In this article:

• Discover how XTR M9200 Di2 withstands real-world impacts with automatic impact recovery.
• Dive into the smooth, fast, and precise 12-speed HYPERGLIDE+ and LINKGLIDE wireless electronic shifting.
• Learn about extensive customization options with the E-TUBE PROJECT Cyclist app.

Ask mountain bikers what they need from their drivetrain, and the answer is universally simple: It needs to work. Nothing more. Nothing less. Unlike more personalized components such as suspension, brakes, tires, and contact points, your drivetrain's mission move you forward while quickly and smoothly moving your chain up and down the cassette when shifting. Yet, to consistently complete this critical assignment, many things must go right every time you push your thumb into the shift lever. And it’s that required consistency, durability, and robustness that separates SHIMANO drivetrains from all the rest.

SHIMANO’s new XTR M9200 Di2 groupset checks all those key boxes. Its 12-speed HYPERGLIDE+ wireless electronic shifting is smooth, precise, and blazingly fast. It's also extraordinarily robust. In fact, it’s our most durable drivetrain ever. And we’re talking about real robustness—the kind that matters to mountain bikers—is the ability to survive real-world impacts from on-trail obstacles. Like when you smash your rear derailleur squarely into a rock. Or when a rogue stick gets tangled in one of your jockey wheels. Even in these worst-case scenarios, SHIMANO’s new XTR Di2 derailleur can take a hit—and that means fewer interruption to your ride or race.

The centerpiece of this bomb-proof system is the new XTR M9250 rear derailleur, which features a unique low-profile wedge-shaped design that helps it avoid blunt force trauma—like when you cut a high-speed corner just a tad too tight while trying to shave seconds off your enduro race run. And even when the inevitable miscalculation does happen and you bang your derailleur into a sleeper rock, its unique shape and surface materials help it glance off, preventing catastrophic damage. The new derailleur also boasts a wide link structure, tough carbon skid-plate, and solid pulley design that reduces the chances of debris getting jammed inside.

If you do smash a rock head-on and the derailleur gets pushed inboard, SHIMANO’s cutting-edge automatic impact recovery function quickly springs into action by smoothly pivoting away and then quickly returning to its normal position once clear of the impediment. It's like having a second onboard brain scanning for trail hazards, then rapidly reacting in real-time so you can keep pedaling—and shifting.

The new XTR derailleur's wide-link design also allows space to safely and securely stow the system’s long-lasting battery, making for a clean and elegant solution rather than mounting the battery on the outside, where it’s exposed to the elements and could get ripped off.

By continuing to utilize the modern derailleur hanger, SHIMANO can account for the counterclockwise rotation caused by an unintended landing on top of a rock. More importantly, this design put more of the destructive forces on the hanger (and not your bike's frame). Because as we all know, it's a lot less painful to replace a $15 derailleur hanger than a $500 electronic rear derailleur.

This design also reduces the chance you’ll need to stop mid-ride to perform a manual reset if the derailleur is impacted and pushed out of its functional position. Instead, the new XTR unit automatically, precisely, and rapidly rotates back into place, allowing you to keep rolling down the trail.  Even if the derailleur hanger gets bent from one of these impacts, you can easily perform a trim adjustment without stopping or even taking your hands off the bars thanks to a programmable third button on the Di2 Shifter Switch.

The new XTR cranks deliver a similarly impressive suite of on-trail countermeasures. Utilizing a HOLLOWTECH II forging process and increased spindle wall thickness on FC-M9220, we've achieved a new level of strength, reducing the chance for spindle damage—even from hard, unintended impacts. The new groupset also marks the introduction of our first machined aluminum chainrings, which are strategically reinforced on the leading edge to help prevent bending if (or more appropriately, when) you bang it on a rock.

This reliable robustness is combined with SHIMANO’s new chain stabilizing technology, where a dual spring design creates higher chain tension for better chain wrap and retention—and reduces the chance of skipping or dropping your chain. The new XTR Di2 system includes two wireless rear derailleur options, a traditional long cage for use with our 10-51T cassette, and a mid-cage model with a 9-45T cassette that offers increased ground clearance with miniscule gearing range loss.

Two additional derailleur options are available in a wired configuration for E-MTB. The long-cage RD-M9260-12 is compatible with 12-speed HYPERGLIDE+ drivetrains while the RD-M9260-11L is designed for use with SHIMANO’s high-durability 11-speed LINKGLIDE drivetrains. Both options feature a constant power supply from the bike’s existing e-bike battery while providing the same robust and reliable construction as XTR wireless derailleurs. Using the RD-M9260, riders can utilize Shimano’s FREE SHIFT technology to seamlessly shift as you coast, and AUTO SHIFT for smooth, automatic gear changes while pedaling.

And just in case you prefer to personalize things, SHIMANO’s new XTR Di2 drivetrain can be customized for almost any shifting preference using the intuitive E-TUBE PROJECT Cyclist app. Options include hold-down multi-shift, click-through double shift, and locked-out single shift. There's even a programmable third button that can be used to scroll through screens on a connected GPS device or to perform derailleur adjustments while riding.

Add it all up, and the new SHIMANO XTR M9200 Di2 is the definitive answer to the question, what do you need from your drivetrain.