Shimano XTR FD-M9100 Front Derailleur

There are mountain bikers who believe the introduction of twelve-speed killed the front derailleur, but you’d beg to differ, and so would the engineers at Shimano. The Shimano XTR FD-M9100 Front Derailleur drives the point home with its smooth side-swing actuation, and a mount for just about any steed. It pairs up with Shimano’s XTR 9100 series 38-28t two-by cranks in front, and 12-speed XTR cassette in the rear, so you can ride with double the options of your buddies when you’re hammering up long, steep fire roads, or punching down the final descent and hunting for extra seconds to earn your new PR.

The XTR FD-M9100 Front Derailleur runs with a front-pull cable actuation, and features angled stroke adjust bolts for dialing in the perfect position for clean and snappy shifts on the trail. Shimano’s side-swing derailleur design better accommodates new suspension design, as well as the resurfacing popularity of two-by setups, by routing from the front of the derailleur, which lands you with a lighter overall design, and an additional 15-millimeters of tire clearance — but the real show stealer is the pull strength that is increased by a claimed 100% above previous generations, for reduced effort, and speedier shifts. Like we saw in the 9000-series, the cage is crafted from alloy, and features titanium hardware to keep things light, stiff, and reliable.

The best part of the Side Swing design is that there is only one M9100 derailleur — tha D, E, and M only signifies the type of clamp adapter it comes with. To use the same derailleur on a different frame, just swap out the adapter type for whichever one the new frame requires.