As mentioned in part one of our three-part Shimano Dyna-Sys XTR series, the results of the “hot laps” with three different mountain bikes:

1. Nine-speed XTR equipped hard tail;
2. Giant Anthem equipped with XTR Dyna-Sys X-C version;
3. Yeti also with Dyna-Sys XTR but the Trail version.

The same 3km track was used from the previous day at the Nanjing Botanical Gardens and the testing was performed by CNA's Daniel Carruthers.  The protocol for the testing would be a one lap warm-up before commencing the “hot laps” and then about five minutes recovery in-between each to ensure that the maximum effort can be extracted from each test bike.

Daniel tesing the Dynasys MTB

The 9 speed, XTR equipped rigid machine managed to get a time of 7min 59 seconds – a good 15 seconds slower than the Yeti test from yesterday. I found that this ride with the old XTR nine-speed set up was still good to ride on. The machine performed sweetly on the sealed sections and the non-technical sections; but once we got to the technical sections, I felt less in control and the bike bounced around a lot more (it's a hard-tail afterall). The biggest thing I noticed was more chain crunching under the extreme pressure and shifting was not as smooth.

Going up the most difficult/steepest section and through the rock garden was not so smooth; it felt like quite a bit of time was lost here as well as during the technical downhill where I needed to pick my lines more carefully. You also needed to use two fingers to control the braking.

Overall, I felt that the XTR nine-speed was still adequate to get the job done – it was mostly the bike set-up that cost the time: I had gone to my maximum to achieve the best possible time. What followed was amazing.

Rigid XTR Nine-speeder with a steel Japanese made frame

On the Giant Anthem equipped with the XTR Dyna-Sys X-C version, I smoked around the course in 7min 16 seconds! That is a whopping 44 second improvement over the first test bike on the nine-speeder.

I would like to point out that while the dual-suspension and geometry definitely played a factor in the big time improvement, but influences from the Dyna-Sys XTR were also at play. I felt inherently more efficient on the two-chain ringed set up geared for elite racers; I powered up and over the steepest section with ease and smoked through the rock garden flicking through the gears almost noiselessly and so smooth that I never needed to stop pedaling, except through the roughest sections of the downhill.  I was impressed with the gear shifting and also more impressed with the ability of the drive-train to propel you forward: important when you need to keep up your momentum. There was no chain slap and found that after cresting short steep sections I was able to change rapidly without any significantly loss of momentum. The breaking power of the one-piece XTR brake caliper was phenomenal – and the best thing was that it required only one finger to control it! It made the downhill a joy to ride; you have the feeling of complete control and you become one with the machine as you blur your way down.

Overall, I had the feeling that this was the Ferrari of mountain bikes with the new Dyna-Sys system. I look forward to testing this set-up under more strenuous conditions such as an actual race and/or epic training rides that offer all a mountain biker could want.

Giant Anthem dual suspension XTR Dyna-Sys X-C version (flat bars on right)

The Yeit with the XTR Trail version was a nice plush ride! While not set up for XC racing, it was still remarkably quick. It was only 8 seconds slower than the Anthem, posting a very good time of 7min 24 seconds. The places where it lost time was on the flat non-technical sections and possibly during the steepest section. However, the machine was superior on the down-hill. I had the ability to push the limit even more without much risk of crashing. The trail version of the XTR Dyna-Sys is about 158 grams heavier than the X-C version but it certainly feels a lot more robust and the breaking system feels a lot more powerful which is perfect for quick'n'nimble handling without lost of momentum.  The crank-set is a triple chain ring which caters for the recreational and the occasional competitive rider – I feel that the smallest chain ring is almost obsolete, I would seldom use it now that you can use the middle chain ring for most terrain. The 32 tooth chain ring coupled with the 11-36 cluster offers you a wide range of ratios and if you do need to shift down to the smallest chain-ring, you only need to make one recovery shift thus minimizing loss of forward momentum.

Overall, I felt this machine was very comfortable to ride but since it is a “trail” bike a lot of forward momentum was lost on the sealed sections.

Yeti dual suspended bike equipped with the trail version of XTR Dyna-Sys

The biggest impression of the Dyna-Sys system so far is that you have the ability to stay in your primary driving gear (the 32-tooth chain ring) for much longer. This was proved when I tackled the 8km climb up Purple Mountain, I was able to stay in the primary driving gear for the entire climb and never needed to use the 36 cluster in the rear! Another significant impression is Dyna-Sys's more stable traction and momentum over rough terrain. In fact, this drive-train is boasted to be Shimano's most stable drive-train to-date – test riders have yet to shake it over the most difficult of trails. Cyclingnewsasia will continue to test the system over the longer-term, placing it under extreme conditions and see how it responds.

If you are an elite racer, then the obvious choice (depending on the course - ed.) would be the two-chain ring set up on a XC specific mountain bike equipped with the lightweight X-C version of Dyna-Sys. But if you desire a nice sturdy ride and focused on recreational or all-round riding, the Trail version of Dyna-Sys may suffice for you. However, you are able to specify your component set-up so that you can achieve the ride you want. It is Rider Tuned Technology where riders can choose between a range of cranksets, brake-levers, pedals, and wheels.

We will be publishing a more complete technical review in the next couple of days, where you will get all the details on the new 2011 XTR Rider Tuned Technology options. Stay tuned!

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