB

9 years ago

The best set up? XX1 drivetrain, race face next SL crank, XTR trail brakes. I am a big fan of SRAM but not everything they make is top notch. I am on the guide brakes right now and really like them but also agree that they still aren’t as good as Shimano brakes. The weight of the race face next SL crank is still unbeatable too.

Roy

9 years ago

Shimano used to have a smooth light feel to the shifting, but last week I got to try this latest group and the shifting is notchy and cheap feeling, the brake clamps look like Lada car parts and that gray shiny crank was already getting scratched by the owners ankles, by the end of a muddy spring it will be trashed. at least with the last gen there was aluminum stripes where the ankle rub will certainly be. Yes it shifted fine, but the feel was junky. Maybe in their pursuit to add more feel to detents, it backfired. I will wait for SRAM 2X before shelling out my money for more gears. As for the brakes I agree with don, the guide brakes are incredible and give nothing up to shimano, we all know that Avid QC killed the brand, but the return of juicy type mastercylinder with Guide is making for awesome brakes. Maybe not a fair comparison as the Saint should be compared directly to Guide and XX to XTR…

9 years ago

I have a XX1 drive train these days, I like it, but I have to laugh at SRAM “improving” front shifting by simply removing it. I respect that Shimano makes great front shifting and continues to improve it. The front shifting on the road with the Dura Ace 9000 mechanical group was impressive. I look forward to trying out the side swing front der option you reference. Thanks for mentioning it.

mateo

9 years ago

@bluefire – SRAM does still sell the XX brakes. They’re just SRAM branded now instead of Avid (at least on the box, the brakes themselves only say XX).

'Merika

9 years ago

Not in love with this new effort. Sticking to the SRAM 1X world. I don’t think Shimano will convince me nor my buddies (all strong climbers!) to ditch the 1X for their insistence on 2X. The FD is dead, dead I tell you!

9 years ago

I have a full xtr 9000 group and its amazing! The front shifting is absolutely incredible. I am happy to be back on 2x and personally I think its only a matter of time until at least half of the 1x converts come back. I know because I was one of them. Sure the bike looks cool and the rider feels special because they are running 1x but at the end of the day your legs will feel better and you will have gone further without feeling like a bag of @#$%(again my personal experience)
It pays to have a climbing gear and a drilling it gear up front

Bog

9 years ago

There are actually two different cranksets in the lineup with more than just q-factor differentiating them. The Race crankset is lighter with a bonded crankarm back cover similar to Dura Ace while the Trail crankset has the more traditional forged hollowtech arms.

Ritchey

9 years ago

XTR is ahead of XX1 a the moment because you have a Di2 option….

Alex

9 years ago

I am with M. 1×11 is cool and all, but I like my low gears.

Collin

9 years ago

NO carbon again! Dang what a surprise!

Bluefire

9 years ago

@Nathan: You’re right; it might be silly to put Saint on anything but a full DH rig (though they’re used in the EWS), but it seems just as silly to put Guide on a full XC rig – I think the latter absurdity is more relevant, considering we’re counting grams here and not suspension travel. I’m not comparing performance and I’m not trying to argue that the Guides are better; I’d still go for a Shimano brake for many applications too. My observations were made concerning intended application and not efficacy. The weights Bikerumor compared aren’t… well, comparable, since they compare XC racing brakes to Guides, which bear a weight penalty as more all-purpose four-piston calipers. Even if M9000 Race brakes have the power to be used for trail or even all-mountain, that was never their intended purpose – M9000 TRAIL brakes were designed with that in mind.

badbikemechanix

9 years ago

@Collin. You can pretty much assume that shimano will not be using carbon in the future for their cranks. I prefer alloy. Carbon gets trashed offroad.

Joshua1918

9 years ago

Bleed the Guides and then bleed the XTR’s. Shimano is hands down a better designed and better thought out product. Guides feel good but bleeding, Dot fluid and the fact that they are using the same old caliper will keep me in Shimano for now. And why are the pads so close to the rotor on Sram brakes! Drives me crazy.

9 years ago

All this religion towards a single groupset? Look, I run the new XTR rear derailleur as a 1 x 11 on a SRAM XD driver XX1 10/42 cassette with a KMC X11SL DLC chain and a RaceFace Next SL crank on a fat bike using Deore calipers/levers with XT 6 bolt Ice Tech rotors. Spec the components that work for you and go ride your bike. The new XTR derailleur works flawlessly with the SRAM cassette and KMC chain FWIW.

rupert3k

9 years ago

I also run the fabulous Next SL crankset with Saint M820 brakes.
Agree wholeheartedly with NickB and cl, it’s easily worlds finest.
Smashed ’em numerous times but hopefully the booties will cope.
Like AbelF I cannot STAND the putrid new XTR crank design.
Works great, looks dreadful.
Torn between XX1 and XTR drivetrain.
Tempting to just grab the XTR casette, mech & shifter without bothering with an XD driver but I wonder if SRAM has a tastier revised system in the pipe.
Surely we’ll see 12sp by years end?

Gcan3R

9 years ago

Ya Shimano needs to pick it up a notch. What’s the deal with two different XTR cranks? Imagine engineers giving you choices based your performance needs. Tisk tisk.

“Mechanical or electric sir?”
“What? Sram makes both?”
No they don’t. They make an 11spd cassette with a 42t low gear, and single ring cranksets if you are interested?
I am actually. Who wants perfect Shimano braking and effortless Di2 shifting anyway? Boo XTR for such advancements.
Beware of chunky drivetrain feel you test riders. New drivetrain? Has it had time to mesh properly? Anyone check the hanger? Better make sure you’re not having a lacklustre ride due to poor cable and casing set up.
It will all come out in the wash.