shimano deore m5100 2x11 crankset

Deore M4100, M5100 and M6100 groupsets

Almost everybody getting serious about MTB’s probably started with a Shimano Deore equipped bike. When I was looking for an MTB decades ago, almost every bike shop adviced me a bike with a Deore groupset, because I’m heavy, and least, strong at the time. There seems to be a concensus about Deore is that, it’s the cheapest, proper groupset for “all-terrain” bikes.

I did not share this view. At the time, I bought a cheap bike with a Tourney, then directly jumped off the Deore XT. Frankly, I only owned a Deore bottom bracket and a set of V-brakes and disc brakes, which I still keep. Am I impressed ? Absolutely not. V-brakes were good, I loved them, until one of the pads just fell off and lost. Hydraulic disc brakes? I know people loves them, but was the worst hydraulic disc brake set I’ve ever owned, next to nothing.

SL M5100 IL monolever shifter
SL-M5100-IL Deore M5100 monolever shifter may not be for everyone, but it’s both 10, 11 and probably also 12 speed compatible. With the 3rd chainring a dying breed, all Deore front levers are 2x only.

When it comes to Shimano and getting the best value for money, you’ll need to understand each series, each particular model, and how to mix and match components. Buying a full groupset from the same line is not a good value. At least, almost …always. Does that mean Deore is bad? No. What I say is, it’s not that special as people may think.

I think what makes Deore so popular is, a “superior” tech is generally trickled down in Deore form, in much affordable levels. I remember the times Hollowtech II was a big thing but XTR, even Deore XT was too expensive for many people. Then came Deore’ s Hollowtech II cranks, which was selling like crazy, at least here.

Then lately, some interesting Deore components appeared, which provided some easier and cheaper way to go 11 speed, while not breaking 10 speed compatibility in some cases. For me, the most “revolutionary” and “buyable” Deore ever is the current M4100 or M5100 line.

Best and latest Deore groupsets: Deore M4100, M5100 and Deore M6100

This is a notable line-up for me, because I’m insisting on staying at 10 speed, which is history if you want decent components, except the current Deore line, which does not offer just great components, but a good upgrade path towards 11 speed.

One very interesting item is, Deore SL-M5100 mono lever shifters. These units have only one shift lever, but left shifter is both 10 speed or 11 speed compatible, which is for mountain compact cranksets: 2×11, or 2×10.

deore RD M6100
Deore M6100’s Shadow Plus rear derailleur, RD-M6100-SGS, is for 1x, 12 speed with clutch and larger 13T pulleys.

There is also one interesting note that, even these are advertised as either 10 speed and 11 speed, dealer manual says it’s 12 speed compatible, too. There are also 2 versions, clamp type, and the one compatible with I-SPEC EV type brake levers.

Deore M5000 line is for 11 speed, M4000 for 10, and Deore M6000 is for 12 speed.

If you need a 10 speed (1×10 or 2×10), Deore is the cheapest to get under Shimano brand, for now. Need Boost cranks? Still, it’s the Deore.

Rear Derailleurs: RD-M5120-SGS, RD-M4120-SGS, RD-M6100-SGS and RD-M5130-GS

As you may already notice, current Deore rear derailleurs come with SGS cages (not RD-M5130-GS). That means, they cannot handle huge cassettes like XT or XTR do, but still decent. Except for the RD-M5130-GS, the biggest allowed sprocket for single speed is 46T, and for 2x, it’s 42T, which is still impressive, as it has a shorter cage.

Another good news is that M5120 and M4120 are both 10 and 11-speed compatible, meaning you don’t need to replace your Deore rear derailleur if you want to go from 10 to 11, or vice versa. M6100 is 1×12 only.

If you look closely, RD-M4120-SGS is rated or mountain doubles (2x). Cage lengths and cassette capacities look the same. So, why can we use RD-M5120 for 1x, but not RD-M4120 ? Even the front chainring difference is the same. The only difference is, RD-M5120 does have a clutch. (RD+). So, I believe RD-M4120 will work with single chainring just as well, providing that you don’t ride it too rough, or have a chain retainer at least.

SL MT500 seat post dropper
Seat post dropper, non-series model. Now we start to see seat post droppers in Deore line, it won’t take long for supermarkets to sell bikes with dropper seatposts.

My only disappointment with them is the front chainring difference, 10T, which is extremely limited. Not for MTB, but this really limits the potential of the new Deore to be a great bike-touring groupset.

RD-M6100-SGS is 1×12 only, visually recognizable by a bigger parallelogram and 13T pulleys instead of 11T.

What is Linkglide ?

