M730 XT. When did the lettering change?

[legrandefromage]

Oh yeah, throw it off by posting a pic in a foreign language why dont ya...

Looks like a compatibility table rather than any hierarchy

 

[brocklanders023]

Thats not all strictly true. White lettering is 6spd and gold lettering is 7spd. There was no 'lower spec', just 6spd groupsets and 7spd groupsets. Hence 'Deore II' as it was the new all shiny indexed Hyperglide whereas the original was Unilglide 6spd and 6spd thumbies to match. XT was the same, it was their top end groupset, so for the new decade, it went 7spd.

MT60 Deore and M730 XT were only produced for a couple of years each before a major change to 7 speeds and STi shifting for that shiny new 1990 decade.

Old stock, yes

Lower end, No.

1989 Giant Super Sierra - XT II 7spd

1988 Giant Super Sierra - XT 6spd

Cheers both, makes sense now as the kit I have in white is 6sp and not Hyperglide. 88 for the bike is about right too but means I won’t be pinching the bits for my 89 Trekker and will have to strip the Deore Trekker instead :facepalm:

 

[hydorah]

Re:

M730 XT 1987
M732 XT II 1989

MT60 Deore 1987
MT62 Deore II 1989

DX came out in about 1990 and sat between XT II and Deore II, with its 7 speeds

This is technical progress, not quality rankings, Deore II never leap frogged M730

Anyone who has ever seen MT62 and compared it to M730 will know. EG: Shifter: MT62 base and bracket: Pressed steel band, M730? cast aluminium. albeit with 6 clicks! The quality is better in XT than Deore II, but it is older. retro you might say

As LGF points out the chart is what kit works with what to have your SIS working. It even says that's what it is

 

[FluffyChicken]

Re:

In 1990, DeoreLX XT-II just became Deore XT again, but was the same with a few tweaks.
Also Deore-II turned into DeoreDX, not placed inbetween. They just switched the stickers (and a few tweaks).
It was the STI shifting era that caused the switched along with super low profile canti's.

DeoreLX was the nkotb, under DX.
putting Mountain/Exage into the midrange XXXLX series and at the bottom the XXXGS

It's just a bit of fun banter, like statistics, interpret as you wish.
Things never changed much back then. They had done a good job with the first one.

But remember, newer is better... That's why we are on a retrobike ;-)