Shimano has picked up the gauntlet thrown down by SRAM when they released their X.0 line. There were plenty of “oohs” and “aahs” when X.0 came out and the upstart threatened to knock Shimano down a notch. Shimano waited to respond. They didn’t rush out a copycat design. They wanted to show they could regain the high ground with a much-improved XTR. This derailleur shows that SRAM better stay on its toes.

The XTR Top Normal is almost identical to the XTR Low Normal rear derailleur save the direction of spring tension. Top Normal is for those who prefer the spring direction to push the chain toward the smallest cog. Shimano believes this will have more appeal to gravity riders.

The RD-M971 XTR rear derailleur operates with the Top Normal spring system. This is the common way derailleurs operate, with the spring forcing the chain onto the smaller cogs. The RD-M971 will work with Shimano’s DCL, RFP, and SRAM’s Shimano-compatible shifters. It will not work with Shimano Dual Control Levers. There are two sizes, the short cage (GS) and long cage (SGS), and the maximum cog size one can use is 34t, with a minimum of 11t. The maximum front difference is 22t. The GS has a 33t total capacity while the SGS has a 43t total capacity. The pulleys have sealed bearings. 196g (GS)/ 197g (SGS). MSRP $189.99.