Shimano 10-Speed for Mountain Bikes is in the House!

One recent addition to the pantheon of products offered here at Price Point is the all-new Shimano Dyna-Sys component range.

Dyna-Sys, Shimano speak for 10 speed, is currently offered in both SLX and XT level components. The SLX is virtually the same design as XT but uses some different materials to keep the cost down but with a small weight penalty. SLX and XT Dyna-Sys series components can be mixed and matched no problem.

Unlike the other big “S” component manufacturer out there, Shimano chose to go with a 3x10 for Dyna-Sys. While a 30 speed drive train may sound excessive, the logic behind Shimano’s decision is actually pretty sound.

By adding a 36 tooth cog to the cassette and revising the gearing on the crankset to 24/32/42 Shimano has essentially found away for more gears to equal less shifting.

Now bear with us for a sec while we break it down.

By adding a massively low gear in the back, Shimano has dramatically increased the useable gear range when you’re riding in the middle or big ring. Shimano refers to the middle ring as the “Primary Drive Gear” and with a spread from 11 – 36, you’ll be amazed at how much you don’t need to shift out of the middle ring.

When you do have to shift up front, the smaller jumps between the chain rings equals smoother shifting and a much more seamless transition to a new range of gears. By making the ratios up front a little tighter, you won’t have to shift as much in the back to find that perfect gear when making shifts between chain rings.

The other intriguing aspect to Shimano’s 3x10 system has to not so much to do with shifting as it does with the bike that you’re possibly riding. If you get into the nitty-gritty technical aspects of full suspension designs, you’ll quickly learn that the majority of suspension platforms are designed for optimal performance when ridden in a 32-tooth middle chain ring, which is something a dual ring crank is obviously going to be missing.

Now does that mean 2x10 systems are suddenly horrible? Not at all. In fact Shimano even has an XTR 2x10 system coming down the pipe. But for anything outside of a XC race machine, Shimano feels a triple is the way to go.

As with any monumental change in componentry, there’s not going to be much carryover from previous generation equipment. Freehub bodies that are 8/9 speed compatible are now 8/9/10 speed compatible as the dimensions of the cassette haven’t changed. So there’s no need to fret about getting new wheels. Shimano simply squeezed 10 gears into the space of 9 and this is where things start to change.

Because the cogs are narrower with less space in between, all the important drive train bits were designed to be specific to 10 speed. The chain and chain rings are narrower and the derailleurs are specific to the new gear range. On the front the big change is a revised cage to work perfectly with the new crankset. The rear sees bigger changes. The long-cage Dyna-Sys specific derailleur can be ridden in a ridiculous crossover gear of 42/36 without breaking a sweat.

The official word from Shimano is that the only compatible part from previous generation components is the front shifter. Because of this they are offering a 10 speed rear shifter available separately so that you don’t have a shifter go to waste or that you don’t end up with an unnecessary spare if you’re building the ultimate 1x10 set up.

While needing a to buy a whole new component group might sound like a bit of a bummer, especially if your hide is still a little chapped from having to ditch your sweet anodized purple brake levers when Shimano released the mighty V-brake, try to look at it this way: you’re getting a whole new component group!

That alone should be reason enough to celebrate.

Check out the whole lineup here.