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Shimano SAINT Launch in Whistler BC
June 24, 2008Published by bruleA little over a week ago I had the pleasure of attending the Shimano SAINT product launch in Whistler B.C. Unlike the Sea Otter unveiling where we go touch but not ride the products, this was the total opposite. We were all there to ride and ride some more!
Check out the SAINT groupo in action and all the initial impressions inside! We rolled into Whistler on Saturday afternoon and headed straight to the Westin, where we were greeted by a big ballroom full of new fresh SAINT parts for us to build up the frames we were told to bring with us. The idea here is that we'd be building our own bikes up with the new SAINT parts as opposed to test riding an unfamiliar bike with unfamiliar parts. I like the way this was looking.
Step one was getting your frame into a stand and then watching as the parts were handed over and you went to town on the build up. Shimano even had some bars and stems on hand from PRO components, so I decided to give them a try too.  Awaiting the SAINT make over  PRO Bar and Stem combo
The new SAINT shifter and brake levers slid nicely onto the new bar as well. Once the bar and stem were installed it was time to mount up the new SAINT hubs with 203mm center lock rotors and an 11-28 9-speed cassette. Normally I like to run a big MTB spread like 11-34T cassettes, but since we're in Whistler and it's all downhill then it's ok to go to a tighter spread like the 11-28.  Wheels ready for rotors and a cassette
 Now that I'd done the easy part of mounting the brakes up it was time to get some help from mister Ben Pye for the bleeding process. I'll admit that I'm not the best brake bleeder and I'm more than happy to pay the local shops to do mine from time to time. Ben went to work and made these puppies shine!  Ben at work Once Ben had my brakes all dialed in it was time to mount the wheels, install the rear derailleur, cranks and chain guide. The all new SAINT rear derailleur bolts right up like a regular derailleur should and it features SHADOW technology-meaning it's nicely tucked away and will avoid most obstacles that would trash the derailleurs of the past. In true SAINT fashion the rear derailleur is built to last and take the hits and come back for more.  Just look at the inner portion of this machine Initially the plan was to run a front and rear derailleur combo on this bike, but once in Whistler it was decided to build it up with a single ring guide. The new SAINT cranks are lighter and stronger than the originals (as is the whole line up), and look so visually stunning. A set of DX platform pedals threaded in nicely to the SAINT crank arms.  Now that it was all built up it was time to get out of the ballroom and get some riding in out in the bike park. Here is the result of the build up:  Whistler Bike Park riding on the Shimano SAINT equipped Intense SS: Now that I was geared up and going through the cattle gates with the rest of the riders at Whistler, things were starting to feel good out there. The lower mountain has such a wide range of trails that it's easy to really get a good feel for how parts are performing and what needs tweaking. As luck would have it I ran into my buddy Dan T who'd broke his chain earlier in the day and was doing chainless laps of B-Line, so I asked to tag along for some filming. At that point I told him we'd trade bikes as I wanted to see what he could do on it and I'd coast on his big orange bike. He was more than a little stoked to get some time in on the new SAINT groupo. Here's some great footage of Dan in action on the SAINT equipped Intense SS: I also did a few laps with some other members from the launch and here they are in action on a big old rock face:  My impressions of the new Shimano SAINT groupo after a few days in the park and some good trail riding in the valley: Since we never set up the front derailleur or shifter, it'll be easier to talk about the rear set up. The new shifter has an obviously firmer feel to it when shifting (and no my cables weren't kinked). The dual release feature is very nice allowing the rider to either use their thumb or forefinger to release the cable for down shifting purposes. Up shifting is done with the thumb and like I said the action is a lot firmer with a shorter throw and much more deliberate feeling. When asked about this, Shimano replied that that was infact a request from many users of the first generation of SAINT to have a firmer feeling shift mechanism as to help reduce accidental shifts while riding in the real rough stuff. It works great, but I for one am a fan of lighter action feeling shifters. The rear derailleur is a work of art-looks gorgeous and burly! The shadow technology that Shimano is using on their rear derailleurs is so good for those of us that tend to go through rear mechs while trying to get through tight sections or simple those that get too close to obstacles. (I for one can think of a stump on Vedder mountain that has cost me a few hundred dollars in wrecked derailleurs, so I am hoping this is the equalizer) The inner plate for the parallel links on the rear derailleur is massive in size compared to any other derailleur out there and is designed as a bash plate should anything sneak by its low profile design. But the real beauty here is the fact that the derailleur will now bolt directly to your hanger like every other rear derailleur out there-no more non compatibility issues. The rear derailleur of old only mounted to the SAINT rear hub (and a few others popped up over time) and really narrowed it's usage down a ton. Now that they've turfed the compatibility issues, I reckon we'll see a LOT more SAINT rear derailleurs on bikes that are out there getting beat on day in and day out. So far the mid cage mech on my bike is working well and has yet to get smashed up on any close rocks. I'm looking forward to the rest of the season with my new SAINT rear derailleur. The Pro bar and stem felt good after the 2 minutes it took me to get used to a new bar and its 700mm width and slightly different bends than the bars I've been on for the past few years. They are a nice and light set up, coming in at 334 grams for the combo-132 grams, 50mm stem and 302 grams for the 700mm wide riser bar. Nothing to tough here, just a nice simple bar and stem combo to have a look at incase you are searching for something light that very few folks will have. The new SAINT hubs have received a visually appealing make over from left to right. No longer do they appear big and bulky, but rather the new appearance is quite