Riders with Shimano shifting will now be able to go fully wireless for a little under £570, as Shimano launches its latest entry level drivetrain.

The new entry-level Deore M6200 Di2 package is electronic and backwards compatible with older Shimano stuff, meaning you’ll be able to snap up the new derailleur for £374.99 and the latest shifter at £124.99, and bin those old cables.

Shimano Deore Di2 get the same top end features as XTR, but with heavier materials it’ll be heavier

Deore isn’t the only new drivetrain out there either, the Japanese brand is also showing off its new XT groupset, which sits between Deore and the top end Shimano XTR with wireless electronic shifting I rode earlier this month.

All three Di2 drivetrains get the same amazing new tech too, with fast shifting and a bullet-proof and compact new mech that rolls out the way (and back again) during an impact. Let’s break down the details then and explain the two new ranges in full, including pricing and availability.

Shimano Deore XT in Bend, Oregon

Shimano Deore and XT need to know

• Deore and XT offer the latest wireless shifting we saw with XTR, for less money – £569.96 for Deore upgrade
• Deore features a new mech and shifter only, while XT is a complete groupset with crankset, brakes and wheels
• Highlights include fast gear changes, impact recovery system and a new programmable shifter
• XT gets a choice of 10-51T cassette or a new 9-45T compact block for XC racers

Before I get into the details on the new Deore and XT, there’s the elephant in the room to get out of the way. SRAM also makes a wireless upgrade kit for its most affordable wireless drivetrain, GX Eagle.

SRAM’s GX Upgrade Kit can be had for under £400, which makes it pretty compelling next to the likes of XT

The problem for Shimano is that the GX Eagle AXS Upgrade Kit costs just £529, it’s also backwards compatible and undercuts Deore here by some £40. I also found this kit for less than £400 online.

That also leaves one of the best mountain bike groupsets in recent years as the only mechanical groupset Shimano now offers with 12-speed: SLX. Shimano says it is remaining in the lineup, while mechanical XTR, XT and Deore are all now discontinued. Are there big plans for SLX then, with it evolving into the brand’s lightest drivetrain? We shall see.

Shimano Deore

The new Deore isn’t a complete groupset in that there aren’t dedicated wheels and brakes running alongside it, like XT or XTR. But what is on offer is a new wireless derailleur, and an accompanying shifter.

For everything else you’ll need to dip into the XTR or XT catalogue, just make sure you’re getting the right shifting technology: Shimano offers something called Hyperglide+ for 12speed shifting, and Linkglide for 11speed. You’ll also have to factor in 39.99 for a battery and £29.99 for the charger, meaning the total outlay is £569.96

There are two mech options, one for regular mountain bikes and one for e-bikes. The former uses the same battery we saw on XTR, and it’s also hidden away inside the derailleur’s parallelogram for safety. The latter is hardwired into a Shimano EP801 e-bike battery, meaning you never need to worry about charging it.

If you’ve got an e-bike from another brand like Bosch or Specialized, Shimano doesn’t recommend using any of its Di2 setups though. The wired version won’t work without a Shimano battery to plug in to, and the non-ebike mech could be damaged by a rival motor.

Testing Shimano XTR Di2 M9200 in Spain earlier in 2025

The Deore mech uses the same Shadow ES tech I reviewed on Shimano XTR M9200 Di2 this month, with skid plates to fend off impacts, and a compact design. It will also retract if you clatter it into a rock, and roll back into position again afterwards.

Deore also get dual spring chain stabiliser rather than an old style clutch mech. Shimano told me it applies tension to the chain more evenly across the spread of gears, which should inhibit the suspension much less.

What’s not the same as on XTR then? Shimano hasn’t published weights yet, but with a steel cage rather than carbon it’s going to be well over 500g, while XTR hovers around 400g.

The Shimano Deore Di2 shifter gets tactile paddles, and a third customisable button

The shifter looks almost exactly the same as the XTR model I used. Presumably it still requires a physical push to use, which in turn moves a cam and sends a digital signal to the mech to shift up or down. And this is something I really liked on XTR, it gives a much more tactile feel and better control over your shifting than AXS.

