Interbike 2008 – Shimano Saint Freeride Group

Shimano’s Saint freeride group has been totally redesigned for 2009.  The Derailleur has extra wide hinge points to reduce flex and an integrated skid plate to deflect minor impacts.  It’s wild articulation is designed to keep it tucked in close to the bike and out of the way of branches, rocks, etc.

On the backside (pic after the break) is a removable spacer to adjust the angle on the cassette, and you can also adjust between running a wide or narrow gear range on the back.  Read “more” for pics of the other components in the group and info on their new features…

The orange arrow points to the removable adapter.  This is the piece that rests against the frame, and rather than a screw adjustment, you have the choice between two positions.

The disc brakes now use larger diameter pistons/pads on the front of each caliper and smaller ones in the rear.  Each one has four pistons for big stopping power.

To help you control all the power, they’ve put in Servo-Wave technology that increases the amount of pressure as you squeeze the lever.

They’ve also put in a big, fat, knurled reach adjustment (gold) barrel to quickly change the reach of the lever even with full finger gloves.

The new hubs (front and rear) use standard Center Lock designs so you can use pretty much any CL rotor or standard 6-bolt adapter for other rotors.  The front is a 20mm thru-axle design, and the back comes in a variety of 135mm and 150mm spacing options.  The big news on the rear hub is its diet…about 100g lighter than the previous version!

The Saint Cranksets come in two sizing options (68/73 or 83 widths) and with either a single or double chainring set up.  The single is available with 34, 36, 38, 40, or 42 tooth chainrings.  The double comes with a 36/22 setup.  All cranksets come with integrated bash guards and Shimano’s BB80 bottom bracket, but there’s also a Saint FCM810 BB available that has longer threads and is designed for use with aftermarket chainguides.