While it’s really easy to slide the XTR shifter pod in the clamp to reposition the shifter, Shimano has missed a trick by not offering some rotational adjustment. The upshift lever on XTR has a better profile than XT and XTR is noticeably a notch above the other Shimano units in the shifting department. It also sports an extra shift on the right-hand shifter, allowing you to shift down two gears in one movement. We rarely use the second shift feature, but that could be because of a lack of familiarity with the feature.

If money is no object then XTR is the one to go for as the shifting feels slick, precise and light. The entry level SLX shifters gets our vote, however, as they are killer value for money.

Mbr rating: 9