Shimano’s new XTR Di2 M9200 wireless electronic drivetrain hasn’t redefined how derailleurs work or look, and neither has it vastly improved shift performance.
But what it lacks in innovation, it makes up for in reliability and familiarity.
Recognisably Shimano, the all-new shifter feels like the brand’s much-loved mechanical shifters, despite its under-the-hood tech.
The derailleur retains a slim Shadow outline and – maybe to the disappointment of some – the standard B-bolt mounting system.
However, this means XTR Di2 can be fitted to bikes with and without a SRAM UDH (Universal Derailleur Hanger), allowing for wider compatibility than SRAM’s Full Mount-only Transmission drivetrains.
The shifting will also be familiar to anyone who’s ridden Shimano's previous XTR M9100 drivetrain.
There’s a crispness to a well-timed shift; press the lever as a shift ramp on the cassette, and the chain and derailleur align, with gear changes feeling clean, precise and quiet.
But like on a cable-operated system, miss the opportune moment and the shifting can be crunchy, noisy or, at worse, accompanied by a bang.
However, what XTR Di2 M9200 makes up for in outright shift consistency, it makes up for with speed.
Riders who prioritise shift speed, shifter familiarity and wider bike frame compatibility will love XTR M9200 Di2 compared to SRAM’s Transmission.
Those looking for the ultimate in shift quality, the ability to rebuild and the easiest system to set up will probably prefer Transmission.
Shimano XTR Di2 M9200 drivetrain headline figures:
- Total weight (including 170mm cranks with 32t chainring, rear derailleur with battery, 126-link chain with quick link, 10-51t cassette and Di2 shift switch): 1,737g
- Total price (including 165mm cranks with 32t chainring, rear derailleur (plus battery and charger), 10-51t cassette and shifter): £1,399.94 / $1,801 (plus £59.99 / $68.99 for CN-M9200 chain)
Shimano XTR Di2 M9200 drivetrain details and specifications
Shimano XTR Di2 M9200 drivetrain real-life weights
- Shimano XTR Di2 M9250 12-speed rear derailleur (SGS): 416g (including battery)
- Shimano BT-DN320 battery: 23g
- Shimano XTR SW-M9250-R Di2 shift switch: 100g (with I-SPEC EV mount)
- Shimano XTR CS-M9200 10-51t 12-speed cassette: 367g
- Shimano XTR CN-M9100 126 link chain with quick link: 268g
- Shimano XTR FC-M9220 170mm crankset: 522g
- Shimano XTR SM-CRM96 32t chainring: 64g
- Total: 1,737g
Shimano XTR Di2 M9200 drivetrain installation and setup
Installation is relatively simple.
The cassette bolts to the freehub like any other Microspline unit, the cranks install in the same way – pinch bolts and all – and the derailleur screws neatly onto the hanger.
Setting the derailleur’s B-tension screw is the same, too. Pop the derailleur in the lowest sprocket and line up the bottom of the cassette’s lowest sprocket teeth with the line on the back of the cage.
Fine tuning or trimming the derailleur is also easy either via the E-Tube app or directly on the drivetrain.
Pairing the derailleur and shifter is also intuitive, and possible without the E-Tube app.
In theory, it’s all easy.
Unknown variables
That is until you start adding unknown variables into the mix.
Cue the stock UDH fitted to my test bike, the 2024/2025 Marin Alpine Trail XR, and to a lesser extent, its rear triangle.
Despite the setup going well on the repair stand, I was dissatisfied with general shift performance and the noise it made in the fourth gear on my initial shakedown rides.
Here, the derailleur was clicking and sneezing as it was trying to pull the chain up into the third gear.
To remedy this, I ended up with the trim function in its +18 position, which is the maximum outboard setting possible.
Set like this, the sneezing was reduced, but having the derailleur’s adjustment maxed out was far from ideal.
After again eliminating any possible setup issues, I focused on the UDH. Like many things in the MTB world, not all UDHs are equal. Some will be exact replicas of their design specifications, others less so.
To eliminate a potentially imperfect UDH, I installed a £35 Burgtec unit on the bike.
This helped remedy the fourth gear shifting issues, and I was able to move the trim setting back to its +9 position.
It's almost impossible to pin poor shift performance on one specific component. The stock UDH could be at fault, as could the frame. Equally, the derailleur's ability to handle a UDH that's out of spec may be the problem. In a perfect world, all the bike's components would be within their design specifications, and if they are, issues are likely to be way less common.
Shimano XTR Di2 M9200 drivetrain performance
I fitted the Burgtec UDH and tested Shimano XTR M9200 Di2 on my Marin Alpine Trail XR enduro bike over a six-month period across Scotland. I chalked up 730km and 30,656m of elevation.
