Shimano Saint SL-M810 9-Speed Shifter

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So I am realizing that writing a review about a shifter is kind of tricky. I mean what do you say about a shifter, it either works well or it doesn’t, and when it doesn’t work well is it really the shifter itself or perhaps the cable is loose or housing is gunked up or maybe the derailleur is bent or broken.

Let’s start with the look and feel. In the looks department the saint shifter looks like most other shifters, this one does have that Saint flat black stealth look along with the trick looking gold adjusters. The triggers feel ergonomic like most other triggers do but these have a nice stout solid feel to them. Performance wise the shifter is flawless, in the past two years of riding I’ve had no issues and no tinkering required (minus tightening of the shifter cable). I like that the Saint shifter allows for the 2-way shifting, meaning that you can down shift (pull) with your index finger or push the trigger with your thumb. I found that after this long using the shifter I still utilize both methods, sometimes I pull and sometime I push, either way it shifts spot on each time.

Paired with a rear saint derailleur this shifter has seen a lot of action and has performed perfectly each time. It will be interesting how Shimano is able to improve with the new Saint stuff as this one was pretty flawless.