I enjoy the best of both worlds, aka the XTR brake lever with the Deore caliper for the positive (stiffer?) pad contact feeling and silky lever feel.
The XTR derailleur is also quite nice as you can straighten the aluminum inner plate while the outer carbon derailleur cage plate stays straight if you get into an accident. This would only work as long the threaded inserts for the pulley wheels are still bonded in.
The XT shifter has a really precise, but feels too stiff in the shifter stroke. When mine craps out, I'll go for the XTR shifter.
Oct. 6, 2021, 1:47 p.m. - cornedbeef
I enjoy the best of both worlds, aka the XTR brake lever with the Deore caliper for the positive (stiffer?) pad contact feeling and silky lever feel. The XTR derailleur is also quite nice as you can straighten the aluminum inner plate while the outer carbon derailleur cage plate stays straight if you get into an accident. This would only work as long the threaded inserts for the pulley wheels are still bonded in. The XT shifter has a really precise, but feels too stiff in the shifter stroke. When mine craps out, I'll go for the XTR shifter.