Like other drivetrains I’ve tested, I’ve not been protective of XTR, but have looked after it and cleaned it as I expect an owner of a £1,399 drivetrain would.
After removing the factory grease from the chain and cassette, I’ve lubed it exclusively with White Lightning’s Clean Ride drip wax from day one.
It’s had a thorough workout, and I believe I’ve spent enough time on it to draw conclusions about its performance and longevity.
Shimano XTR Di2 M9250 rear derailleur performance
Shimano XTR Di2 M9250 rear derailleur robustness and durability
The £550 XTR derailleur is way more robust than it looks.
Its carbon fibre outer cage brushes off quarrels with rocks and the insides of ruts on bermed corners without so much as a scratch.
Punish it a little harder and the carbon cage marks, but its fibres don’t splinter, shatter or crack. The lacquer doesn’t even peel or flake, despite whatever it’s being smashed into doing its best.
Likewise, the P-knuckle to the cage's join is as play-free and true as it was on day one, despite the front of the clutch housing bearing the scars of a few rock strikes.
Compared to other derailleurs – think SRAM’s Transmission – XTR’s most damageable sections have remained relatively unscathed without any change in my riding style.
The 16mm thinner profile keeps the derailleur out of harm’s way in the first place.
Combined with its robust design, the chances of damage are low.
The B-knuckle and B-bolt also remained slop- and play-free during the test period, along with each of the parallelogram’s pivots.
For the lofty asking price, the derailleur’s a quality piece of kit that can withstand the rough and tumble of enduro riding in the harshest conditions.
Shimano XTR Di2 M9250 rear derailleur shift performance
The shift performance is perhaps equal to the robustness.
Many people have asked me to summarise XTR Di2’s performance, and my most common response is “it’s good”.
That sounds lukewarm, but the issue is that when SRAM launched Transmission, everyone’s expectations of shift performance were elevated to a new level.
Back to XTR Di2.
There’s no shift mapping; if you hammer the shifter button 12 times in quick succession, the derailleur will move exactly when you tell it to and by the same number of clicks.
You’d be a fool for criticising XTR M9200 for slow shifting because it’s lightning-quick.
Racers who need to bang through the gears, or those who like block shifting, are going to rejoice, but this sort of performance doesn’t come without its pitfalls.
The downsides of speed
If you manage to time each of your shifts so the derailleur, chain and cassette are aligned perfectly, the quality is impressive.
But doing so is a game of chance rather than skill; no one is carefully surveilling the location of the cassette’s shift ramps and waiting for the perfect shift zone to pass the derailleur before shifting.
While the results of shifting at the wrong time aren’t disastrous or frequent, the number of perfect shifts didn't quite live up to my expectations.
A cough, splutter, clonk, bang or even interruption in drive as the chain engages the next cassette sprocket is not uncommon, mimicking the performance of a standard cable-operated system, or SRAM’s previous-generation AXS drivetrain derailleurs.
Whether you think that’s a deal breaker will depend on your needs.
Is lightning-fast shifting at the occasional detriment of quality your priority? Or is almost total shift consistency more important, even if some shifts are slower?
Chain jams
Chain jams, caused by multiple successive shifts, are possible.
Mash the shift button 12 times and the derailleur will move as quickly as your thumb does from one end of the cassette to the other.
In this scenario, it’s possible to jam the chain – there’s no in-built override protection stopping you from bulk shifting the entire cassette.
While it’s unlikely to happen because you’d have to choose to lock up your drivetrain, it would have been nice if the derailleur’s software could identify how many shifts you’d made and stop itself from moving further to avoid damage.
Stars aligning
Aside from these complaints, shift quality is generally very good.
The consistency is predictable, even when the shift-ramp timing gods don’t quite align.
There are only a few instances when its behaviour isn’t as expected; performance melts into the background rather than standing out, which is no bad thing.
Shimano XTR Di2 M9250 rear derailleur clutch performance
Ditching the adjustable-tension clutch was a bold move.
It was a big differentiator between Shimano and SRAM derailleurs, with Shimano’s design favoured even compared to SRAM’s latest Transmission.
Now without an on/off switch, it’s more of a pain to remove and install the rear wheel.
You have to manhandle the derailleur forwards to get enough slack on the chain to fit the wheel because the cage can’t be locked, and neither can it be turned off.
But the trade-off for time wasted in the workstand is decent clutch tension on the trail.
On rough terrain, chain slap is controlled and noises quietened, although not muted entirely.
