PRODUCT REVIEW: Shimano XT Shadow Plus rear derailleur

One thing that has always annoyed me in Mountain Biking is the derailleur and chain rattling around. So I was pretty excited when I heard that Shimano had brought out a derailleur with a clutch that would eliminate this. The Shimano XT Shadow Plus rear derailleur is one of the newest products that shimano has brought out, and follows the release XTR version earlier this year.

The big plus (excuse the pun!) was the cost. In the end it was not alot more then the standard XT replacement i was looking at, and a fraction of the cost of the XTR version.

 My experience so far (2 months) on the full range of trails and in a number of races, has been fantastic. Even on very bumpy trails when you expect your derailleur and chain to bounce around, the XT Shadow it is super smooth and quiet. In a race I can now sneak up on an opponent, even on a gnarly Downhill.

The other cool thing is that it has a release leaver on the top, that when activated, makes it just as easy to take the rear wheel on and off.

Improvements? If I was being really picky, then it would be that you still get a teeny, teeny bit of chain-slap still, so a bit more tension within the mechanism would be great - but it's still a huge upgrade for any rider as is.

Rating out of 10: 7.5/10

I reckon it's worth the investment, cheers Kalen