Review of Shimano M965 XTR and WH-M975

[GoLefty!!]

There has been quite a lot of chat about hubs recenty. I thought I would provide my experiences of the EXCELLENT Shimano XTR products.

FH M965 XTR rear hub

 

In 2003 I purchased the M965 XTR groupset in the UK. I opted for the whole groupset with rapid rise rear derailleur. The Hubs were a controversial choice. My LBS, The Edge Cycleworks, in Chester were trying to steer me to another set of Hope hubs. Although those are nice they're not special and I wanted something more bombproof and lighter. The new XTR seemed to be the answer.

They were built to Mavics X819 UST rims.

The hub is now 5yrs old, it has possibly ridden about 20 000km in those 5 yrs and has only been serviced once. The labyrinth seals work exceptionally well. I have serviced the freehub twice but it is still ticking along nicely. The rims have been replaced 4 times already and I now have a NoTubes ZTR ARCH rim laced to it. It has got to be the most cost effective hub I have owned.

Another lovely feature of these hubs is that they run with very little drag thanks to the non contact labyrinth seals. The bearings are easy to service when needed and are easily obtainable. Any wear on the races is easily taken up by adjusting the cones (which are replacable). The races are also replacable but I am not sure if Coolheat imports them. I've never needed to.

At a little over 320gr it's very light, durable and way cheaper than anything the competition can offer. There are lighter hubs out there but they are either more expensive or less durable.

 

5/5

 

WH-M975 Lefty Wheelset

 

I purchased these wheels in february this year. It replaced the M965 XTR ZTR ARCH wheels I have been using.  The M965 XTR has proven to be reliable and durable so the choice ws easy. Chris King rear hub was way out of budget,making the choice even easier.

 

These wheels have now done about 4000km. The freehub held up well to jet washing by lazy pit crew at the Cape Epic but once my Freehub Buddy arrives, I'll sort them out with a thorough clean out and regrease. Post Epic te hub was opened up to check for water; surprisingly there was none! Shane cleaned it out anyway and now they are running just as sweetly. The rims came out of the Epic with a slight buckle but considering the terrain we rode over,I am  surprised that they are not completely finished. kudos to Shimano for making those strong!

 

Thewheelset itself is an excellent design. The spokes canbe replaced by the rider in the field so to speak. A std flat spanner will work as a spoke wrench and there is a flat on the spoke were it can be held with either the supplied tool or a Leatherman tool to proventwind out of the spokes. The spoke threads into the hub and the rim so no spokes popping out ala CrossMax.

 

The Scandiu rim does knock  quite a bit of weight off the design and the 10mm aluminium axle and titanium freehub lighten things further.

 

The faster engagement does not really make a difference but then I've never felt the benefit of faster take up anyway. Still it's there if that kind of thing floats your boat.

 

I cannot think of a single reason why these wheels should not be purchased. Oh hold there is 1; WH-M775 Deore XT..

 

Xt is a cheaper and heavier package but it offers all the real benefits of XTR.

 

ANyone overlooking these wheels is really looking to buy bling. These cannotbe beat for durability, cost and weight ratio.

 

The rear hub is a worthy successor to M965.

 

5/5

[swoosh1973]

Thanks for this excellent and insightfull post.

 

Heck i cant understand why more people have not commented. Do you have experience with deraileurs  XTR versus SRAM X0 ans shifters?

[greatwhite]

I can't comment on XTR hubs, but the road counter part has also done me extremely well - a set of 7700 Dura Ace hubs I got 2nd hand in 2000 have outlasted many rims and spokes - and still as strong as ever