So, what’s the deal with RD-M5130-GS ? This is a 1×10 only, clutch (Shadow+) derailleur with “LINKGLIDE” technology. What’s the difference with good, old Hyperglide? (HG) cassettes? Looks like Shimano made these cassettes and the rear derailleur for solely e-bikes, to handle huge torque from the electric motor. Cassette teeth have different profile, and RD-M5130 moves differently: In a “normal” (not a rapid rise one) derailleur, the derailleur cage is aligned to smallest cog if there is no cable tension. Once the cable is tensioned with shifter, the parallelogram moves cage inward. On this derailleur, parallelogram moves both inward and outward. Think it like it stays on 5th cog when cable is not tensioned, and moves inward upon going to bigger cog, or outward going to smaller cog.

In Deore line, Linkglide components are ONLY Linkglide compatible: even the shifter, SL-M5130-R10. Deore M5130 is 1×10 only. So, for a Linkglide groupset, you need to have a Linkglide cassette (11-43T, CS-LG600-10), chain (CN-LG500), shifter, rear derailleur. There is also a rear hub, which is not mandatory:FH-UR600.

Why a hub? 2 reasons. Linkglide cassette widths are different (narrower), and the hub includes a spacer. Meaning; if you have a 10s compatible hub already, you can get away with a spacer. Splines are compatible.

BL M4100 deore m4100 brake lever
Deore M4100’s brake lever is intended for trail bikes, the entry level in Deore line.

Second reason is the spoke holes – this hub lets you use thicker spokes, as e-bikes have immense torque compared to mere humans, and not easy on “ordinary” spokes meant for humans.

CS-LG600-10 cassette promises 300% more life on e-bikes, compared to Hyperglide. This is gonna be probably the cassette of choice for world tourers, if the claims are accurate.

Cranksets for the last Deore line: FC-M4100-2, FC-M4100-B2, FC-M5100-1, FC-M5100-2, FC-M5100-B2, FC-M6100-1, FC-M6120-1, FC-M6130-1

There are currently 8 cranksets in Shimano’s latest Deore line, and 3 more, carrying M5xx designation, but not Deore branding. In Shimano-speak, that is, “out of series” line. The main difference between M5xx and others I mentioned is, how chainrings attaches to crank. More on that later.

One worthy thing to mention is that these new Deore cranksets looks and functions more like high-end SRAM cranksets rather than Shimano: direct mount (for 12s only for now), chainring and crank look, even the “chain drop presentation ring” (This is a steel pin, like 5-6 mm in diameter, located on chainring, and mates with crank arm when you install the chainring.).  And also, they look very nice to me, except the “Deore” marking which looks like a cheap car mod brand logo in flashy blue, which is not my taste.

So, to make things easier to understand, I have to paraphrase again that current Deore line is 10 speed, 10 speed for e-bikes (Linkglide spec), 11 and 12 speeds. 12 speed and Linkglide is 1x only, while 10 and 11 speeds are either 1x or 2x, but not 3x – a bummer for biketourers.

shimano deore m5100 2x11 crankset
Shimano’s new Deore cranksets looks very radical, and especially 1x versions are more like SRAM than Shimano. To me, Deore M5100, is the best looking Deore ever.

I have no idea if having 8 (+3) different cranks in the line-up is feasible. Last time I broke my crankset, I was thinking of going Deore, because I was a bit broke at the time. But ended up buying SRAM X5. Why? Because SRAM X5 was only like %5 more expensive, but I had only 2 options to choose from. And both were available, unlike Deore cranksets, which I could find only Boost versions. I had also brand new extra chainrings for SRAM.

This is weird. Normally, it was SRAM that has availability issues here, it was SRAM that changed “standards” often and always, and it was SRAM having cryptic line-up in the past. First time in my own history, I spent more than half an hour to try to understand which Deore crankset is for me, which is crazy because I’m reasonably well informed about bike parts compared to an average rider, and most bike shops in my country.

First time in Deore, Shimano came up with “direct mount” chainrings: that means, instead of mounting the chainring to the spider on cranks, chainring bolts directly to crank spindle. This has it’s benefits and downsides, which deserves a hefty mention, but that’ s a big step for Shimano. Unlike some brands, Shimano only use direct mount on 1x 12, M6100 series cranksets; not on M4100 or M5100 variants.

They also have narrower Q factor, to use same design for Boost frames, which is generally a good thing for most riders like me.

