If 2025’s fleet of Di2 drivetrains flying out of Shimano HQ left you concerned about the future of mechanical shifting, worry not. Shimano’s updated and expanded its Deore mechanical group to sit alongside the wireless Di2 group. Along with three drivetrain options, there’s also new Deore brakes to bring the group in line with the updates to XT and XTR last season.
Shimano Deore elevates and multiplies
The new-look Deore isn’t a minor upgrade. It’s a refresh of Shimano’s workhorse group that brings in many of the updates from last year’s Di2, without ditching the cables. It also splits the group into three. Three?
Yes, Three.
At the top, Deore M7200, a 12-speed Hyperglide+ drivetrain which essentially steps in where Deore LX used to be. This borrows the new Shadow ES stabilizer that made its debut with Di2 last year. Shimano adds steel derailleur cage and solid pulley construction, making this a durable and affordable group. It works around Shimano’s 10-51T 12-speed cassette. The Shadow ES stabilizer has proven divisive but, for those that like the design but don’t want wireless shifting, now Deore makes it an option for mechanical. If you’re missing the clutch, keep reading…
Deore M6200
Shadow+ vs…
Shadow ES
Then there’s Deore M7230, an 11-speed Linkglide version. Like Deore M7200, it uses the new Shadow ES stabilizer, steel cage. But this works around an 11-speed 10-50T cassette. Since this group uses the durability-focused Linkglide design and is 11-speeds, it is not cross compatible with the other Deore groups (mechanical or wireless, though there is also an electronic Linkglide Deore rear derailleur).
Finally, Deore M6200 sticks with the classic Shadow+ clutch on the rear derailleur. Like M7200, it is a 12-speed group that works around a 10-51t cassette.
Deore brakes join XT and XTR
While wireless shifting stole the show in last year’s suite of releases, the major redesign of Shimano’s XT and XTR brakes was just as big a change. The new brakes resolved a few issues with Shimano brakes, delivering consistent lever feel, in a wide range of temperatures, and easy power. Two big parts of that change were the move to a low-viscosity oil and a new Servowave lever design.
Both of those changes make it down to Deore for 2026, as do completely redesigned brake callipers. The Deore group looks a little different than the two higher-end groups. A single lever design will work with either a four-piston calliper for more aggressive riding or a lighter weight two-piston option.
Deore components refreshed
It’s not just a new derailleur design and new brakes. When Deore Di2 rolled out in 2025, it landed as an upgrade-kit only that was designed to work with the existing Deore mechanical group.
Now, Shimano’s updating the Deore crankset, cassettes, and shifters, too.
The most interesting of these changes is the new trio of shifters. All three use a “redesigned lever that features a shorter stroke and crisp actuation, paired with an optimised paddle that creates a nearly straight path for the first two shifts. This improvement in ergonomics follows the movement of the human hand, allowing riders to engage the shifter more naturally,” according to Shimano.
Why three? One for HG+ 12-speed with multi-shift. One for HG+ but, with a single-shift only function, is designed to work with e-bikes. And one to work with the 11-speed Linkglide shifter, which is backwards compatible with other Linkglide components.
The cassettes get minor updates, sticking with 11 steel cogs and an aluminium 51t cog for the HG+ groups. Linkglide uses its own, pre-existing cassette.
The new crankset uses a two-piece design with a 24mm steel axle and 176mm Q-factor.
Shimano Deore pricing
Pricing is always one of the big selling points of Deore, along with durability. Derailleur pricing in USD starts at $65 for the M6200 rear derailleur while the M7200 (HG+) and M7230 (Linkglide) are both USD 100. Cassettes are USD 140 for the all-steel version and 180 for the upgrade to an alloy 51t. Shifters are all USD 30. The crankset with chainring is USD 100.
Brakes USD 275 per assembled set for the two-calliper option and, for the tougher 4-piston version, $285.
We’ll share Canadian pricing when we have it.