Shimano Link Glide Drivetrain

Shimano Link Glide Drivetrain - Long Term Review

Рет қаралды 21,227

9 ай бұрын

If there’s something we’ve learned during our time in the bike industry it’s that Shimano doesn’t move quickly and when they make a claim, it’s usually an accurate and maybe even conservative one. So when Shimano released their 10-speed and 11-speed LinkGlide drivetrain with a bold claim of it being three times (3x) more durable than their high-performing HyperGlide + components, we knew there would be some elated mile-crunchers out there. Whereas the HyperGlide + drivetrain prioritizes weight, and shift speed above all else, Shimano’s LinkGlide is designed to offer the smoothest, most durable and longest lasting drivetrain components for hard chargers, eMTB riders and those who spend time in sloppy or nasty conditions. We installed an 11-speed Shimano Deore XT LinkGlide system on our Pivot Shuttle LT eight months ago and have ridden everything from PNW slop to a multi-state road trip through the dry and dusty desert as part of our eMTB Destination Tour. Here is our feedback after months and miles of abuse and neglect.
Check out the full review here:
theloamwolf.com/2023/10/15/re...
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Пікірлер: 105

@IsfjordenBASE 9 ай бұрын

The Loam Wolf is quickly becoming my go to for in depth reviews and testing on bikes. Love your content!

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Thank you so much we appreciate that!

@uuzd4s Ай бұрын

Well Done ! An excellent & thorough review that obviously came out of experience. The Shimano Cues system is being sold as "made for e-bikes" or at least more able to stand up to the heavier loads and higher torque of a big class III e-bike. One thing I can speak to based on personal experience is, Don't get the Shimano brand CN-LG500 Chain on backwards ! My new e-bike came w/ the Cues RD-U6000 10/11 speed Derailleur & matching CS-400-10 cassette but had KMC e- bike chain installed. When I'd decided to go w/ a larger Chainring I thought I'd try out the Shimano LinkGlide chain and proceed to install the chain w/ the markings/lettering on the "inside", instead of facing outward (like it says in the installation instructions). While testing & adjusting the shifting in the shop you knew something wasn't right just turning the Crank by hand. Rotating the Crank fetl "ratchety", iow, you could feel every sprocket cog engage w/ the chain. I didn't ride w/ this setup but until I did some online research, I finally read where this is a No-No. I reversed the chain (writing to the outside), and suddenly everything worked Very smoothly. 😊 I'm not sure if KMC chain has the same requirements, but I'll be paying attention to that in the future. And yes, I already knew that some Master Links were directional.

@forzer456 9 ай бұрын

You should do more videos on good value components and breaking it down so less bike incline people can understand.

@toddswinscoe1007 2 ай бұрын

Good review. I really appreciate the more affordable options reviewed.

@newttella1043 7 ай бұрын

Imagine that. A company is aiming for affordability, durability, and compatibility. If this groupset fails it's the consumers' fault.

@ryanmichels2981 9 ай бұрын

I just got a new ebike with linkglide. Haven’t used it a ton yet but so far I’m very impressed with its shifting capabilities, even under power, shifts really nicely. The expected longevity is just another added bonus! Oh, also, it shifts up multiple gears at once if you want, whereas some others usually are one gear at a time.

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Great to hear!

@studiotsunami3446 9 ай бұрын

my boi been liftin'! getting swole! i see you

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Ha ha thanks 🙏🏻

@wsl5585 9 ай бұрын

If I were to transition to emtb I've been thinking about drivetrain longevity when they are using drivetrains for non assist mtb's. Now, I know I'll replace with LinkGlide after wearing out the initial drivetrain. Thank you for sharing this info.

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Absolutely! Thanks for writing in and happy to help.

@picklespickles1155 9 ай бұрын

On a new trek emtb, my wife tore through two cassettes in six months and the poor shifting drove her crazy. I switched everything to linkglide deore 10sp, and a year later it is still perfect and she's happy with the shifting. My bike is next for linkglide.

@hwangsome 9 ай бұрын

Was not excited at all when it was first anounced but can see through your video that it's definitely interesting for people who buy their stuff and ride their bikes a ton.

@SouthernSender 9 ай бұрын

Just got this groupset for my ebike. First ride tonight!

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Congrats please be sure to let us know how you enjoy it.

