Shimano M9100 XTR Groupset Review - First Impressions

I have been riding my new S-Works Epic HT frame since October last year. I’ve been enjoying the impressively awesome ride, but the bike has always been something of an incomplete work in progress. The 11 speed M9000 XTR / XX1 drivechain had been starting to show its age, the once bullet proof shifting no longer occurring the instant you clicked the paddle. Also I wasn’t taking full advantage of the frames 148mm "Boost" rear wheel spacing. I have been running spacers so I could use my existing rear wheel and I was in constant fear of losing one of the little red washers while fixing a puncture out in the wild, or of one rolling under the floor boards of the shed during an evening maintenance session.

With the arrival of Spring and with the new race season on the horizon it was time to finish the job and fit a groupset the frame deserved. I spent a long time debating the pro’s and con’s of Shimano M9100 XTR vs SRAM XX1 Eagle. Then just as I was about to commit along came SRAM AXS! Hands-up I ordered an electronic XX1 AXS groupset! I pulled out of the purchase in the end because this summer I have some rides planned that exceed the 10 hour predicted battery life. I could purchase a spare battery, but I know from the occasions when I forget to charge my Garmin or Mobile phone, that one day I would reach for the bike to go out for a ride and realise I’d forgotten to charge the battery. It’s a new world problem I could do without.

I’ve always preferred Shimano shifters to SRAM’s thumb/thumb layout, so M9100 XTR was my preferred option. However, Shimano faced a number of problems with the roll out of the new groupset. Gone was my preferred lightweight and racey 11 speed option. The original chain quick link wasn’t compatible with the two new Absolute Black Oval Chainrings I had hanging in the shed. (No problems with the new link supplied with my groupset.) Also not all the options were available when I came to order, so I was forced to make some compromises. The 12 speed 10-45 cassette was out of stock so I had to go 10-51 with a long cage rear mech. That is 100 g of extra weight right there compared to my current set-up and I don’t feel like I need or will use the extra gear. Also Shimano introduced  yet another new I-Spec configuration with the M9100 groupset so I couldn’t mate the new shifter with my existing Shimano brakes. (In the end I bought the new brakes as well – more on that later!)

First things first though was to sort a 148mm boost rear wheel. Strada Handbuilt Wheels built my existing Light Bicycles rim onto a DT Swiss 240 rear hub. I’ve been running a Stans 3.30 rear hub for the last 8 years and there is definitely a better pick up from the DT Swiss freehub and there is the opportunity of upgrades to improve this further.  Including the center lock adaptor for the disc rotor the 800g weight is only ever so slightly heavier than my original set-up despite the extra hub width. I'd be lying if I said I could feel any noticeable stiffness or performance benefit from the wider hub. 

I enjoyed an evening bolting the new components to the bike. Everything was straight forward, although I spent as long threading the rear brake hose through the internal routing as I did building the rest of the bike! Grrr! The next morning I hit the local trails with the boys for a Sunday blast that included a lot of climbing and fast flowing singletrack decents that would test the full range of gears.

The shifting is instantaneous as to be expected from a top tier groupset like XTR. Each gear is actioned with much more of a definite ‘clunk’ at the lever than the silky ‘click’ of the previous M9000. In fact I would describe the lever feel as quite SRAM like. This is no problem and I soon got used to it. I think the double downshift however does have a much nicer feel. At the other end the chain travels seamlessly up the cassette. Coming back down the gears is noticeably smoother than older groupsets. Shimano have introduced what they call Hyperglide 2 and you can feel when quickly dropping a bunch of gears that the chain doesn’t just tumble to the smaller sprocket, but smoothly purrs its way across the gears providing a much more consistent pedal stroke. It’s very impressive.

The standout feature of the groupset for me however is the brakes! I wasn’t going to replace the brakes, but after a number of issues with my previous M9000’s I decided to invest in the new stoppers. I never found the old brakes to be very consistent. The bite point would vary every time you pulled the lever – sometimes long, sometimes short. I’d bled them dozens of times, but this characteristic had always remained. The lever pull of the M9100 is the same EVERY time you pull the lever. I cooked the pads on one descent, I could smell the burning rotors, but the lever pull never changed.

I finally have that new bike feeling the excellent S-Works frame deserved. Shifting is crisp, the bike is silent beneath me and everything gets on with its job flawlessly and without complaint. Silence is another characteristic of the DT hub with its almost inaudible freewheeling. There is also that massive extra 51 tooth emergency gear should I ever need it! Coupled with the improved handling of the S-Works frame this really is definitely the best bike I’ve ever owned. I can’t wait to get her into her natural habitat – the race track!

