Shimano's new LinkGlide will massively improve your cassette life

Hyperglide+ is fantastic technology. It makes shirting smooth and consistent, even if you’re really mashing the pedals, but like everything on your bike Hyperglide+ components will wear over time. And wear only gets worse in muddy conditions which is like 90% of the time in the UK, meaning your MTB needs parts replacing more often than you might like.

But Shimano has come up with an answer to that, and it’s called Linkglide. In testing, Linkglide components showed three times more durability in muddy conditions than Hyperglide+. That means fewer chain skips, better shifting, better performance and, of course, a longer lifetime.

Linkglide is being introduced into the Deore XT 11-speed groupset and the Deore 10-speed group, mostly because although it’s usable on a wide variety of bikes, it’s particularly suitable for the high-torque loads that come with e-Bike riding making it perfect for e-MTBs and e-trekking bikes.

In terms of the actual components, Linkglide means new chains, rear derailleurs, cassettes and shifters. The cassettes have a new tooth shape, with thicker and more robust tooth bases – the area that’s most prone to wear – and have a new top shape profile too. Shimano has also changed the shifting gate design to improve the way the chain jumps up and down the cassette, making for less pedal shock (aka no jumps) during shifting.

The rear derailleurs pair with the cassette to improve shifting, and used in conjunction with the new shifters ensure the best shifting performance for your ride. The Deore XT shifter will include Instant Release tech for faster shifting. The chain is now and ‘e-Bike rated product’ and comes in at a lower price than the existing e-Bike chains (which is always a good option). If you want to know more about how Linkglide works, check out the below video from Shimano.