@SouthernSender 9 ай бұрын

@@TheLoamWolf well new drive trains are usually quiet but this set was silent! Very impressed with the shift quality and tbh the shift speed was nearly instant for me. Super impressed and super stoked to see how long it'll last!

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Awesome to hear that! Enjoy many miles aboard it and hope you remain as impressed! Cheers to saving money and having a more durable product. Thanks Shimano!

@symmetricon1982 9 ай бұрын

Man, I was completely unaware of this product line. Might need to try this next before going all in on T Type. I like using Archer D1X to do the electronic shifting in the meanwhile.

@LIFEOFSTUFFEDANIMALS 6 ай бұрын

Yup, I was about to get a new bike with udh for gx axs but now I think I’ll wait and try this out

@dan11thehands 2 ай бұрын

My archer components the motor burned after 1 season the cie says no warranty just a deal on a new one so back to mechanical xtr it goes real good easyer to fix if a problem in the trails 😊

@TheAngryHusky 9 ай бұрын

You sold me. Just ordered this.

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Awesome we hope you enjoy and brings you many miles of smiles.

@NonLegitNation2 4 ай бұрын

I'm fully switching to linkglide on Friday. I have the Cues U8000 derailleur, Cues LG400 cassette and XT linkglide shifter sitting in my hallway waiting to be installed. Total price came out to about $240 for everything.

@TheLoamWolf 4 ай бұрын

Awesome! Hope you love it as much as we do.

@scottishcarver66 9 ай бұрын

I have xt linkglide on commencal meta 4x and 12speed xtr on my nukeproof mega and with exception of weight xt linkglide wipes the floor with xtr in terms of performance. It is significantly easier to find the cable tension sweet spot and is much more robust in terms of staying in the sweet spot where as the xtr is very fical and needs a bit of tweaking every couple of rides...

@hassebir 9 ай бұрын

Run the 10 speed on my levo and it is spot on. Bonus feature is that the spacing is larger and better for ebikes. Far less double shifts under acceleration. Price for the complete 10 spd. group is ridiculous :D

@lakaldrak 9 ай бұрын

Less Double shifts? Maybe U learn how to adjust Ur deraillor. Never have i ever Had a Doubleshift With 10 or 12 Speed on my E-Bike.

@hassebir 9 ай бұрын

@@lakaldrak Its that i dont need to shift two gears at at time because the gears are too close together in ratio. The 10 spd. spacing in ratio fits me better on my Levo - less shifting.

@lakaldrak 9 ай бұрын

@@hassebir oh i got that wrong 😅🫣. I understand yes U right.

@boxinggloves6834 Ай бұрын

will see.. I will pair it with microshift advent x deruiler,kmc chain and race face 30t ring. 💪🙏

@mrvwbug4423 9 ай бұрын

definitely makes sense for an e-bike. The less expensive Cues lineup also uses linkglide and actually look to be great for entry level bikes or a cheap drivetrain upgrade for an older bike, especially for 1x conversions on older bikes. For my analog bike I think I'll stick with my 12 speed XT and its double upshift and quad downshift.

@haemmertime 8 ай бұрын

I just did that on my 2016 Enduro, Cues-cassette upgrading the range from 46-11 to 11-51 + xt-linkglide shifter and derailleur, u6000 cranks. Weight or performance haven't yet been a crteria for me as it's my skills holding me back not the parts so I have chosen reliability.

@Krikstar123 7 ай бұрын

@haemmertime Looking at the same. Do you like it? Any issues or regrets? :-)

@haemmertime 7 ай бұрын

@@Krikstar123 so far I have no regrets, but I could barely ride since I installed it (because of university). Pinkbike did a review on it where Henry stated he would ride it on his personal bikes and doesn't have issues with it, maybe this is a more qualified review than mine.

@crankshoptv8141 9 ай бұрын

On a 32t 11/42t Turbo Levo, a steel 34t and the 11-50 Linkglide should be the only choice when your NX chain (or derailleur) snap.😂

@gary7vn 6 ай бұрын

I have a RIZE MD mid drive, with a 120 nm motor. My problem is that I keep destroying my freewheel and yes it is a freewheel. I am thinking that replacing the rear wheel to get a cassette and then installing a link glide might solve my problems. Any comments?