Review - New MT Zoom MTB handlebars. How wide?

When upgrading to Shimano M9100 XTR the brake clamps are much further inboard compared to my old M9000’s. This revealed the slightly marked surface underneath so I also decided to upgrade the handlebar.

I knew my existing 680mm bar was narrow by today's standards but the 760mm MT Zooms looked ridiculous when I unpacked them and held them up against the old bars for comparison! I'm old enough to remember cutting my bars down to 580mm on my old GT back in the ‘90s.

Old skool vs New!

I’m slim build and not particularly broad shouldered. I also don’t possess monkey like arms, so there was no obvious bike fit benefit to be gained by the extra width up front. Wide bars are definitely the current trend, but despite searching online I couldn’t find any substantiated performance advantages of going wider. The only problem I’ve ever had with my existing bar width has been bashing my hands on trees during races or when twisting through wooded singletrack. Occasions when extra width definitely would actually be a disadvantage!

In the end I spoke to some other local riders and cut them back to 720mm to start with and we’ll see where we go from there. There are very clear markings every 10mm on the outside of the bar to ensure that you cut evenly and straight!  

Despite being wider the impressive 131g weight (once cut to 720mm) was still lighter than the bars I took off. I opted for the 9 degree backsweep option as I like the added comfort this provides by slightly angling the wrists.   

The extra width was noticeable and felt slightly odd when I first set-off. Having my arms wider definitely pulled my body weight forward, which is probably not a bad thing, when it comes to weighting the front wheel in corners. If it does prove to be a comfort issue longer term I might consider a shorter stem. The new position did feel uncomfortable on my hands while I got used to it, but once off road I completely forgot about the bars as I moved my body position around to manoeuvre the bike. By the end of the ride I felt completely at home with my new set-up and despite the extra width I hadn’t ridden into every tree I passed. To me the handling of the bike wasn’t noticeably different.

Actually one advantage of wider bars I did notice only became apparent on the 5 mile road bash back to my house from the trails. There is more room for your hands to hold the center section of the bars next to the stem to adopt an aero tuck!

In summary the MT Zoom bars are extremely good value for the money (£99 – xcracer.com) They are very lightweight compared to the majority of the similarly priced competition. The matt black finish and stealth logos suit my frame and they are fashionably wide if you want to follow the trend.

2019 Southern XC Regional Championships

I’m not sure if a 6 mile family trailer bike ride is perfect preparation for a race in the afternoon. However, it was a beautiful morning and I didn’t have to leave home until after midday given the afternoon start time for the Veterans races nowadays!

Crow Hill was the scene once again for the Southern Regional MTB XC Championships. Although I drove through a couple of rain showers during my drive to the New Forest, the sun was shining when I arrived and the course was dry and extremely dusty on my exploratory warm-up lap.

There was a very large field of close to 50 Veterans at the start. Unfortunately I was gridded near the back after skipping the previous race and a DNF at the first round of the series. Through the sea of helmets I could barely see Marc Chamberlain and Paul Hopkins at the front!

At the starters whistle we screamed off around the starting loop. The start of a XC race never fails to astonish me! Even at the back the sheer brutal shock of the flat out sprint from a cold start had my legs and heart screaming for mercy! Initially I barely held my own, but then I began to fight and made up a few positions. After all the frantic sprinting 50 riders eventually had to funnel single file into the wood, almost coming to halt and then cruising through the first section of singletrack as things settled down!

Having narrowly beaten me in my most recent races sticking close to Stefano, riding for Beyond Bikes was my target. He was a couple of riders ahead in the line as we swept through the trees. As he picked off one or two places I fought to keep pace, but always a position or two behind. Then suddenly in the loose dust he lost his front wheel and was down in a shower of dirt. I squeezed past, but he was quickly up and hot on my heels.

I like the Crow Hill course, mainly because it has some decent elevation gain which plays to my strength. This year however, the route was run in reverse to previous years. This meant that the climbs were tight rooty and technical and not the usual wide open trails. So passing on them required going off line and having to squeeze through between the trees.

During the first lap the pace was relentless, but you couldn’t give an inch or the riders behind would pounce. There was a long fireroad section ¾ of the way around the lap and I tucked in to get a slipstream, trying to take the pressure of the pedals slightly and reduce the lactic in my legs.

I relaxed too much and Stefano coasted past me just as we re-entered the singletrack. I sucked onto his wheel and on the final climb to the line re-passed him again. We were both still slowly but steadily making up positions and working ourselves forward in the race. Back into the singletrack and Stef was through on the inside and I was chasing again, drifting through the loose corners and bouncing over the roots.

