Shimano Gearing Hierarchy

List of Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets available with their 'M' numbers.Also includes significant changes introduced for that model year in brackets.

Shimano Gearing Hierarchy Chart
Shimano Hierarchy Mtb
Shimano Gearing Hierarchy Components
Shimano Hybrid Gear Hierarchy

Japanese brand Shimano produce expertly designed bottom brackets to keep your pedals turning smoothly – no matter how hard you ride. With over 45 years’ experience, Shimano has developed these bike parts to survive even the most adverse conditions. We’ve got a whole range of different Shimano bottom brackets to suit your bike’s frame.They’re all durable, and easy to fit too – great. SLX M7100 is a very important group in the Shimano hierarchy. This is the first group to share the same number of speeds as XT and XTR in a more budget-friendly package. Generally speaking, SLX offers the same features and functions as the upper-end groups at a higher weight and marginally lower shift quality. Shimano road groupset hierarchy Claris – The Shimano Claris groupset is one of the lower-priced gearing options in the brand’s hierarchy. Sporting dual-control levers like the Tiagra above, Claris keeps things very simple with a triple or compact cassette set-up that focuses on low gear ratios to make hills relatively easy.

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1984

Deore XT - M700 - 'Deerhead' (6 speed non indexed transmission)

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1985

Deore XT - M700 - 'Deerhead'

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1986

Deore XT - M730(6 speed indexed transmission)

Deore - MT-60

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1987

Deore XT - M730

Deore - MT-60

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1988

Deore XT - M730

Deore - MT-60

Mountain LX

Exage Mountain - M450

Exage Trail

Exage Country

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1989

Deore XT II - M730/732(7 speed)

Deore II - MT-62(7 speed)

Mountain LX

Exage Mountain - M450

Exage Trail

Exage Country

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1990

Deore XT II - M732/735(Rapidfire underbar shifters introduced on all groupsets)

Deore DX - M650

Deore LX - M550

Exage 500LX - M500

Exage 400LX - M400

Exage 300LX - M300

200GS - M200

100GS - M100

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1991

Deore XT II - M732/735

Deore DX - M650

Deore LX - M550

Exage 500LX - M500

Exage 400LX - M400

Exage 300LX - M300

200GS - M200

100GS - M100

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 1992

XTR - M900(8 speed and Rapidfire plus shifters)

Deore XT II - M732/735(Rapidfire plus shifters)

Deore DX - M650/651(Rapidfire plus shifters)

Deore LX - M550

Exage 500LX - M500

Exage 400LX - M400

Exage 300LX - M300

200GS - M200

100GS - M100

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 1993

XTR - M900

Deore XT II - M732/735

Deore DX - M650/651

Deore LX - M560(New black finish for LX components, Rapidfire plus shifters introduced on all remaining/new groupsets)

Exage ES - M520(Pale grey finish)

Exage LT - M320(Pale grey and black finish)

Altus A10 - AT10

Altus A20 - AT20

Altus C10 - CT10

Altus C20 - CT20

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 1994

XTR - M900

Deore XT - M737/738(8 speed, wide diameter 'Parallax' hub bodies, Compact Drive chainrings and cassette)

Deore LX - M560/563/564(Wide diameter 'Parallax' hub bodies and Compact Drive chainrings introduced on all remaining/new groupsets)

STX-SE - MC31

STX - MC30

Alivio - MC10/11

Altus C50 - CT50

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 1995

XTR - M900/910(Wide diameter 'Parallax' hub bodies)

Deore XT - M737/738

Deore LX - M564/565(8 speed)

STX-RC - MC33

STX - MC32

Alivio - MC12

Acera-X - M290

Altus - CT90

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 1996

XTR - M950(New matt grey finish, V brakes and 4 arm chainrings)

Deore XT - M737/738/739(V brakes)

Deore LX - M565/567

STX-RC - MC33/36

STX - MC32/34

Alivio - MC12/14

Acera-X - M290/291

Altus - CT90

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 1997

XTR - M950

Deore XT - M739(4 arm chainrings)

Deore LX - M567/569/M600(V brakes and 4 arm chainrings)

STX-RC - MC36/38

STX - MC32/34/37

Alivio - MC16

Acera-X - M290

Altus - CT90

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 1998

XTR - M950/951

Deore XT - M739/740

Deore LX - M567/569/M600

STX-RC - MC38/40(8 speed, V brakes and 4 arm chainrings)

STX - MC34

Alivio - MC12/16

Acera-X - M290/291

Altus - CT92

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 1999

XTR - M950/951/952(9 speed)

Deore XT - M750(9 speed)

Deore LX - M570(9 speed and new blue/grey finish)

STX-RC - MC41

STX - MC34

Alivio - MC18

Acera - M330

Altus - CT92

Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets 2000

XTR - M950/951/952

Deore XT - M750/751 (Disc brakes)

Deore LX - M570

Deore - M510(New 9 speed groupset replaces STX and STX-RC)

Alivio

Acera

Altus

External links

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List of Shimano Mountain Bike groupsets available with their 'M' numbers.Also includes significant changes introduced for that model year in brackets.

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1984

Deore XT - M700 - 'Deerhead' (6 speed non indexed transmission)

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1985

Deore XT - M700 - 'Deerhead'

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1986

Deore XT - M730(6 speed indexed transmission)

Deore - MT-60

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1987

Deore XT - M730

Deore - MT-60

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1988

Deore XT - M730

Deore - MT-60

Mountain LX

Exage Mountain - M450

Exage Trail

Exage Country

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1989

Deore XT II - M730/732(7 speed)

Deore II - MT-62(7 speed)

Mountain LX

Exage Mountain - M450

Exage Trail

Exage Country

Shimano Mountain Bike Groupsets 1990

Deore XT II - M732/735(Rapidfire underbar shifters introduced on all groupsets)

Deore DX - M650

Deore LX - M550

Exage 500LX - M500

Exage 400LX - M400

Exage 300LX - M300