Note: This is the first time Mountain Biking by 198 has written an open letter to a mountain bike component manufacturer, so we will see how it goes!
An Open Letter To Shimano
Dear Shimano,
Over the years, I have watched you create mountain bike parts that are considered a must have amongst many enthusiasts. Your new SLX, XT, XTR and Saint lines for 2009 look like a huge step forward for your product line and I am excited to see new looks and technologies brought to the table for the recreational mountain biker. As we move forward, I look forward to seeing what else Shimano releases.
The reason for this open letter to your company is my frustration with your hub production. For many years, I ran your XT hub set. During those times, the XT hub set was known for its quality build and free spinning characteristics. While they did not have the best engagement in the industry, they did provide a hub that was worthy of carrying the XT name.
Over the past couple of years, Shimano has killed their reputation in the hub market. The M756 hub is a disgrace to the XT brand name and Shimano’s engineering capabilities. Not only does the hub have poor engagement, but now that engagement is sloppy and delivered in a less than ideal package. I understand the need for a budget hub for OEM and lower end builds, but the XT lineup is known for high performance at a mid-range price, and the XT hub does not deliver.
I believe that the mountain biking community is looking for a new direction from Shimano regarding their hub production and engineering. We can look at your other components and see that you can deliver a quality product at almost any price range. What is confusing is why you do not deliver this same quality and price with your hub sets.
For the purposes of bike reviews, I remove any wheelsets that are based around your XT rear hub. I feel that it actually takes away from the ride of the bike. Instead, I install models from Hope, Chris King, Hadley and others that provide a more dependable, performance centered ride.
For 2009, you have made some improvements to your hub line and introduced a XT wheelset. I have not ridden these sets, but from what I can tell…it seems like more of the same. Many of the 2009 model year bikes are still being spec’ed with last years XT, so I expect to see that for some time while you try to flush out old inventory.
Make the XT brand name deliver XT build quality and bring the XT hubs to their rightful place as a high performance hub at the XT price point.
Regards,
Robb Sutton
Mountain Biking by 198