The Shimano Saint groupset was the component giant’s first foray into parts specifically designed for “extreme” riding. The result was a great performer and undoubtedly very robust, but it came with something of a weight penalty. The heft of the original Saint parts meant that large parts of the target market (especially downhill racers) stuck with Shimano’s lighter groups and took the chance that they’d hold together.

With that in mind, the all-new 2009 Saint group (available from August 2008) sees a considerable weight reduction while still promising enhanced performance and durability. A clever trick if they can pull it off – let’s dive in…

Brakes

Shimano’s very first hydraulic disc brake offering was a four-piston system, but everything since those first Deore XT brakes has been two-piston. For 2009, though, Saint has gone back to a four-pot setup. Like the venerable XTs, the Saint calipers feature dual-diameter pistons resulting in one pair contacting the rotor slightly before the others to improve modulation. The brake levers feature the same Servo Wave design found on the existing XT group, packaged into a really quite funky-looking black and gold design. Tool-free reach adjust, bite-point adjustment and a sturdy lever blade all feature.

The new brakes promise a remarkable 50% more stopping power than the current Saint brakes (already no slouch in the coming-to-a-halt stakes). We’ve only had a chance to do a couple of laps of a car park on them, but they’re certainly eye-popping performers – the same amount of finger exertion that would bring you to a brisk halt on XT is the fast route to Endo City on Saint. They’ll take a bit of getting used to, but once you do you should be able to look forward to nigh-on endless stopability.

We’re also promised improvements to the caliper design to make bleeding easier. We’ve had hours of fun bleeding XT brakes, so that’s a welcome development.

Derailleurs and shifters

One of Saint’s standout features was its axle-mounted rear derailleur, designed to take impacts on the “hard point” of the end of the axle rather than the vulnerable derailleur body. But with Shimano’s new Shadow tucked-in design now appearing on its XC/AM groups and promising much the same survivability with considerably lower weight, it was inevitable that Saint would get Shadow too.

The new mech certainly has a distinctive look, largely thanks to the extremely wide inner link for additional rigidity over the XT and XTR models. It’s also got increased spring tension for better chain retention, and uniquely has an adjustable slant angle so it can be optimised for either wide ratio (32-34T bottom sprocket) or close ratio (23-28T bottom sprocket, popular with DHers) cassettes. It’ll be available in short or medium cage versions, and is claimed to be over 100g lighter than the outgoing Saint mech (although that huge difference is mainly down to old Saint being somewhat of an anchor rather than new Saint being extraordinarily light).

Like Shimano’s new SLX group, Saint includes a double-chainring specific mountain bike front derailleur, designed to perform with a 36/22T compact drive crankset. The compact size means better clearance for the chainstay and rear tyre. A wider and lower inner cage plate should reduce the chance of chain drop considerably.

Originally Saint didn’t have its own shifters, although it got them after a while. The new versions are designed around one-finger braking, with short lever stroke and an adjustable bracket so you can mount them inboard or outboard of your brake levers. In common with all of the current generation of Rapidfire Plus shifters, the Saint units have 2-Way Release – the release trigger can either be thumbed forwards or fingered backwards.

Cranksets

Few would argue that the current Saint crankset is one of the stiffest designs out there. Amazingly, Shimano claims that the new one is even more rigid, yet considerably lighter. You can also expect better ankle clearance. There’s no triple chainring option, just single (34/36/38/40/42T) or a 36/22 double (the same ratios as the recently-announced SLX all-mountain group’s double crankset). Both feature a honeycomb-construction bashguard, heavy duty spider and spindle and steel pedal thread insert.

Hubs

It’s all about weight savings again. Both front and rear hubs are claimed to be 100g lighter than the current models, and they now have a standard-size Centerlock rotor mount rather than the bigger one found previously. Once again, it’s all adjustable and serviceable cup and cone bearings, which we think is unique among 20mm through-axle hubs. The rear hub can be had with convention 10mm axles or 12mm through-axles, and there’s a 150mm wide version with a 12mm axle too.

Pricing

Just in is the UK pricing for the new Saint group. We won’t list all of the myriad options, but here’s what all the bits will cost:

• Cassettes £34.99
• Double chainset for 83mm BB shell £179.99
• Crank arms for 83mm BB shell (no rings) £129.99
• Double chainset for 68/73mm BB shell £169.99
• Crank arms for 68/73mm BB shell (no rings) £119.99
• Single ring and bashguard £59.99
• Brake assembly (caliper, lever, hose) £119.99
• Brake rotors 160mm/180mm/203mm £21.99/£24.99/£27.99
• Front mech (conventional or top swing options) for 83mm BB £29.99
• Front mech (conventional or top swing options) for 68/73mm BB £25.99
• Rear hub (all sizes) £109.99
• Front hub £49.99
• Rear mech £79.99
• Shifters (pair) £79.99
• Shifer (RH only) £44.99