So, why Boost compatible frames need a crank wider chainline ? Easy – since the cassettes have more offset from drive side of the wheel, because of wider hubs, chain has to bend a lot more to reach higher or lower gears. To minimise chain bend, cranks has to be placed a little more outside of the bottom bracket. This means, most new cranks in new Deore line is actually have longer crank spindles – ones that are used in Saint or Zee, which are designed for downhill bikes with 83mm bottom bracket shells. I don’t have a sample crank in my hand, but Shimano documentation shows 3×2.5mm spacers for 68mm bottom bracket shells.

So, let’s sum up what cranks we have:

FC-M4100-2

  • Q-factor 178.5 mm
  • Chain Line 48.8 mm
  • 2×10-speed
  • 36-26T double chainring
  • 170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • 96 PCD / BCD
  • For 135 mm and 142 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-M4100-B2

  • Q-factor 178.5 mm
  • Chain Line 51.8 mm
  • 2×10-speed
  • 36-26T double chainring
  • 170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • 96 / 64 PCD / BCD
  • For 148 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-M5100-1:

  • Q-factor 178.5 mm
  • Chain Line 52 mm
  • Both 1×10/11-speed
  • 30T or 32T chainrings
  • 170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • 96 PCD / BCD
  • For 135 mm, 142 mm and 148 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-M5100-2:

  • Q-factor 178.5 mm
  • Chain Line 48.8 mm
  • 2×11-speed
  • 36-26T double chainring
  • 170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • 96 / 64 PCD / BCD
  • For 135 mm and 142 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-M5100-B2:

  • Q-factor 178.5 mm
  • Chain Line 51.8 mm
  • 2×11-speed
  • 36-26T double chainring
  • 170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • 96 / 64 PCD / BCD
  • For 141 mm and 148 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-M6100-1:

  • Q-factor 178 mm
  • Chain Line 52 mm
  • 1×12-speed
  • 30T-32T option
  • 165,170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • Direct mount chainring
  • For 142 mm and 148 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-M6120-1:

  • Q-factor 178 mm
  • Chain Line 55 mm
  • 1×12-speed
  • 30T-32T option
  • 165,170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • Direct mount chainring
  • For 142 mm and 148 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-M6130-1:

  • Q-factor 181 mm
  • Chain Line 56.5 mm
  • 1×12-speed
  • 30T-32T option
  • 165,170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • Direct mount chainring
  • For 157mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-MT510-1:

  • Q-factor 177 mm
  • Chain Line 52 mm
  • 1×12-speed
  • 30T, 32T, 34T options
  • 170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • 96 PCD/BCD
  • For 135 mm, 142 mm and 148 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-MT511-1:

  • Q-factor 178.5 mm
  • Chain Line 52 mm
  • 1×12-speed
  • 30T, 32T options
  • 165,170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • 96 PCD/BCD
  • For 135 mm, 142 mm and 148 mm O.L.D. Frames

FC-MT512-1:

  • Q-factor 178.5 mm
  • Chain Line 55 mm
  • 1×12-speed
  • 30T, 32T options
  • 165,170 and 175mm crank arm length
  • 96 PCD/BCD
  • For 142 mm and 148 mm O.L.D. Frames

New Deore Brakes

In new Deore line, we have 4 calipers, 2 having 2 pistons, and 2 having 4 pistons.

There are also 2 brake levers, BL-M6100 and BL-M4100. There is nothing worthy to mention about the levers. If you don’t have a trained eye, you can easily mix them with the Deore’s released 10-15 years ago.

BR-MT420 and BR-M6120 are 4 piston calipers, BR-MT410 and BR-M6100 are 2 piston calipers.

BR M6120 deore m6100 4 piston calipers
Deore m6100 4 piston calipers – this is the best in Deore’s line.

For BR-MT420, Shimano’ s claims are really big: according to them, it has 90% braking power over BR-MT520, and 150% better wear-resistance compared to 2 piston version. I found both claims “very wild”: to have more braking power, you need to convert kinetic energy to heat, by friction. So, if you lower friction, you also lower braking force. To have 150% better wear resistance, you’ll need to enlarge pad area 150%, at least.

Also, to have 90% more braking power, I assume by using same pads, you have to apply at least 90% more force. That equals to either much more brake lever travel, or you have to enlarge piston area considerably, like 50%. Can it be done? Yes. Since I didn’t took apart both levers, I have no idea.

However, most people love them. Yet most people also loved the previous generations, which I experience some troubles and lack of power.

Hubs

I personally love Shimano hubs, most people find it weird.

With 12 speed, Shimano introduced Microspline hubs. These hubs have better cassette retention due to increased surface area in splines. Microspline is smaller than diameter, which allows the use of 10T sprockets in Microspline cassettes.