@grantnewby3756 9 ай бұрын

I have a Turbo Levo Alloy Comp and have been through 2 cassettes in the first 1,000k and have a Glink Glide setup waiting to go on next. The cost is one thing, but the wear and durability is another. Expecting a normal cassette and chain to handle the power of a modern E Bike is a big ask. You don't change gears as often because the power spreads the need to and blends the gears so often you can get caught in the wrong gear for sure.

@aliasrandom9241 9 ай бұрын

you're not going to regret it. I went from NX eagle to 10 speed linkglide cues u6000 group and the shifts are much smoother, predictable, no chain drops and 10 speeds on e-bike just makes so much more sense than 12... don't need to triple upshift when you have all that extra power to work with!

@walterbruce6053 7 ай бұрын

Can I run this on my current SRAM crank and will the cassette fit my rear hub??

@islandaerial3414 8 ай бұрын

It would be great to get 15,000 km out of one cassette. Is there a 'Linkglide' derailleur or, does a stock unit work? I get 5000 km with 2 chains out of regular SLX XT cassettes

@markroberts7866 9 ай бұрын

I’m running with a 12 speed sunrace cassette no idea what the chain is and a deore derailleur that came on my trek fuel exe I think an XT full set of either would be a lot better.

@wilsentwins 3 ай бұрын

Do we need spesific chain and chainring for linkglide to works?

@KaizersPOV 2 ай бұрын

a properly lubed and cleaned chain is the key to longevity. my doere XT groupset is clocking now on 2000km+. The wear on the chain is just about to reach 20%. you don't need a good lube I personally used 80W gear oil.

@emil7116 4 ай бұрын

Can you install 11 speed linkglide cassette and shifter with an ordinary 12 speed xt derailure?

@euanbegbie 9 ай бұрын

What was the weight difference on the cassette? You don’t say?

@antigravity19 9 ай бұрын

Was looking at this to replace a slightly wonky Box 2 setup on an older bike. One compatibility concern is it doesn’t jive with the older hyperglide pull ratios. So can’t reuse my XT shifter. Was interested at a 100 for a derailleur, but not 200 for both.

@LysergicCasserole95 6 ай бұрын

I've got a box two p9. God it sucks.

@antigravity19 Ай бұрын

@@JohnSmith-so7mh Yeah wasn't cassette I was worried about. Its the shifter/derailleur need to be the same pull ratio. My derailleur is my primary complaint.

@sheamus242able 9 ай бұрын

Anyone which new e-bikes come stock with linkglide?

@craigbest8644 9 ай бұрын

Depending on the weight penalty over a 12 speed id probably consider this for my normal bike,

@charltonmarc 9 ай бұрын

Will it work with m9000 swifter?

@uskypg 9 ай бұрын

Off topic: does that Feedback sports truing stand hold its balance with a 29 rear wheel with cassette on it or you have to remove the cassette? Thx a lot in advance

@robertmcfadyen9156 9 ай бұрын

I have custom built stands which have no problem with these components in situ .

@Boodoo4You 9 ай бұрын

I think I’ll upgrade to this. I’m running a 1x11 Deore 5100 groupset on my Cube Reaction Hybrid Pro, but the Bosch CX is putting a lot of power through it, so the cassette is not looking great. I really don’t mind slower shifting, but I do like durable parts. I’ve already upgraded the weak Tektro brakes to a set of 4 pot XT brakes, and it stops on a dime now. Now I’ll do this next. By the way, would I need to upgrade to a LinkGlide shifter too? My current is the 5100 11 speed.

@jayjavi00 9 ай бұрын

Is anyone going to mention this man's awesome hair. 😂😂😂 looks flawless. What's that hair product homie. Lol

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Ha ha ha. Thank you. I’m still waiting for Murray’s Pomade to sponsor me! 🤣

@ElevatedVehicles Ай бұрын

Will the cassette work w/ any derailuer?

@xav_1029 9 ай бұрын

Question about the smaller cogs. On a full power ebike, sprinting standing, side loading the bike while cranking through a corner…shimano cassettes skipped on me because the small cogs are just held by pressure from an aluminum lock ring. Is that skipping issue fixed because the cogs are thicker?

@piciu256 9 ай бұрын

It's the chain that skips, not the cassette dude.

@xav_1029 9 ай бұрын

@@piciu256 obviously it’s the chain skipping on the cassette…but it skips due to weak cassette design because the little cogs flex under heavy load. One piece SRAM cassettes do not have this issue.

