"It's really cool how fast the Shimano XTR Di2 was back then!" Karl Platt nods appreciatively towards his nine-year-old Bulls bike. The now 47-year-old won the legendary Cape Epic stage race in South Africa in 2016 on the Wild Edge Team. On board: the original Shimano XTR Di2 with cable connection. Platt has also brought his current work equipment with him. The high-performance successor to Bullswhich, of course, carries the refurbished XTR groupset with wireless technology. This bike has also already won a Cape Epic under Platt, namely the current one this year. Two world-class race bikes, two Shimano XTR Di2: We want to find out how much the high-end drivetrain has really improved and whether the long wait was worth it.
The fascination of electric circuits
In 2014, Shimano transferred its Di2 technology from road bikes to mountain bikes. The M9000 was the first mass-produced gearstick for off-road usewhich could change gears via an electrical signal. Wireless shifting systems such as the Sram Eagle AXS were still slumbering as prototypes in the back rooms of developers at the time and were not ready for the market until five years later. Shifting via electrical technology fascinated with its effortless, direct response, but also had its pitfalls. You could regularly see the mechanics in some shops juggling bike parts on a multitude of cables like a puppet master. So while the handling of the Shimano XTR Di2 M9000 2014 was already convincingHowever, their individual parts had to be connected with hardware. With the rear derailleur and shifters, energy carrier, display and control unit positioned separately, this was no fun for mechanics and frame builders. According to Shimano, they spent seven years working on a successor without cables. The new wireless XTR Di2 M9200 can simply be screwed onto the bike, paired via Bluetooth and adjusted using a smartphone app: a big step towards the future of e-shifting!
Just new or better? Proof test for the Shimano XTR Di2 M9200
With a tight chain, Karl Platt dashes along the trail in front of me. It's easy to forget that the technology beneath him is almost a decade old. But after the first change, two things are clear. Firstly, the new Shimano XTR Di2 feels amazingly like a high-end mechanical drivetrain. The reason for this is the completely redesigned shift lever, which gives the body a crisp, rich feedback when changing gears. In contrast, the predecessor feels binary, soft and more reminiscent of a games console than a high-quality MTB component.
Secondly: Under load, the current generation places the chain more precisely on the sprockets. Skips? Not a chance! Overall, the XTR Di2 M9200 is significantly more robust than the old technology thanks to its rounded design, reinforced hardware, automatic reset in the event of a crash and the elimination of cables. That's a good thing, because with an expensive purchase price of 665 euros for the rear derailleur alone, bikers should be able to enjoy their electronic gear shifting for a long time. Even if it seems hard to believe, the new XTR Di2 has not become more expensive, as the old rear derailleur already cost 670 euros.
The new Shimano XTR Di2 drivetrain has improved durability and more precision in rough conditions than its predecessor. But back to Karl Platt: "I popularised the zebra look at the Cape Epic with my winning bike from 2016!" Did the wild design make him faster? Probably not. But what was already fast back then was the shifting speed of the Shimano XTR Di2. Ahead of all mechanical shifting systems at the time, Shimano transfers the speed to the new XTR M9200. This is not only fun, but should also score points in stressful racing situations when every millisecond counts. Incidentally, the current XTR can be customised in many ways, from lever assignment to automatic shifting on the e-bike. Thanks to the wide gear range on twelve sprockets, there is no need for a front derailleur option.
With the new XTR generation, Shimano is not only relaunching the drivetrain parts. The drivetrain has new cranks and chainrings, of course, but also new wheels and brakes. For the Cape Epic in 2016, Karl Platt relied entirely on weight-optimised XTR disc brakes with two pistons. In the meantime, the marathon pro switched to the four-piston version, which is actually intended for trail and enduro bikes: "I don't want to compromise on braking power." Now Platt is back to two pistons. The new XTR stoppers promise more consistent function thanks to revised lever ergonomics, a new mineral oil-based brake fluid and improvements to the inner workings. We can also confirm this: Although the "old" Shimano brakes were already finely controllable and powerful, the successors have gone one better. The testers are also pleased that the rattling of the brake pads is finally a thing of the past.
The subtle difference: details on the professional bike from 2016
Of course, we couldn't pass up the opportunity to take a closer look at Karl Platt's original 2016 Cape Epic bike. We came across some fine details on the professional rider's bike that normal people don't tend to fit on tour.
Karl Platt's race bike, which is almost a decade old, makes it impressively clear how far marathon sport has come in this time. Instead of dropper posts and suspension travel reserves, fast propulsion and aerodynamics were even more important back then. Although 29-inch wheels had already established themselves, radio-controlled single drives, such as the new Shimano XTR Di2, were not yet considered for the long haul.
Jan Timmermann
Editor