Half way around the lap we caught a long line of 6 riders.  It was like a convoy on a busy country A road. Slowing us down but still moving fast enough to make passing difficult. As we hit one of the narrow inclines I tried to sneak up the inside. The roots bounced me wide and into the path of Stefano, I apologised and conceded the position again as he had the momentum. Gathering myself I surged a second time up the left passing Stef and the rider ahead, but was then trapped on the outside of the next corner and with no way back into the queue had relinquish both positions.

I was frustrated and had to coast behind Stefano at the back of the crocodile for a few more bends before I could try again. This time I was in the long grass sprinting up alongside the queue of riders. My unorthodox line meant I was squeezed up against the fence. The rider in front didn’t know I was there and cut across, to avoid taking us both out I had to brake and swerve violently across the track. As I swung across the path I collected the rider next to me, our bars interlocked we rubbed shoulders both trying to shake ourselves free and maintain position.

Separated at last I chased the rest of the pack and through the next section of fast sweeping corners finally fought my way to the front of the line. This however, was only half the job, now I had to try and break clear. For the next lap I tried to create distance between myself and those behind, but every time I teased out any sort of advantage one of those behind would close it down and drag all the others with him. We continued like this for some time, until I began to fatigue from my efforts and let some riders through so I could shelter behind them in the group and try to recover.

We continued to swap positions as sections of the course played into each other strengths. Some would surge through the sweeping bends or make up ground on the descents, I’d pull back time on the climbs. Each of us fighting to hold our ground. Eventually by natural selection we began to shell riders out the back of the group one by one. Stef was still behind me, but as we started the penultimate lap he attacked and surged through. It was an intentional concerted effort to make the split and I couldn’t go with him.

I chased and chased but the gap hovered at 10-15 seconds. I was tantalizingly close but unable to bridge back to his wheel. It was now that the rain arrived. Under the trees it initially remained dry, but the open sections became treacherous and the dusty surface became a paste. I glided wide with little control through corners we’d been railing flat out a lap earlier. Riders were constantly having to test and reassess the levels of grip under their tyres at every corner or wet root. I admit that conditions like this do not play into my hands.

As we began the final lap Stef was creeping away, but there was nobody behind me now. With little to loose I put in some big efforts on the first couple of climbs and got Stef back into striking distance. Into the next descent, I threw caution to the wind, chucking the bike through the corners, when suddenly the front wheel washed out from under me and BANG! I was down in the slippery mud.

In such situations you don’t think about the pain, you just leap back on the bike and go, go, go! All you can think about is not losing time. Cursing myself I bashed the brake levers into position, amazingly everything else seemed to be pointing in the right direction!

There wasn’t enough time to close the gap to Stefano now, but still I chased, in case he made a mistake similar to my own. The nerves began to jangle slightly because I could now hear and see the rider behind. When I glanced back he was out of the saddle and in full pursuit! He closed on me towards the end, but I had enough time in hand, finishing 23^rd, 30 seconds down on Stefano.

As I chatted to Stef after the race I became vaguely aware of the pain in my knee. By the time I went to bed I could only lay comfortably on one side! The final lap accident had been quite hard.

It had been a truly awesome race. One of my most enjoyable in recent memory. It had been close with battles from start to finish. The weather had mixed it up, the changing conditions definitely spicing up the final couple of laps as things went from fast to treacherous. 23^rd is about par for me at the Southern Champs over the past 6 or 7 years. I consider myself a pretty competent rider, so that I can race as hard as I did and still finish 15 minutes down on the winner just shows the level of those guys at the front. I must take heart that I was mid pack in a large and very experienced and skilled Veterans field with some good riders behind me. I was around 1 minute from the top 20 which was my goal before the race. Most of all though, it was damn good fun!!

The future of XC racing in the UK?

I do worry about the future of our sport.

Yesterday while I jostled with fifty eager over 40's on the grid of the Veterans race, they called up the riders for the under 18 youth category. Only TWO lads came forward! At the Regional Championship!!

The trouble is where is the motivation for those two to stick around? I enjoyed one of my best days racing yesterday. Not because of the result, but just the sheer pleasure of racing. The adrenalin fueled enjoyment of shoulder to shoulder competition with those around me, plus the chance to share experiences of race with those same opponents afterwards. 

