|
09/06/2008
|
 |
NSMB.com Gear - April 2003
 |
2004
Shimano Saint components
A scoop straight from Shimano
Cam McRae |
We are pretty pleased that Shimano chose nsmb as the first
media outlet to receive official information on its Saint componentry. Photos
and specs that have filtered onto the Web thus far came from catalogues shipped
to manufacturers deciding how to spec their bikes for next year. The information
below was leaked to us by Shimano Canada and all the facts have been verified.
It only makes sense that parts designed to be tough enough for the North Shore
should first see the light of day here. Thanks to Joë Layno for the scoop.
With the exception of disc brakes, most of the components we ride on came from
road bikes. Tullio Campagnolo invented the quick release (in 1930),
the derailleur (a dual jockey wheel version was patented in 1951), and the cotterless
crankset in 1958. Obviously, freeriding and downhill puts demands on bike parts
that were never envisioned by the Italian who gave us so many cycling innovations.
|
We have been served well by suspension manufacturers as well as those
producing brakes and frames, but the derailleurs we use today have been
altered very little from those found on 16-pound road racing bikes and this
continues to be the weakest link for technical riding.
Shimano has completely rethought the way a rear derailleur attaches to
a bike. In the past, our changers relied upon a flimsy piece of chromoly
or aluminum hanging down from the rear wheel dropout. If this hanger broke, it spelled the end of an aluminum frame and the end of
good shifting once it was bent. Replaceable hangers have been a godsend
in terms of frame preservation, but they have made good shifting even more
fleeting; something that's designed to bend and break away easily rarely stays straight for any length of time.
Shimano's approach is elegant in its simplicity: the rear derailleur
now attaches to the hub axle rather than a hanger. The
axle is steel (not aluminum as was speculated earlier) and is a true thru-axle.
Using an 8mm Allen key, the axle is inserted from the non-drive side and
threads directly into the back of the changer. This should prove to be
incredibly strong.
|
|
In the event of a flat, the axle is removed and the derailleur is left to hang
on the chain until you are ready to reinstall your wheel. Another technical issue Shimano dealt with was the tendency for its derailleurs to bang against the chainstay in rough conditions. The
Saint solves that problem as well with an 'adjustable bump stop'.
With current Shimano designs, the cable fixing bolt is situated under the derailleur
in a very vulnerable spot. In the photo above you can see the bolt sticking
up just above the word 'Saint.' Another innovation that has trickled up to the
changer is Shimano's 'cable tension saver' cam. Originally found on the C500
comfort series, the cam allows the derailleur to move independently of the cable
when it is struck from the side. Your cable adjustment will remain unaffected
and, because movement isn't restricted, your changer is less likely to sustain
damage.
|
In the past, Shimano has been accused of changing parts to keep the competition
out of the market - most notably changing crank spiders from five arms to four when aftermarket chainrings began popping up
left and right.
Cranks are an area where Shimano has been falling behind. I hardly know
a rider who hasn't broken a Shimano square taper bottom bracket, and ISIS Drive was
clearly leaving them in the dust. Shimano has stepped up with a system
similar to the new XTR, with a hollow BB axle and bearings mounted
outside the bottom bracket shell. I was assured that this system will
adapt easily to chainguides and E-type front derailleurs and one BB will
fit either a 68- or 73mm shell using spacers that will be included.
Chromoly three-piece cranks were used as a strength benchmark and Shimano
claims to have reached that standard while keeping the weight of the system
240 grams below the steel units.
The cranks are available in either one-, two- or three-ring configurations
and the double comes with a Lexan bashguard. Pedals thread into a steel
t-nut so you don't have to worry about stripping threads or ripping out
a pedal.
|
|
I'm a little disappointed that Shimano stayed with a traditional cup-and-cone,
loose ball bearing system for its hubs. When Shimano first began making disc hubs I
assumed they would be an inexpensive alternative that would work flawlessly.
Unfortunately, I found that XT rear disc hubs do not tend to remain free of play for any length of time - even when expertly adjusted. It could be that the stresses an 8-inch rotor exerts are too much for loose balls. Perhaps they have fixed
the problem, but I'm sceptical. On the plus side, the cups are replaceable and rubber
seals should help to keep the grime out. The hubs will fit on current frames designed
for quick release rear hubs.
Attaching rotors to hubs is now done with a lock ring system rather than the
traditional six bolts. There is no indication of why Shimano felt a new standard
was necessary here but the good news is that you will be able to use the 203mm
rotors for the current XT system if you absolutely have to try the new Saint
disks but can't part with your Chris King hubs.
This actually makes me wonder if it will be possible to retrofit the new rear
axle on some existing hubs to take advantage of the tough Saint derailleur mount
without springing for a new rear hub. It seems that Shimano might be allowing
some of this technology to be open source so hopefully we'll have some options.
| The Saint hydraulic caliper appears to be
identical to the '03 XTR units. It uses two opposing pistons and continues
the Shimano tradition of mineral oil as hydraulic fluid, which poses no
threat to your pretty paint job.
What makes this caliper unique is the fact that it is one solid forged
piece. Virtually every other caliper is made of two pieces bolted together, and Shimano says the added stiffness of the unit makes four pistons unnecesary. Clamping force is said to right up there with the
current XT four piston model (which we will be testing shortly).
Shimano designed the caliper to bolt directly to Manitou-type post mounts
or to those used by RockShox and Marzocchi with an adapter included with the brake kit, which means your brakes will fit with nothing more to buy. That's a nice touch from a company that has been accused of changing
standards too quickly.
|
|
You'll notice that the group doesn't ship with levers or shifters. This is because
the Saint stuff isn't a true gruppo in Shimano-speak, which explains why it doesn't
have a denomination like XT or XTR. A nice feature about the components is that
they will mesh perfectly with new spec XTR, XT and Deore. The Saint gear was designed
to address the parts that are crucial to freeride and DH while allowing compatibility
with the other groups. You can use some or all of the Saint parts on your bike;
pick the stuff you like and leave the stuff you don't.
Specialized has been taking freeride seriously for a few seasons now, and with
Trek and Cannondale taking stabs it's safe to say we are on the industry radar.
Now that Shimano has entered the fray it seems pretty clear that we are making sense
to the marketing and sales departments, and not just the keen riders in the trenches.
It remains to be seen if the Saint is tough enough for the kind of riding we
do (you can bet we'll get our hands on it for testing ASAP), but many of the
innovations seem to suggest that Shimano knows what time it is in our world.
Cam McRae
|