sleek. Shimano has always been a fan and firm advocate of cup and cone bearings and the new SAINT hubs are no different. To be exact this is what they had to say when I asked about the hub bearings "They are our standard angular contact set up, meaning we're not using cartridge bearings. The angular contact bearings perform more efficiently in all conditions and are much more serviceable. Also, we can control the bearing grade more precisely, whereas cartridge bearings are typically just ordered through a 3rd party." The wheels feel really good and I'm excited to see how they hold up to all the rain on the coast over the next few months, but I do like the fact that they'll be as easy to service as all Shimano hubs are. Since we're talking about the shinny bits that go around, I should take a moment to talk about the new SAINT cranks. They look great and if history is any indication, they are going to perform really well for a long time. Some lightening and strengthening did happen, but this is the case of a mouse trap, "if it's not broke, don't fix it". The old crank took a beating and kept coming back and the new version show no signs of being any less robust. The new graphic really updates them though. Like all Shimano cranks, they have the new safety tab that keeps the non drive side crank arm on the spindle should you or your mechanic forget to properly tighten them down. At first I thought it was a little hokey, but after having it explained to me, I believe it's a nice safety feature they've added here. Cranks will be available in either single or dual ring set ups and in a variety of crank arm lengths too. Now I've saved the best for last in regards to the new SAINT line up-The all new Brakes! First off, I'm not a light rider and I am timid at times, so in the end I tend to use my brakes A LOT! And by a lot, I mean I use up pads and boil fluids in brakes and generally give them a real working over. The all new SAINT brakes are 100% different from their original 2 piston and no dedicated lever offering. Now you'll find much larger pads and 4 pistons at each caliper and a very ergonomically friendly lever blade at the bars. The brake levers feature Shimano's Servo Wave technology (Less lever motion is required to move the pads into contact with the rotor and engage the braking) which creates greater braking power with more control. Tool free reach adjustment was so nice to help me find that happy place for my index fingers to rest at. All this combo'd together with the new 4 piston calipers and I'm on one hell of a set of powerful brakes, powerful enough that I may even drop down to smaller rotors and see what that's like. My plan with the new SAINT brakes is to ride them on as many set ups as possible over the course of the summer and see just how powerful and adjustable they are. From full on DH courses to XC rides, these beauties are going to get ridden and used. I'll let you know the full verdict at summer's end. Saint will be available this fall. You'll start seeing it on bikes as early as late July / early August and then you should see aftermarket product within 30 days of that. Video of Thomas Vanderham that was shot in Utah while testing prototype SAINT products:  Loading up after a week of camps Check out our Sea Otter coverage of the initial SAINT sightings: http://www.pinkbike.com/news/sea-otter-product-launches-2008.html Thanks for the great launch! www.shimano.com - SAINT www.westinwhistler.com www.whistlerblackcomb.com www.evolutionwhistler.com -Tyler |
Comments
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Teejay05
(June 27, 2008 at 2:03)
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Thoose cranks look sweet!
The Domain may be an "Entry Level or Affordable" fork, but that doesn't mean that it's not super capable. You don;t always have to spent the most money to get a great value.
yes the tester team tested 
i dont known... we've sucked a lot with the 4piston XT and it's look like the same copy of the grimeca system... maybe they developed something...
i dont known... we've sucked a lot with the 4piston XT and it's look like the same copy of the grimeca system... maybe they developed something...
sooooo powerful i rode them a few times and when i went back to the original saint brakes it was like using v-brakes in comparison the new saint brakes have so much power
they look shweet
Stuff looks awesome, but none of it is for sale till 1st Sept in the UK! Seems a bit stupid to me, summer is pretty much over and everyones had there trips abroad to ride by then, surely it couldn't hurt to release some of the stuff around this time for the UK market??
If they could drop the 2:1 ratio it would be way better.
I have heard only problems from people running the new shadows....but it laughs at rocks/stumps,...Ooooooh.
Still doesn't shift in the real world.
I have heard only problems from people running the new shadows....but it laughs at rocks/stumps,...Ooooooh.
Still doesn't shift in the real world.
Well I know lots of riders with the new XT shadow and they say it sucks.
Chances are i know more than you so i wouldn't that one.
Chances are i know more than you so i wouldn't that one.
I agree, I've never had any problems with SRAM, unlike Shimano which has caused me nothing but stress for years. I'd be interested to try the new Saint mech/shifter though. 
WOW!! That location is SICK! That stuff looks rock solid and efficient! I hope to have a nice downhill bike one day, but my XC suits the kind of riding I do specifically because of my location. I'm on the far Eastern Coast of Canada... more single track than downhill riding. Need to make my way over to the West coast to Whistler Next SUMMER!!
Next SUMMER!! who messed up the intense slop style by putting that rock shock domain on there, it should have been a 66 or a 36
never really like shimano old saints felt same as the deores
hope they've improved on break feel
and new cranks just look wak and same about mech, might have to grow on me tbh
hope they've improved on break feel
and new cranks just look wak and same about mech, might have to grow on me tbh
I work in a shop in Whistler and have seen a lot of the new XT Shadow groupo. I actually bought a full set and swapped the shifters and der for a Sram X.0. 50% of the Shadows that have come through our doors has either bent, snapped or will not shift right out of the box. On the other hand the brakes are amazing, and never loose power. The wheels are crazy light and the Xt cranks are all most people need unless they are complete hacks and smash there cranks on everything.
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