@robertmcfadyen9156 9 ай бұрын

The lockring MUST be tightened to 40 newton metres with Shimano cassettes to minimise this effect .

@robertmcfadyen9156 9 ай бұрын

Chain wear is another thing to be checked before drawing conclusions regarding shifting slippage on the smaller rear cogs . Grinding in a high rear gear cog can " BRING OUT" slipping chain effects .

@xav_1029 9 ай бұрын

@@robertmcfadyen9156 funny you say that...2 (soft) lockrings stripped on my at 35nm or so. Had to wait for replacements to arrive. I literally tried everything and narrowed it down to this. I was able to reproduce this on 2 XTR cassettes, 1 XT cassette, 1 SLX cassette, on 2 different wheelsets with brand new chains and lockrings. After 1-2 rides, the issue appeared again. As soon as I put a SRAM cassette and chain on, the issue went away. Ebike only FYI. Also, I'm not a SRAM fanboy...actually run Shimano derailleur and shifters on my analog bike due to superior clutch.

@thewrx2600 9 ай бұрын

I wonder why they didn't go with a 12-speed group set, not because we necessarily need it, but seems to be the norm in groupsets these days. I assume this uses the newer shimano spine drive too right? little pro-tip you can use the collar on the cable end of the derailer from the xtr, to help reduce the sharp bend of the cable feeding into the derailer.

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

There are a few reasons, the main ultimately being chain strength and ability to increase thickness and durability of all products with fewer gears. The more gears in a cassette, the slimmer everything has to be. Secondarily, with a drive unit, many people are finding 11 or even 10-speeds is plenty. We agree that we've never been left wanting for more with the 11s setup here.

@ronaldmalae7169 Ай бұрын

12 speed on an ebike is overkill

@davidlewis1886 6 ай бұрын

I use this on my 2020 Turbo Levo Expert Carbon. It came with 1x11. I discovered to avoid problems I had to replace the chain and cassette at the same time, SRAM GX1175 cassette which I think has all steel cogs. I used the XT derailleur with this setup, and usually SRAM 12-speed GX chain. I kept 2-3 backups to avoid downtime. I replaced the whole shebang with the linkglide. Zero issues, have about 600 miles on it. Just replaced the first chain (using chain stretch tool to decide when). $300 for the whole thing including XT shifter and derailleur. Way better than the expensive stuff, and weight doesn’t matter on the ebike. Also don’t need 12 speed. I’ve been through a couple praxis steel front chainrings since I got the bike, they seem to hold up pretty well.

@danielzimmerman6421 8 ай бұрын

Does anyone know where the last three cogs can be purchased?

@RiteMau 8 ай бұрын

Right!!! I can’t find them either.

@craigd123 8 ай бұрын

They are a myth

@chacmool2581 6 күн бұрын

6:33 Not really surprising. The chain made out of steel, a harder material, is wearing down the softer Aluminium alloy. Not a problem of Hyperglide, but rather a fundamental materials property and limitation. An Apples-to-Apples comparo would have been Steel to Steel.

@jltrack 8 ай бұрын

The one downside of the Linkglide is that most new e-bikes come with microspline or Xd wheelsets. I would have to buy a HG freehub body for the rear wheel and sometimes budget wheels don’t allow you to swap freehubs at all. I would rather have an 11spd XT Linkglide over a 12spd XT Hyperglide drivetrain for an e bike any day. I’m not a pro athlete, slower shifting, fine, fewer expensive cassettes to replace, yes please!

@TheLoamWolf 8 ай бұрын

WE've been lucky that a lot of the bikes we've gotten for test have HG or XD and we can convert, but yes, valid point.

@bmartinot 6 ай бұрын

How do i find out if I can fit an HG to my bontrager wheels? So confusing all the diffrent parts and lack of compatibility.

@jltrack 6 ай бұрын

@@bmartinot if your Bontrager has an 9,10 or 11 speed cassette it is a Hyperglide HG freehub that is compatible with LinkGlide

@bmartinot 6 ай бұрын

@@jltrack thank you. That's a shame, mines a 12speed. I guess it should be pretty easy to find the right one for my hub in that case though.

@tonyvaccarelli7950 9 ай бұрын

why no 12 speed version ?and can I regress to an 11 speed from a 12? excuse the newbie question

@TheLoamWolf 9 ай бұрын

Durability and strength are the main reasons. The more gears you have in a cassette, the slimmer everything has to get as space is limited. That means teeth, chain links, etc. So, less gears allows for more durable chains and teeth profiles. You can go to 11 after 12, however depending on your driver body (SRAM XD, HG or MicroSpline), you may need a minor part swap to work with the cassette.

