Inside Line: Lindarets and Wolf Tooth Refine Shimano Wide-Range Shifting

PRESS RELEASE: Introducing the Lindarets x Wolf Tooth GoatLink 11: Optimizing Shimano 11-speed derailleurs for use with SRAM XD and aftermarket extended-range cassettes.

From the moment we realized that Shimano and SRAM’s 11-speed mountain cassettes shared the spacing, we knew that we wanted to it all.  We wanted Shimano’s ergonomics, pricing, and reliability combined with SRAM’s wide-range cassettes.  What we found, however, that while we could run XT or XTR shifters and derailleurs with a SRAM 10-42t cassette without modification, performance fell short of what we’d come to expect from each company’s flagship products.

The result of extensive CAD optimization and eight months of field testing, the GoatLink 11 re-positions M8000 XT and M9000 XTR rear derailleurs such that free chain, the primary driver of shifting performance, is within 1% of what Shimano intended while engagement is improved by 27%.

But we didn’t stop there.  Knowing that certain situations call for a range beyond that provided by stock 10-42t or 11-42t cassettes, we tweaked the GoatLink 11 to such that it significantly improves Shimano 11s rear derailleur performance with extended-range 10-44t and 11-45t cassettes.

So now you too can have it all:  ideal performance from Shimano derailleurs and 10-42t SRAM XD cassettes as well as wide-range capability for bigger days.

Each GoatLink is CNC machined from 6061 aluminum, anodized, and laser etched at Wolf Tooth Components’ Minneapolis facility.  Our second-generation design does away with the B-tab pin and comes fitted with our proven stainless steel bolt.  The GoatLink 11 weighs 19g with hardware, for an 8g net weight when replacing the stock XTR Direct Mount link.

GoatLink 11s are available now from Lindarets and Wolf Tooth Components online stores for $27.95 and will be available through distributors and shops shortly.