Southern XC - DNF

In reality I knew I shouldn’t be riding let alone racing. Still I convinced myself to drive to Hampshire for the first round of the Southern Series. I’d developed a phlegmy cough during the week which had headed to my chest leaving me short of breath. The only reason I was still tying a number board to the handlebars was largely out of frustration. I’ve been feeling really strong on the bike in recent weeks and had been focused and looking forward to this opportunity to turn that form into a race result.  With such a limited number of XC races this year I couldn’t face missing the chance of racing. Especially on a local course very much suited to my strengths, where last year I finished on the podium. My previous race this year had been affected by a mechanical issue so I was really keen to get a result on the board that I felt my current form deserved.

I got a lot of coughing out of the way on the warm-up lap. As usual the Matterley course was defined by the long climb up from the valley. The rest of the course traversed its way up and down the steep Downland hillside, linking woodland singletrack with gravel farm tracks. Veterans were racing in the afternoon by which time the course had dried considerably, but I’d imagine that it had been a very slippery experience for the morning races. A bitingly cold northerly presented a serious headwind during several of the more open sections of the course.

Off the line I kept a close eye on those familiar faces I’d normally expect to be racing. Initially I kept them in sight, but in hindsight it was clear I was actually just hanging on. We reached the foot of the climb for the first time. I’d expect to be strong here, this is why I like this course. But there was no fire in the legs, no attack! I barely held station. I dragged myself to the top and then watched the gaps ahead gradually grow while my lungs fought for oxygen and the legs tried to recover.

Perhaps it was tiredness or maybe I was trying to overcompensate, but I misjudged one of the opening corners of the second lap, the front wheel washing out from under me on the slippery chalk. I was quickly back up, but it was a further 10 to 15 seconds given away.

I dug in and clawed back the positions I’d lost during the fall, but those I’d hoped to be racing were by now in a different race up ahead. The second time up the climb was worse than the first, this time I was actually shipping positions. Sliding backwards and now nearer the tail of the 50 rider field than the front.

As I crossed the line I became aware that the mechanical issue which plagued my last race had returned. The chain had slipped off the lower jockey wheel. I stopped, looped the chain back on and set off again a further 10 – 15 seconds given away and another dent to the motivation. Physically I was struggling and my pace was slowing. Mentally I was also now a mess. I was passed by two riders I can usually comfortably beat and as they rode away from me I had no response, I had given up. I backed off and spun my way around the remainder of the lap, rolling across the line and then heading straight for the car and home 2 laps early.

It was my first DNF for nearly 5 years, leaving me angry and frustrated. If only the race had been a week earlier when I had been flying. I feel I’ve missed a golden opportunity at a course suited to my strengths. I’m also cross with myself for even trying and putting myself in that position of failure.

I’ve been away travelling on business this week. Being away from the bike hasn’t helped me get over the irritation of last weekend. Now I am home I need to reset and focus on the rest of the year.  

Gorrick Spring Classic 2019

Holding an event in February and calling it the “Spring Classic” could be viewed as slightly optimistic. However, the weather gods looked kindly on the Gorrick organisers. The sky was blue and there was definitely a hint of warmth from the dappled morning sunlight glinting between the trees. After a dry week the trail conditions were a perfect blend of fast and grippy.

The Crowthorne venue has been on the cross country calendar since the 90’s, but the Gorrick route planners had been busy producing new sections to link together the more familiar classics like the corkscrew. In fact I twice turned the wrong way on my warm-up lap, so familiar am I with the traditional layout! Gorrick courses don’t usually feature anything too technical, but the lap included two steep drop offs that offered a choice of the A or less challenging B line. (I rode the A at both.) On the whole though it was the usual mix of singletrack, trees, roots and short punchy climbs, broken up with the occasional fireroad to allow some passing.

Maybe because of my detours during my warm-up I rolled up to the start a little later than intended. This meant I was right at the back of the 38 man Veteran Plus grid, the biggest category of the day. We swept away from the line and I chased the pack along the undulating fireroad making up places as we sprinted up the inclines, rear tyre scrabbling for grip and then tucking into a slipstream on the descents.

Streaming into the singletrack I continued to fight my way forward, sneaking past riders whenever the opportunity arose. Approaching different riders you quickly assess their comparative strengths and weaknesses. I’d catch some and frustratingly follow them through the singletrack twists and turns looking desperately for an opportunity to get by, only for them to power off as soon as the course opened up. Others I would fly past on a climb and then feel them breathing down my neck through the next set of corners. Sometimes they’d repass me and I'd have to wait for a second opportunity to pass and break away.  23 minutes into the race and we completed the first of four laps. I was up to 13^th.