@tonyvaccarelli7950 9 ай бұрын

@@TheLoamWolf thank you for the explanation

@whitest_kyle 9 ай бұрын

Tbh I'm not sure why more ebikes don't come with Linkglide. If I smash my 12 speed XT on my ebike around the time I need a new cassette I'll definitely swap to Linkglide. 12 speeds is excessive on an ebike anyways.

@mrvwbug4423 9 ай бұрын

Linkglide only recently came out that is why. I think you'll see it a fair bit on low-mid tier ebikes going forward and SRAM transmission and powertrain on high end ebikes.

@robertmcfadyen9156 9 ай бұрын

I have had Linkglide under test with a worker of mine since the beginning of this year .

@eXaviar 9 ай бұрын

Do I need to switch vom HG free hub to micro spline?

@bikernaut1 9 ай бұрын

@eXaviar 9 ай бұрын

@@bikernaut1 then I think I need to look into it, when my next cassette is worn out

@davetscantech 4 ай бұрын

Micro spline isn’t an option

@blurglide 9 ай бұрын

Why does this require a different derailer?

@robertmcfadyen9156 9 ай бұрын

The trajectory across the teeth of the rear cassette is different to 10 speed DYNA - SYSTEM setups as the tips of the teeth are higher than with SG - X and the rear derailleur actuation ratio is slightly different . Somewhere between 9 and 10 speed setups , I found . Therefore a specific shifter is essential for it to function correctly .

@bikernaut1 9 ай бұрын

I will buy one for shure because I tear 11t cog in 300 km.

@robertmcfadyen9156 9 ай бұрын

I used to wear down 11 tooth cogs prematurely in the 1990's when I was much fitter .

@ignaciosevil1944 9 ай бұрын

raise your cadence, to make those drivetrain components last...

@PeterCPRail8748 9 ай бұрын

Shimano drivetrains at all levels have always been superior in shifting, smoothness, and longevity compared to Srams garbage quality and longevity. It's sad that a complete Shimano Deore group set, although a lot heaver, is far smother then Sram expansive GX. I find that on the sram equipped bikes I owned, I had a lot of phantom shifting on steep techy climbs. No such issues ever with Shimano at any price level.

@gary7vn 6 ай бұрын

Great video, but I think that the preferred term for the "teeth" on a cassette is "cogs"

@markxkovacic 3 ай бұрын

Cogs have teeth.

@pedalhound 8 ай бұрын

I wish more manufacturers would run this over SRAM shit....is there a list anywhere with what bikes have linkglide? I noticed that the Timp peak no longer has Shimano offerings...sigh...

@TheLoamWolf 8 ай бұрын

We agree! We've actually talked with Pivot a bit about this group and they could potentially be bringing a spec out for a more affordable eMTB with LinkGlide, which we're excited about all around. Fezzari was doing it but we're not sure why that stopped. Sadly, we think lots of people want the "latest greatest" marketing hype or message board commentator approval over what's actually better for them.

@johndef5075 9 ай бұрын

I think the regular Shimano is pretty durable. My deore chain and cassette is going on year 4. Chain still no measurable wear.

@eXTreemator 3 ай бұрын

🤦🏼‍♂️

@markcosens1 9 ай бұрын

Avoid the cues range, it's low tier garbage. I'm hoping to pair the 10speed 11/48 cassette with the deore m5130 mech, even though it's only rated to 43t, it's supposed to work.

@andreykobesp 9 ай бұрын

its work amazing, on my 26" all mountain Radon Slide, with legend 10 speed XT m780 shimano shifter

@wheelman8637 6 ай бұрын

What's the catch? Shimano has always been the king of planned obsolescence and incompatibility.

@jasonbare3472 9 ай бұрын

Second!

@gsum1000 3 ай бұрын

Shimano get it wrong again. I doubt that many people care about the smallest 3 gears on a MTB. The lowest gears are far more important for MTB but Shimano have removed the 51 tooth on the 11 speed and the 45 tooth on the 10 speed. Incidentally Shimano could have replaced their useless and unreliable clutch with the SRAM sprung pin method for slackening the chain. What a disappointment.