I also liked the opportunity to rattle up and down the gears more quickly than on SRAM Transmission. There are options to tune the shifter to move one gear at a time, perform a double shift, or just run all the way up or down the cassette.

Deore is built to run on either a 12-speed cassette with Hyperglide+, or an 11-speed using Linkglide

Deore Pricing

• Derrailleur £374.99
• Shifter £124.99
• 39.99 for a battery
• £29.99 charger

Look out for XT Di2 on a range of top end bikes this summer

Shimano XT

Deore XT M8200 Di2 is a complete groupset, meaning Shimano has also launched new wheels and brakes to run alongside the drivetrain. And just like with Deore, it gets the exact same functionality I saw when I tested XTR in early June.

That means the the mech uses Shadow ES technology, which is basically a posh way of saying its aerodynamic looking to shrug off impacts. It get she same impact recovery system too, and the same dual spring stabiliser. There are also two options to pick from, one for e-bikes where the system it wired into the main battery, and the other with a self contained power pack hidden inside the mech. The derailleur itself uses an alloy cage though, unlike XTR that’s gone carbon, or the cheaper steel of Deore.

XT is also available with a more compact cassette. The pong cage version is standard Shimano 10-51T, but there’s also a high gear option with a 9-45T setup, only the second time we’ve seen a 9t since XTR launched this month. It’s been designed for XC riders who don’t need the crawler 51T most of us use to get up steep climbs.

There’s a new crankset for XT that’s geared towards everyhing, Shimano says, from XC to enduro racing

The cassette varies very little from the XTR version, except it’s missing the titanium sprockets. Instead the 10 highest gears are steel, with just first and second gear made from alloy.

There’s a new Deore XT M8200 crankset to go with the rest of the drivetrain, and unlike the XTR version that has dedicated enduro and XC versions, there’s just one option. It gets a 176mm q-factor, 55mm chain line, direct-mount chainring design, and a standard 24mm steel axle.

Crankarms are limited to 160, 165, 170, and 175mm, meaning there’s no short crank option of 155mm, something many modern e-bikes come with as standard. Chainring sizes run from 28T-36T, and it uses a regular 55mm chainline.

Shimano’s new XT brakes run flush to the bar, and with a new lever sweep I’m excited to try them

XT brakes

The new Deore XT XT M8200 brakes have had the same treatment Shimano gave to XTR. It’s been totally redesigned to sit closer to the bar, features new pistons and seals, a pull stroke rather than push, and a new ergonomic alloy lever.

Four pot or two pot, the choice is yours: and with the rattling vented pads now sorted I’m guessing they’ll be top end stoppers

There are two options to pick from at the calliper end, a 4-piston BR-M8220 or the lighter weight BR-M8200 (post mount) and BR-MT805 (flat mount) two-piston caliper designs.

Shimano is using its new low-viscosity oil that remains stable over a wider temperature range. And while Shimano doesn’t actually go out and say this, these design changes are there to remove the wandering bite point that’s troubled some XT brakes of old.

The new Shimano XT wheel does away with cup and cone bearings, and instead we get replaceable cartridge bearings

Shimano XT M8200 alloy wheels

The new wheels come in 27.5in and 29in, with a 30mm width internal alloy rim. The wheelsets get J bend steel spokes, 28 per wheel, and use a speedy 3.5-degree engagement angle. They use a Microspline driver body only though, so don’t even think about mounting a SRAM drivetrain here.

XT Pricing

• Derailleur (11 or 12 speed) £429.99
• Shifter £159.99
• Cassette (10-51t or 9-45t) £149.99
• Battery £39.99
• Charger £29.99
• M8200 two-pot brakes £179.99
• M8200 four-pot brakes £199.99
• M8210 front wheel £219.99
• M821 rear wheel £279.99
• TL-LR021 lock ring tool £19.99