Shimano Deore XT LINKGLIDE

[Dazzling1984]

Is it worth the money, is it any good? whos running it?

 

[Kootbiker]

Good question, I am looking to upgrade from Deore. Can’t find anyone running Shimano linkglide xt.

 

[aarfeldt]

I use it on 2 bikes, and I find it good.
It's cheaper than the 12-speed it replaced.

 

[Muscles]

I have been running the 11 speed XT for about nine hundred miles now. I have just replaced the chain for the third time (they are only 20 something dollars), but I'm still on my original cassette and it still shifts like new. I use it just like they advertise it to be used, I shift while climbing, on power or just whenever. I couldn't be happier with the Linkglide setup.

 

[Ride 2d@y]

3 chains in 900 miles? Not too impressive - you hard on chains?

 

[Muscles]

3 chains in 900 miles? Not too impressive - you hard on chains?

I have an expert model and the original GX chain didn’t last me 180 miles. I replaced it with a XX1 and it only lasted 200 miles. So tell me how a 20 something dollar chain lasting longer than these $40-$90 chains is a negative. And yes I ride my bike like I stole it, if I was going to ride in eco/slow mode I would have kept my SJ Evo.

 

[cabbynate]

I just upgraded to Linkglide XT 11-speed 11-50. The shifter, chain and cassette cost right around $300.00 usd and I feel it was definitely an upgrade to the Deore I replaced with it. Shifts anywhere anytime. We'll see how it goes as I only have one ride on it.

 

[Planemo]

Is it possible to directly swop out my SRAM PG1230 11-50 12 speed cassette with the 11-50 Linkglide?

As a note, would it work with my current XX1 chain and SRAM 12sp chainring?

I realise I would need to swop out the shifter and mech too

 

[Kootbiker]

Is it possible to directly swop out my SRAM PG1230 11-50 12 speed cassette with the 11-50 Linkglide?

As a note, would it work with my current XX1 chain and SRAM 12sp chainring?

I realise I would need to swop out the shifter and mech too

As long as you have an HG freewheel it will work.

 

[Plummet]

I'm 250km into 11 speed 11-50 link glide after ditching 12sp gx.

Super impressed. Solid crisp shiting, and it works in the mud and shit where the gx would be useless.

In fact it works better than gx ever worked. Plus it's half the price.

 

[cabbynate]

Is it possible to directly swop out my SRAM PG1230 11-50 12 speed cassette with the 11-50 Linkglide?

As a note, would it work with my current XX1 chain and SRAM 12sp chainring?

I realise I would need to swop out the shifter and mech too

From what I have read no. You would also need the derailleur, shifter and a 11-speed chain preferably the linkglide 11-speed chain. The chainring should be ok.

 

[Kootbiker]

I upgraded my Rocky Powerplay from Deore 11 speed to Linkglide 11 speed. Big difference, especially shifting under load. I had to replace the cassette, derailleur and shifter. The standard shimano 11 speed chain works fine, also used existing raceface crank chainring. It looks like your sram pg 1230 cassette uses the same freehub spline configuration as the shimano 11 speed freehub.

 

[cabbynate]

I upgraded my Rocky Powerplay from Deore 11 speed to Linkglide 11 speed. Big difference, especially shifting under load. I had to replace the cassette, derailleur and shifter. The standard shimano 11 speed chain works fine, also used existing raceface crank chainring. It looks like your sram pg 1230 cassette uses the same freehub spline configuration as the shimano 11 speed freehub.

My bike is also a Rocky Mountain Powerplay. 2022 Altitude A30 coil. Solid upgrade!

 

[ChillyWilly]

Just installed a LinkGlide XT/Deor 10 speed set on my bike (Focus Sam2). I had GX and NX eagle before. The wear cost is in the cassette and the chain. I used the The NX cassette, PG-1230, and XO1 chain (better longevity).

Cost per one cassette change (not accounting for longevity):

• NX Eagle:
  • SRAM NX cassette PG-1230: 75 euro's
  • 2x SRAM X01 Eagle chain: 96 euro's
  • Total: 171 euro's.
• LinkGlide-10:
  • Shimano CS-LG400-10 11-43: 42 euro's
  • 2x Shimano CN-LG500: 32 euro's
  • Total: 74 euro's

Even if the wear is the same, that is 97 euro's cheaper!

Component's I bought:

• Shimano CS-LG400 10-speed Linkglide Cassette
• Shimano DEORE Linkglide RD-M5130 10-speed Rear Derailleur
• Shimano XT Linkglide SL-M8130 11-speed Shift Lever
• Shimano CN-LG500 Linkglide 10/11-speed Chain with Quick-Link

The trick is that the pull is the same for all, so the XT shifter, even though it's 11 speed, works just fine because of the limit on the derailleur! So you can have the better shifter, with rubber, instant release etc, with the Deore setup.

 

[Ark]

GX chains should last around 400miles and X01 almost 1000.
do you shift through the gears or only use a few of the cogs on the rear?

