Shimano Saint 9 Speed Rear Derailleur M810

The latest Saint rear derailleur is an example of how quality shifting can also be brutally strong. Whether you're a downhiller or just an aggressive rider who tends to break things frequently, you'll appreciate the level of thought and engineering that has gone into the M810 Saint rear derailleur to make it the toughest option for mountain bike drivetrains this side of singlespeeding. While the original Saint components certainly ticked the indestructible box, the challenge with the latest M810 groupset was to provide solid parts that were also race-ready in terms of performance and weight. With more downhillers focussing on lighter wheels, carbon bars, air suspension and other weight saving techniques, Shimano stepped up the plate with a more refined version of Saint that would help drop grams off folks race-sleds. In a kind of mish-mash between the original Saint derailleur, the XTR and Deore XT Shadow derailleurs, the M810 has evolved into a sleeker but stiffer design that is up to the task of blasting through rock gardens and off road gaps. 

 

New Shadow technology employs a low profile design intended for more aggressive riding. Part of the Shadow design means the rear derailleur will not contact the chain stay, leading to quiet and trouble free performance. By bringing the mechanism closer to the bike and away from pesky rocks and trees, you run less risk of having your derailleur ripped off when the trail gets tight. Add to this the direct cable routing that means there is less derailleur cable hanging out the back of the bike, and you have a very stealthy setup ready for the most technical of rides. The Saint also features a much wider pivot stance for the link plates in the derailleur, so you end up with a stiffer and stronger chassis that is more resistant to twisting. Some additional areas where the Saint differs from Deore XT include the heavier tension spring that provides a firmer action through gear changes that is more positive and reduces chain slop when bouncing around on the trail. There is also a Mode Converter switch that allows you to setup the Saint derailleur for specific cassettes so that the top pulley follows the cassette teeth more closely. One position is for cassettes up to a 28t big cog, and the other position is for cassettes up to a 34t cog. Compared to the SLX, Saint rear mech uses a sealed ceramic bushing for the top pulley and a sealed cartidge bearing for the lower pulley, leading to longer jockey wheel life regardless of the conditions. While the Saint rear derailleur is ideally paired up with a Saint M810 R/H shifter, you can use any Shimano 9 speed MTB shifter, though you do get the choice of a Short or Medium cage depending on whether you have a 1x9 or 2x9 drivetrain.