Saint Reborn - Part 1
A Close Look at the new Group
Words by Cam McRae. Photos by Sterling Lorence.
Date: 2008-06-24
The first time I got my sweaty mitts on Saint componentry was way back in 2003. It’s hard to believe the tough, hard working gruppo has been around for five years – perhaps because most of the components have aged so well. The powerful brakes still do a job worthy of a 2008 bike, the cranks are as stiff and strong as a bronzed bull and the hubs and shifting components have stood the test of time. 
The entire 2008 Shimano Saint Gruppo.
In other ways the original Saint line up was getting a little long in the tooth. For one thing it was heavy. In 2003 riders were still buying 50lb Banshees and Balfas and most gravity riders hadn’t yet been seduced by the black hole that is bike slimming. Low Normal shifting (aka Rapid Rise) never really caught on but it was more of a hit than Saint Dual Control, which was introduced with a resounding lack of fanfare more recently. The Saint thru-axle system seemed like a good idea at the time. Instead of hanging off a spindly little hanger, the derailleur was held on by the thru-axle. It was robust when it worked but it was awkward when you needed to yank your wheel and a bent axle sometimes stripped the threads of your precious changer.
The original Saint gruppo didn't have dedicated levers or shifters.
All in all Saint ver. 1.0 was pretty damn good. It worked well and it was built to take a serious beating. This is probably the best way to get into the gravity market, rather than under-building products and having them fail, which isn’t an option given Shimano’s no compromise approach. The original Saint was still putting up some decent numbers but it was the right time to bow out gracefully like Gretzky, rather than hanging on too long like Mark Messier.
Gone is the rear changer that bolts onto the thru axle.
Many of you will be happy to know that 2009 Saint shifts like the rest of the world; push the big lever with your thumb and the chain moves up into a larger cog. Release the spring and it goes the other way. The shifter has changed however; you can now use your thumb or your finger to release the spring and upshift (to a higher gear/smaller cog). The good news here is that you can once again brake while shifting just like the original RapidFire way back in the day, or you can trigger it with your pointer finger like RapidFire Plus. In fact it’s called Saint RapidFire Plus but I think that fails to describe the dual thumb/finger action. Like SRAM’s XO shifters, Saint controls can now be adjusted further inboard or outboard and they will happily sit on either side of the brake levers.
The new Saint Changer employs Shimano's Shadow technology. The jury's out on the gold accents. Sterling took the wicked action shots of the components using a Magic Arm mounting device. Photo ~ Sterling Lorence
The new Saint rear changer uses low profile Shadow technology to tuck the weakest link out of harm’s way, but it’s a much more muscular version than its siblings XT or XTR. In fact it is probably the most radical looking Shimano Derailleur I can recall. The links in the lower parallelogram are widely spaced and they are offset from the upper portion of the mechanism, the part adorned with the Saint logo. For optimum shifting on both close ratio cogsets and on wider ratios, up to 34 teeth, the Saint system incorporates what Shimano calls a ‘Mode Converter.’ This is a small spacer that bolts into place with a pair of 2mm Allen head bolts. If you are using a large cog of 28 teeth or less you can yank it. The changer comes in long and short cage versions and the shorty will work fine on up to 34 teeth unless you plan on rolling with a front derailleur. A Saint front changer is available for those who want a granny on their big bike – and it’s designed with a two ring, 22-36 combo in mind.
A closer look at the funky new Saint derailleur. Tullio would approve.
It's clear that dropping mass was high on the to do list for Saint. The Cranks for example are said to have dropped 150 grams, and they now range from 1059 grams for a single ring to 1105 for a double with bashguard. Shimano also tells us they are 200% stiffer than XT. 100% stiffer translates to twice as stiff which means they are three times as rigid as the already robust XT sticks. This is bordering on overkill since the XTs have proven durable under some very hard hitting riders. They have a more streamlined look than the old fat Saint arms and I like the ‘honeycomb resin’ bashguard.
The new Saint cranks and bb shave 150 grams off the previous version.
The front hub looks a lot like the previous 20mm version but it now uses angular contact bearings to better handle the complex loads generated by aggressive riding. Shimano continues to avoid cartridge bearings so you’ll want to strip these down – but maybe not very often. Thanks to new labyrinth and lip seals they should seal 400%! more effectively than before.
The new Saint hub incorporates a micro ratchet for quick engagement and is only available as a thru axle. You can pick it up as a 135 x 10 or 12 or in a 150.
The previous Saint freehub was a fat mofo – with the same diameter between flanges as the 20mm front. The new version is about as svelte as most XC hubs. It is designed to be used as a thru axle and will be available in 135mm (10 or 12mm) and 150mm versions. It also incorporates a micro ratchet design for quick engagement.
One finger is more than enough. Photo ~ Sterling Lorence
Obviously everything above has to work well to keep you riding but there is little grey area; it works or it doesn’t but a rear changer or crankset is unlikely to make you faster on the trail. Brakes on the other hand can help you motor if they are working really well. For 2009 Saint has returned to a design reminiscent of Shimano’s first discs – the four piston, Grimeca look-alike XTs. Instead of having two equal diameter pistons you’ll notice that the trailing piston is smaller than the leading one. Shimano claims this helps make power more controllable and also helps to even out pad wear. The levers are compact and adjustable and they are the first Shimano brake to include what amounts to a contact point adjustment, although they don't call it that. The levers incorporate Shimano’s Servo Wave system which gears the lever pull to provide more pad movement off the initial stroke and less as you reach the end of the throw. This is designed to provide better pad clearance and modulation.
Wade Simmons doing some Saint testing of his own. Photo ~ Sterling Lorence
That’s what a hands on examination of the parts and the literature will tell you, but how the hell does it feel on the trail?
Tune in tomorrow for the answer to that question and for pricing in the US and Canada.
What do you think so far? Salivating for new Saint? Talk about it on the boards.
Click here for part II of this article.
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