Recently, we hand the chance to get a first ride on the majority of the new Shimano M9100 1×12 mountain bike group. That full ride report is coming right up, but first, we thought it would be important to go over some of the more burning questions about the group. To get the answers, we went straight to one of our favorite sources for Shimano answers – Nick Murdick. For as long as I’ve known him, Nick has been an invaluable source of everything technical you could possibly want to know about Shimano and other brands as well. He was our main technical contact for the Chainwear Challenge, and since then, he’s been promoted to the position of Mountain Bike Product Manager. True to form, Nick didn’t pull any punches, and offered to answer any question I had to the best of his ability.
This was a rare opportunity to get some candid feedback on what’s been happening behind the scenes at Shimano for the past few years, and what we can expect from the future. From both the product’s perspective, and the personnel, this is exactly what Shimano needed to regain their position in the market place.
During our time in Crested Butte, the focus was appropriately on riding the new group, so our time to do this interview was pretty limited. We ended up sneaking it in, trail-side on the last day, in the middle of a ride, just before I had to bail to catch a plane (that ended up not coming, but that’s another story). Because of that, we only had one take to get it right – and other than the brief wind noise, it seemed to go pretty well.
Thanks to Nick for the honest discussion, and stay tuned for first ride impressions soon!