Since I moved up to Vets last year I have discovered how competitive the Vets category is. As well as the biggest field it is also the fastest. Multiple national champ Paul Hopkins was  already several minutes up the road and set the fastest laps of any race category. In the fiercely competitive and closely packed midfield I found myself in a group of five riders. We weren’t always nose to tail, but were constantly within sight of one another. As the race ebbed and flowed we traded positions during the next couple of laps. Although I maintained a consistent pace I now found myself sliding backwards within this group rather than continuing to press forward. An Evans sponsored rider I’d passed earlier was tracking me closely. For two laps the gap behind was never more than a few seconds. I pulled away on the climbs and he’d pull me back on the flat. As we approached the line to begin the final lap he was hot on my heels.

I decided to pop in a gel for a boost of energy, and the brief relaxation in pace was all he needed to sneak ahead. I could see all 5 of the riders ahead of me when the course opened out. If I needed an incentive to push this was it! On my limit I dug really deep on two draggy slopes as we entered the final stages of the race. Despite my efforts I hadn’t made any significant impact on the gaps ahead. Even worse I could hear a rider approaching from behind!

I threw the bike through the final sections of singletrack, bouncing off the roots, elbows brushing the trees. I was so desperately concentrating on not getting caught I was quite surprised when I rounded a bend and realised I had closed right up on the rider ahead. The trouble was that trapped in the tight trails under the trees he was slowing my pace and allowing the rider behind to close us both down even quicker. There was nothing I could do but wait for the last short steep little squirt uphill before the twists down to the finish. I made sure I was tight on the wheel infront as we turned into the climb. I had to take the less favourable line over the roots if I wanted to get past. I jumped on the pedals, the rear wheel bouncing on the roots. I was pushed further left than I wanted to go, off the path and into the bracken. I recovered and kicked again. I got alongside, but I was on the outside of the next bend and had to concede position as we dropped down and crossed the line.

Gorrick produced a fantastic course, in prime condition, boosted by beautiful weather for the time of year. Brilliant close racing is such a buzz and I love the physical challenge. I finished 19^th with the 5 positions ahead covered by only a minute. Vets is tough and unforgiving but such good fun!

Every day is a cycling day!

January was full of rides like this!

I rode a bike every day in January! Over all the years I’ve been cycling and training, this is the first time I’ve ever ridden every single day of a calendar month.  It wasn’t a New Years resolution or something I intentionally set out to do either. However, once it became a "thing" I couldn’t resist the little personal challenge.

So how did it even become a "thing"?

Early in the month the trail conditions were perfect. i.e. Dry and fast! Two new bikes at Christmas for the younger members of the family had helped fill the weekends. Plus with the kids still on vacation and requiring no school run duties, I was unable to resist the pleasure of the perfect night time trails after work. I remember the first time it rained since well before Christmas; it was the 17^th. Typically the 17^th was the day I was leading the club MTB ride! The next day was a Thursday, which is normally one of my non training days. After dinner I was sitting in front of the TV with my feet up. Casually I checked the Garmin App on my phone and noticed that the proceeding 17 days were all green, indicating activities logged. It seemed a shame to end the run so hopped on the turbo for 30 minutes of Zwift. 18 consecutive days - and now I was aware there was no way I could just stop there!

I was racing that weekend and should have been resting in the days leading up to the event. I chose "active recovery" instead of a days off! Saturday I made the excuse that I had to check the bike ahead of Sunday, and ambled around the local lanes, when clicking through the gears in the bike stand was all it really needed.

The accumulation of miles and days began to take their toll the following week. I was noticeably tired and my legs were heavy. Even getting out of my chair and walking around the office I could feel the burn. Mid week rides became easy low power spins, as I desperately tried to recover. Surprisingly it worked because come Sunday I was able to enjoy a cracking 4 hour MTB ride with the boys.        

17th January - First rain for a month and also the CCR club ride!

Monday was pay back for that fun. I felt utterly drained during my usual commute. Almost grinding to a halt into the light headwind across the airfield on the way home. There was absolutely no motivation for my typical detour up the hill. I sat on the bike Tuesday evening feeling so weak I was barely able to turn a pedal. I laboured away, hunched over the bars, head lolling, no speed and no energy. I had another race that weekend. I should have been tapering and I told myself that night as I went to bed that I had to rest the following day. Of course by the morning I’d convinced myself a couple of easy miles on Zwift to keep the 23 day run going wouldn’t hurt. Then a funny thing happened. After 15 minutes warming up I felt stronger and was able to push hard on the climbs and take on the sprints. A quick ride became a full 60 minute Zwift workout. Thursday was the same and after work on Friday I powered up the hill and hit the local trails flat out. Two days later, Sundays race result was my best of the winter! My body had adapted to the new regime.

31 consecutive days. Every day of 2019 so far!

2019? Is that now the new "thing"?!