I replaced it with a XX1 and it only lasted 200 miles

thats a light weight chain for cross country and light trails, so that would be why

In fact it works better than gx ever worked. Plus it's half the price.

smaller cassette though so thats why.

like on road bikes a 9 speed derailleur is a lot easier to set up than an 11 speed shimano 105

purely because the chain has to shift less distance across the cassette and the tolerances can be off more with everything still working fine.
Can't say I'm a big fan of GX though, I don't need a dinner plates worth of cogs on an EMTB, I bet 9 speed would be more than enough

 

[Ride 2d@y]

Look what showed up on Specialized website - Linkglide Kenovo 11 speed

 

[cozzy]

Look what showed up on Specialized website - Linkglide Kenovo 11 speed
View attachment 135012

Yes the comp gets linkglide and the expert gets the crappy sram wireless stuff. I know what I would rather have!

 

[arTNC]

I'll throw out something else about the Linkglide stuff. I'm running Cues 9-speed shifter, cassette(11-36), derailleur, and chain on my new Trek Gen2 Rail 7. And I took that drivetrain off my homemade 2003 SC Bullit/Bafang BBSHD build, so it's got a few miles on it under a much more powerful motor, and this bike has been used exclusively for aggressive off road trail riding. Even the Cues Linkglide stuff is stronger than most of the conventional stuff out there.

I've found these emtb's need less gearing steps and ultimately less low gear like the 50-52T cassettes offer. I'm hardly dictating that this is what everyone needs to run, but I find the 50-52 low gear setups for single chainring setups to be just about useless to me. I don't even use the 36T on my Cues 9-speed. That second low gear number is as low as I go, and even that is only very occasionally on a slow, rocky, technical spot. I ride this Rail in Turbo exclusively, so there's no babying of my drivetrain...and the Bafang obviously never baby'd the drivetrain.

Frankly I'm a little amazed that the less expensive Cues does so well even when shifting under some power. I'm pretty good at making my shifts without the hamfisted technique some use, but still, I don't have to tiptoe around with my shifting. I removed the OEM SRAM 12-speed setup that was on this Rail 7, and it's sitting on the shelf. And yes, I had to source a Shimano 11-speed cassette hub body, but that was a cinch.

Headed out right now for a 5-day emtb ride out at our club's off road venue. About 100 miles of singletrack to hit, and a ton of it has some gnarly challenges in it. We have held National Enduro events on this trail. It's really a dirt motor trail, but the emtb is right at home there.

 

[Ark]

I

I've found these emtb's need less gearing steps and ultimately less low gear like the 50-52T cassettes offer.

technically you don't even need any gears, you can do a whole ride without changing gear and not really notice... (on a cog where about 90-95 cadence is around 17mph
I only change gears to make the cassette last longer and not stress the motor/torque sensor so much

The tallest 5 cogs on my 10-52 cassette probably never get used, I don't think I've ever needed the smallest cog to hit 18mph either
52teeth cof at 90rpm with a 34 front ring is what speed? like 4mph? I bet you could climb a vertical wall if you had the grip

 

[Plummet]

technically you don't even need any gears, you can do a whole ride without changing gear and not really notice... (on a cog where about 90-95 cadence is around 17mph
I only change gears to make the cassette last long

er and not stress the motor/torque sensor so much

The tallest 5 cogs on my 10-52 cassette probably never get used, I don't think I've ever needed the smallest cog to hit 18mph either
52teeth cof at 90rpm with a 34 front ring is what speed? like 4mph? I bet you could climb a vertical wall if you had the grip

I ride a lot of steep ad indeed use my 34/50 combo. At those steepnesses and gear ratios looping the bike out in front of you isn't uncommon. That's the last time I used the 50t. Farken ridiculous. I loved it.

Ps 650km into link glide. Still rock solid shifting.

 

[Ark]

I ride a lot of steep ad indeed use my 34/50 combo. At those steepnesses and gear ratios looping the bike out in front of you isn't uncommon. That's the last time I used the 50t. Farken ridiculous. I loved it.

Ps 650km into link glide. Still rock solid shifting.


View attachment 135099

The cable wrap on your cables really annoys me btw, is it a stock thing on that bike? or I've seen pics of your bike in other threads.
CABLE BOBBINS – 76 Projects look far better and almost invisible
1 pack would be enough for all your cables

 

[Plummet]

The cable wrap on your cables really annoys me btw, is it a stock thing on that bike? or I've seen pics of your bike in other threads.
CABLE BOBBINS – 76 Projects look far better and almost invisible
1 pack would be enough for all your cables

No, its not stock. It was what i had lying around in the shed. Those bobin things look clean. But unfortunately you are going to have to remain to be annoyed..... I like the spiral wrap.

 

[Ark]

No, its not stock. It was what i had lying around in the shed

ahh, still better than cables jumping around. just triggers my ocd

 

[Spin]

On the topic of cassette spreads , I run Linkglide 10 speed 11 -43 and only need the 43t on the steepest of climbs on the trails I ride. That was the main reason I chose 10 speed Deore over 11 speed XT.
If Shimano made 10 speed XT spec , I'd be on it.
That said , the Deore has been very good. I swap chains every 1000kms. The cassette now has around 1500kms and is as good as day 1.

