Shimano, like many drivetrain companies, has long prioritised making lighter and lighter bicycle drive trains through 10,11 and now 12 speed often at the expense of durability. These drivetrains offered great shifting performance in ideal conditions but often struggled with the additional torque of mid drive motor ebikes or with cargo bikes and touring use. Staff at the shop on their own personal bikes have worn out 1x11 drivetrains in as little as 1000km of off road use.
Shimano introduced the Linkglide drivetrain eco system precisely to deal with these issues . It's a ground up redesign focused on strength, durability and shifting smoothness. Currently available in Deore 10-speed and Deore XT 11-speed drivetrain systems,Linkglide is able to provide smoother and improved pedalling performance during shifting leading to less wear and slower degradation, improving performance across a broader usable lifespan of your drivetrain. Shimano believes that the Linkglide cassette can last 300% longer,
Chris the shop Owner just switched his personal E-Cargo bike, the R&M Load 60 from the Enviolo and Gates combo to the Linkglide drive drivetrain. He reports that Shifting is a tiny bit slower than the performance orientated groupsets ,but the durability is next level and the ergonomics and overall range is impressive. He found the improvement in efficiency vs the Gates belt and IGH was noticeable.
Parts included:
LINKGLIDE DEORE XT Shift lever 11 speed RH SL-M8130-R
LINKGLIDE 11,10,9 speed chain w/ quick link CN-LG500
LINKGLIDE DEORE XT Shadow + 1x11sp Rear Derailleur RD-M8130-SGS
LINKGLIDE Deore XT CS-LG600-11 11-50T Cassette. (HG Freehub fitting)