It will still be a few weeks before the big bike parks open and high alpine tours are possible. But Shimano already has gravity bikers and freeriders dreaming of a new groupset. With the presentation of the new Saint groupset and the introduction of the entry-level Zee components, the Japanese company is following up in the gravity sector. All the components presented here will be available from July 2012.
The new Saint groupset incorporates all the familiar technical details (e.g. Hollowtech II, Ice Tech, etc.) first seen on the XTR and XT in the last two years. It's about time, because the current Saint components date back to 2008 and are now getting on in years. In close collaboration with World Cup riders Aaron Gwin and Gee Atherton, an extremely durable, lightweight and quiet groupset for downhillers and freeriders has now been created.
Shimano Saint - rear derailleur with two modes and one lever
Like the XTR model, the new Saint rear derailleur relies on Shadow+ mode, as Shimano calls it. The tension of the chain can be significantly increased with a small lever on the rear derailleur. As a result, it bounces significantly less on rough terrain, jumps less often and runs more smoothly. The rear derailleur can also be operated in two modes: The downhill version is used for 11-28 tooth sprockets and in freeride mode, the Saint rear derailleur shifts sprockets up to 32 teeth.
Thanks to Hollowtech II technology, the new crank is lighter than the previous model. This is despite the use of a robust steel axle and steel threaded inserts. Shimano has lengthened the shifters by up to ten per cent and made the lever shape more ergonomic for easier shifting in rough terrain. The familiar multi-release option is also available. This means that several gears can be shifted with one push of the lever.
The new Saint brake uses special cooling fins on the 203 millimetre discs. This and the sandwich construction (Ice-Tech) should allow the discs to cool down even better in the airstream. Shimano claims 20 per cent more braking power thanks to the cooling fins. In our disc brake test 12/2010 we had Problems with the first Ice-Tech brakes. However, we have never had such failures since then.
The first riding impressions in Whistler revealed a significantly improved modulation of the new stoppers. The secret behind this: The pistons do not open and close at the same time, but one after the other. The ergonomics of the new levers are also excellent. The grip of the concave but not exactly light pedals was also impressive.
The details of the new Shimano Saint and the first test ride by editor-in-chief Josh Welz in Whistler here in the video:
Shimano Zee - the affordable entry into the gravity sector
Shimano is launching the little brother of the Saint, the Zee, especially for young downhillers and freeriders. It compromises on weight and design, but is a lot cheaper than the Saint components.
The new ten-speed rear derailleur on the Zee also uses Shadow+ technology. However, you have to decide beforehand whether you want the version for a downhill cassette or for freeriding (up to 11-32 teeth). The four-piston brakes on the Zee do not have Ice-Tech discs, but these can be retrofitted. The shift and brake levers can be mounted together on the handlebars using the I-Spec clamp.
Both the Shimano Saint and the Zee will only be available as single-speed versions. You will soon be able to find out more about the two new Shimano Saint and Zee groupsets at www.paul-lange.de and in our next BIKE issues.