New Deore line includes 6 rear, 5 front hubs. The hubs themselves are not super fancy, but good thing is, you can find a hub for every frame type: e-bike rear hub, 12 speed Microspline, old MTB standard which is 135mm O.L.D, and newer ones like 142 and 148mm, QR, Thru-axles, you name it.

FH MT410 microspline hub
Deore FH-MT410 is the cheapest option to buy a Microspline hub for 12 speed cassettes.

Deore Rear Hubs

FH-UR600

  • Compatible with 11/10-speed, O.L.D. 135 mm
  • Included FREEHUB spacer required for use with LINKGLIDE cassettes.
  • Compatible with #13 (2.3mm) spoke
  • Designed for e-bikes

FH-M475

  • 6-Bolt Disc Brake
  • 135mm – Quick Release
  • 8/9/10-speed – a rather ancient design; in production for many years.
  • Available in black and silver

FH-MT400

  • Centerlock disc compatible
  • 12×142 mm E-THRU Axle
  • 8/9/10-speed – 11-speed MTB (road and MTB hubs have different width)

FH-MT400-B (Boost)

  • Centerlock disc compatible
  • 12×148 mm E-THRU Axle
  • 8/9/10-speed – 11-speed MTB (road and MTB hubs have different width)

FH-MT410 Microspline rear hub

  • Microspline with 10T sprocket cassette compatible
  • Centerlock
  • 142×12 mm E-THRU Axle
  • 12-speed
  • 28H / 32H / 36H versions available

FH-MT410-B (Boost) Microspline rear hub

  • Microspline with 10T sprocket cassette compatible
  • Centerlock
  • 148×12 mm E-THRU Axle
  • 12-speed
  • 28H / 32H / 36H versions available

FH-MT401 Microspline rear hub

  • Microspline with 10T sprocket cassette compatible
  • Centerlock
  • QR – Quick Release, 135mm O.L.D
  • 12-speed
  • 28H / 32H / 36H versions available

FH-MT401-B (Boost) Microspline rear hub

  • Microspline with 10T sprocket cassette compatible
  • Centerlock
  • QR – Quick Release, 141mm O.L.D
  • 12-speed
  • 28H / 32H / 36H versions available

Front Hubs

HB-M475

  • 6-Bolt Disc Brake
  • Quick Release
  • 100mm O.L.D
  • Available in black and silver

HB-MT400

  • Centerlock disc compatible
  • 100×15 mm E-THRU Axle
  • 32H / 36H versions available – no 28 spoke version

HB-MT400-B (Boost)

  • Centerlock disc compatible
  • 110×15 mm E-THRU Axle
  • 32H / 36H versions available – no 28 spoke version

HB-MT410

  • Centerlock disc compatible
  • 100×15 mm E-THRU Axle
  • 28H / 32H / 36H versions available

HB-MT410-B (Boost)

  • Centerlock disc compatible
  • 110×15 mm E-THRU Axle
  • 28H / 32H / 36H versions available
deore FD M5100 front derailleur
2×11, Side Swing version of M5100 Deore line.

Front Derailleurs

As M6100 line is 1x only, there are no M6100 series front derailleurs.

Both M4100 and M5100 Deore have 3 front derailleurs each, all being 2x compatible. There is no 3x option in entire Deore line.

FD-M4100-D

  • Side Swing
  • Direct Mount
  • 2×10-speed
  • Compatible with 2.3-inch tire on wider rims
  • 48.8 mm & 51.8 mm chainline
  • Compatible with front double 36-26T cranksets

FD-M4100-E

  • Side Swing
  • E-Type Mount
  • 2×10-speed
  • Compatible with 2.3-inch tire on wider rims
  • 48.8 mm & 51.8 mm chainline
  • Compatible with front double 36-26T cranksets

FD-M4100-M

  • Side Swing
  • Clamp Mount
  • 2×10-speed
  • Compatible with 2.3-inch tire on wider rims
  • 48.8 mm & 51.8 mm chainline
  • Compatible with front double 36-26T cranksets

FD-M5100-D

  • Side Swing
  • Direct Mount
  • 2×11-speed
  • Compatible with 2.3-inch tire on wider rims
  • 48.8 mm & 51.8 mm chainline
  • Compatible with front double 36-26T cranksets

FD-M5100-E

  • Side Swing
  • E-Type Mount
  • 2×11-speed
  • Compatible with 2.3-inch tire on wider rims
  • 48.8 mm & 51.8 mm chainline
  • Compatible with front double 36-26T cranksets

FD-M5100-M

  • Side Swing
  • Clamp Mount
  • 2×11-speed
  • Compatible with 2.3-inch tire on wider rims
  • 48.8 mm & 51.8 mm chainline
  • Compatible with front double 36-26T cranksets

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