It’s still possible to hear the chain whipping about on occasion, especially on particularly rough successive bumps.
It's quieter than SRAM's Transmission in this respect; XTR's clutch tension – for its lack of on/off switch – is tougher than before, and better than the competition.
But testament to its performance, the chain didn’t drop once while descending during the test period.
Although getting the adjustability back would increase the P-knuckle's width, it would be great to have the option to add more clutch tension on particularly noisy bikes.
Shimano XTR Di2 SW-M9250-R shift switch performance
The pièce de résistance of the new XTR drivetrain, the shifter is excellent.
Although it’s clearly an electronic emulation of a mechanical design, this doesn’t detract from its performance.
The adjustable shift lever buttons can be adjusted easily – thanks to the ball and socket joint – so they’re in the right position for you.
There’s a familiarity with how it operates and feels, replicating the ergonomics of Shimano’s much-loved 12-speed mechanical shifters.
Both buttons’ input force, travel and feedback are spot-on; shifting on rough terrain doesn’t result in unwanted multiple taps, thanks to just the right amount of feedback.
My preference was the single-click shifting option.
While the ‘push through’ double-click shift felt good, I didn’t find it necessary because of the speed of the derailleur’s shifts.
Visually, it’s slim, sitting snugly under the brake lever. People who dislike SRAM’s larger Pod Controllers will love the XTR shift switch.
But whether what is essentially an electronification of a mechanical shifter is for you will depend on your needs.
Shimano XTR CS-M9200 10-51t 12-speed cassette performance
The cassette’s design has a pivotal role in how gear changes feel, with its shift lanes dictating when the chain can – and can’t – move onto the next cog, and there are plenty of opportunities for gear changes with M9200’s design.
Shimano’s carefully considered gear ratios are all present and correct.
The jump between each ratio is perfected to avoid significant differences in cadence, particularly between the 45t and 51t sprockets.
Shimano XTR CS-M9200 10-51t 12-speed cassette wear
While the cassette’s teeth haven’t become hooked, worn or blunted during the test period, it has lost its shine aesthetically.
The shift ramps and front faces of each of the teeth – particularly in the large sprocket sizes – have worn down to a bare metal finish.
Its wear rate is similar to the previous-generation M9100 cassette, but the coating's lighter colour makes it harder to notice.
However, some may be disappointed considering the £400 asking price.
Shimano XTR FC-M9220 crankset with Shimano XTR SM-CRM96 32t chainring performance
Although the cranks come fitted with protective 3M tape, this wasn’t enough to abate paint rub and crank-finish wear.
My riding position means I'm very hard on cranks and the XTR’s flat outer surface has taken the brunt of the rub.
Within just a few weeks, they’d begun to look tatty, and after a couple of months, the protective tape wore through and was peeling off.
Once the finish was exposed, it only took a few rides to polish it up.
Fortunately, they’ve proven to be structurally robust, resisting bending from floor and rock strikes, and general damage from riding.
Riders wanting to maintain the cranks’ aesthetics should cover them with thicker tape before riding.
The chainring has fared similarly to the cassette.
Most of the teeth’s finish has been rubbed off to some degree, but they’ve not blunted or become hooked during the test period.
However, the teeth that are in constant on / off contact with the chain where it exits towards the derailleur have started to wear down.
This is a common sight on 1x drivetrains, where chain slap while descending wears these teeth quicker than the rest of the ring.
For the £130 asking price, I’d have expected the chainring to wear slower.
Shimano XTR Di2 M9200 drivetrain bottom line
Shimano’s new XTR M9200 Di2 isn’t as bold as it could or should have been.
No rulebooks have been ripped up, no boundaries pushed or drivetrains reinvented.
While we’ll all concede that’s a shame for innovation, in doing nothing special with XTR Di2 M9200, Shimano has created a relatively refined, familiar-feeling setup that’ll work on any bike made in recent history.
Shifting and general performance echoes this; it’s very good, but not exceptional.
Is the allure of XTR Di2’s electrification enough to justify the hike in cost over M9100? In my opinion, no – it doesn’t perform that much better than its cable-operated counterpart.
What would I buy? If I wanted the best-performing, most affordable, durable, lightest-weight kit, I’d still get a mix-and-match smorgasbord of SRAM’s GX, X0 and XX Transmission components rather than going for a full XTR Di2 setup.
Product
| Brand | Shimano |
| Price | £1399.94, $1801.00 |
| Weight | 1737g |
| br_whatWeTested | Shimano XTR M9200 Di2 |
Features
| Crank options | 1x |
| Speed | 12 |
| Cassette options | 10-51, 9-45 |
| Chainring options | 29-38t |
