XTR Front mech help

[SantasLoneCruzer]

M739 is 97 so if you were going ‘proper’ it would be M737 cranks for 96.

Again , as mentioned if the Seat tube isn’t oval you could run m739 or M950 front mech as M953 is quite hard to get for some reason.

I’m doing ‘close to’ as I prefer the look of m739 to m737.
Because I’m after m95* front mech, I’m led to believe that top pull wasn’t available until m953….but yes, the top pull variant of m953 is proving difficult to find.

 

[Matttymm]

M953 came with the XTR Mega 9 speed range which started in 1999

You can find a M737 orM739 top pull

To match your cranks you want 739 which is correct for 1997

Here’s one;

FD-M739 | Shimano DEORE XT Front Derailleur | Clamp 34.9 | Top pull | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for FD-M739 | Shimano DEORE XT Front Derailleur | Clamp 34.9 | Top pull at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[FluffyChicken]

I’m doing ‘close to’ as I prefer the look of m739 to m737.
Because I’m after m95* front mech, I’m led to believe that top pull wasn’t available until m953….but yes, the top pull variant of m953 is proving difficult to find.

You're mixing your technology I think.

Top-Pull is when the cable pulls from the top tube.
Bottom-Pull is when the cable pulls from under the bottom bracket.

Top-Swing is the 'low-band' introduced with M950 and then used where the mech swings above the band clamp.

Tradition, which some started calling bottom-swing or high band, is the older style mech where the mech swing below the band clamp.

M950 is Top-Swing and comes in bottom and top pull.

M900/901 and M953 are traditional and come in top and bottom pull.

 

[d8mok]

You're mixing your technology I think.

Top-Pull is when the cable pulls from the top tube.
Bottom-Pull is when the cable pulls from under the bottom bracket.

Top-Swing is the 'low-band' introduced with M950 and then used, where the mech swings above the band clamp.

Tradition, which some started calling bottom-swing or high band, is the older style mech where the mech swing below the band clamp.

M950 is Top-Swing and comes in bottom and top pull.

M900/901 and M953 are traditional and come in top and bottom pull.

This

But also some refer to them as top/high clamp too. Differs from top pull.

 

[Matttymm]

The one in the picture is a M901 for sure.

It’s not a M953

Plenty of M901 top pull 34.9 available

Rare Retro Shimano XTR FD M901 34.9 front mech, ultrasonically cleaned VGC | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Rare Retro Shimano XTR FD M901 34.9 front mech, ultrasonically cleaned VGC at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

 

[FluffyChicken]

It should be noted Top-Swing is the Shimano trademark for the design.

The one in the picture is a M901 for sure.

It’s not a M953

Plenty of M901 top pull 34.9 available

Rare Retro Shimano XTR FD M901 34.9 front mech, ultrasonically cleaned VGC | eBay

Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for Rare Retro Shimano XTR FD M901 34.9 front mech, ultrasonically cleaned VGC at the best online prices at eBay! Free delivery for many products.

www.ebay.co.uk

The one in the original picture on the bike will be M738 the XT* M566 the LX traditional style mech for that year. But that is not what is asked for, the XTR mech version is wanted when you read further.
So, the correct 'year' one would be the M901 but is a legacy mech and not updated and would look wrong, not until the 1999 M953 model did they bring the option. (the one in the second picture)
Really, they pushed Top-Swing style up until then by not giving a true M950 alternative, this seems to have worked though as it was the modern tech and well XTR used it, so for marketing you'd copy that in the lower range when specifying a bike.
That's my take on their marketing move.

Still surprised the parallel plates didn't trickle down to XT at some point but with steel plates.

I'd be looking for M953 (Traditional) or M952 (Top-Swing) for the XTR mech to go for.


EDIT * I read the spec sheet.

 

[d8mok]

It does look odd too. I’ve got a 95 Zaskar built with M950 but I can’t run a M950 front mech as it’s oval Seat tube. So I’m running a M900 which looks odd. Need a M953 when one comes up.

 

[ishaw]

I've had a rummage and I've only got a 34.9 bottom pull m953 front mech I'm afraid.

 

[Mod-Master]

@nicklej bought a few NOS XTR m953 ones, all top pull, and not sure the same size, but can't you use one of the roller thingamajigs? there's a clamp version somewhere..

 

[benjabbi]

As mentioned above the XTR mechs were designed for a 46/48 outer ring, the curve of the outer plate won't follow the curve of the ring on a 42, it'll probably work fine but looks odd in my opinion. Also, looking at your frame, the curve from the seat tube into the down tube looks like it will interfere with a low clamp, meaning it won't go low enough. I think I'd look for an XT M738 mech, matches the crank, designed for the right size rings and likely to be both easier to find and cheaper than an M953. I will admit to liking matching mechs though, so see your dilemma.