 

[ChillyWilly]

On the topic of cassette spreads , I run Linkglide 10 speed 11 -43 and only need the 43t on the steepest of climbs on the trails I ride. That was the main reason I chose 10 speed Deore over 11 speed XT.
If Shimano made 10 speed XT spec , I'd be on it.
That said , the Deore has been very good. I swap chains every 1000kms. The cassette now has around 1500kms and is as good as day 1.

Check out my post above. Only difference between the Deore and XT feel is in the shifter. You can use the XT 11 speed shifter with a 10 speed Deore derailleur/cassette setup. You can also use the XT derailleur, but that won't make any noticeable difference. People have even tested the 11-48 cassette with the RD-M5130 derailleur and it works fine.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

People have even tested the 11-48 cassette with the RD-M5130 derailleur and it works fine.

I was just wondering this. Glad to know it works.

 

[ChillyWilly]

Had the first few rides on the LinkGlide XT 10 speed (see my previous messages about components). The shifting is way less harsh then the previous SRAM GX Eagle setup I had. I was so used to lower my leg torque when shifting with that setup, but with LinkGlide you can shift under load without it complaining. The drivetrain is soo quiet, I love it.
I chose the normal bar clamp shifter as I don't want to deal with adapters and I'm planning to switch brake setup this year. This setup is a little closer to the handlebars/grips then the Matchmaker shifter I had before.

And BTW, anyone with an XT 11 speed setup can just use a 10 speed cassette.

 

[Bndit]

Just ordered 11 speed linkglides to my ecommuter. Could have gone 10 speed but it wasn't available from where I wanted to order. I have 11 speed deore, nothing to complaint except cheap deore rear derailleur doesn't like salty winter weather. And hard to find those two smallest sprockets as spare parts...which I mainly use. My wife have 10 speed XT there has never been any problems with it in similar use. Well I don't know if the Linkglide is any better than current setup but we'll see. Probably makes more sense on emtb use where you might do some hard shifts...

 

[arTNC]

Just ordered 11 speed linkglides to my ecommuter. Could have gone 10 speed but it wasn't available from where I wanted to order. I have 11 speed deore, nothing to complaint except cheap deore rear derailleur doesn't like salty winter weather. And hard to find those two smallest sprockets as spare parts...which I mainly use. My wife have 10 speed XT there has never been any problems with it in similar use. Well I don't know if the Linkglide is any better than current setup but we'll see. Probably makes more sense on emtb use where you might do some hard shifts...

I'd be surprised if you don't find a performance benefit of linkglide over hyperglide or SRAM for emtb use...especially over time. I used 9-speed SRAM and hyperglide drivetrain components for the three years I rode my Bafang BBSHD home built '03 Santa Cruz Bullit. As most here know, that motor is quite powerful even when programmed to soften up the hit , and the fact that it's cadence design isn't quite as smooth or intuitive as torque sensing.

SRAM and Shimano hyperglide components worked well over time, but when linkglide came out I used a complete CUES level 9-speed, linkglide drivetrain from shifter, derailleur, chain, and cassette in 11-36 gearing. Shifting under power and everywhere else, I noticed much improved performance in the form of solid shifts and a quiet drivetrain over my previous drivetrains. I rode this setup on my Bullit for several months before buying a new Gen II Trek Rail 7.

I figured I'd try just swapping the whole CUES drivetrain over to the Rail to see how it would work on the Bosch motor. I've mentioned this before, that I don't see the need for 12-speed or the extreme 50/51 low gear cassettes. Now, there's some real preference and how and where one rides that can change that for other riders. I ride a lot, and it's not flat where I ride, but it's not the Alps or the Rocky Mountains. Even on some nasty, rocky, technical climbs, I've not found myself needing anything lower than the 36T cog, but this is a discussion about linkglide and not really the gear numbers one wants.

So, even this lower end CUES, linkglide drivetrain now operating on a second bike has performed excellently on the Rail. There's quite a bit of time on this chain, cassette, and derailleur at this point, and I'm still not detecting any reduction in performance. I work part time at a bike shop and intentionally went to the CUES setup to somewhat test Shimano's claim that the CUES components are worthy of emtb abuse. I can afford what is considered "higher level" components, and I even removed the 12-speed system that came on the Rail. Right now I'm pretty well sold on linkglide for durability and shifting quality on an emtb that is aggressively ridden, and it's somewhat impressive that Shimano offers this kind of performance and durability in the lower priced CUES system.

 

[CarolinaCrawler]

I was looking over specs on the xt linkglide shifter and it looks like you can only upshift (to bigger cogs) 2 gears and downshift (to smaller cogs) 1 gear at a time. Is this true?

This may be a deal breaker for me. I’m truly spoiled by the double upshift.