If you want to get the XTR Di2 on your dream bike, but have heard stories of Synchro Shifting, and think maybe you want to stick with manual, never fear. Having the Shimano XTR Di2 M9050 Left Shift Lever working in combination with the right shift lever will allow you to enjoy all the techy benefits of electronic shifting while still making all the shift decisions when and how you want.
But don’t go in too closed-minded; after all, you could hardly be old fashioned and considering the Di2 for mountain bikes at the same time. Put both shifters just out of the box on your bike, and you will feel like very little has changed: the left side will be doing the front shifting and the right side will be doing rear shifting. But if you explored your options a little, you could find that the left hand lever – which might be useful especially if you are left-handed – can do everything you need all on its own once you program you Synchro Shifting choices. You will be able to customize just about every aspect of your shifting experience, from which button of which lever controls which gears, how many gears are changed per click, and how long each gear change takes. It really is breathtaking the amount of choice.
By having access to the Shimano Synchronized Shift function and programmable shift mapping, you will be able to toggle from mechanical shifting, if you have both shifters installed, to your two Synchro Shift modes that may give you gearing for when you are tired and when you are fresher, for example. And with the Synchro Shifting, you will only need to have one shifter to work both rear and front shifts. So if you are going to stay in Synchro Shift indefinitely, you could ditch the other lever to save yourself some weight and clutter on your bars. If you are a left-hander, you’ll probably want to go with the left shift lever, but the level of adaptability will put this Di2 system in class all its own.
These XTR 9050 shifters prove revolutionary in design, consequently Shimano has called them the Di2 Firebolt to indicate just how bold the design is. Though they are actually buttons, Shimano managed to design the shifter with the sort of ergonomics that will make them easy and intuitive to use. They are fully programmable including multi-shift, shift speed, and control of Fox iCD suspension. You can customize these aspects by connecting the bike to your PC using the Display Unit and give the system all the instructions you will want to have access to at your thumb tips during your ride.
Stand on the shoulders of some giants and see the future. The Shimano XTR Di2 M9050 Left Shift Lever could be your key to seamless shifts over epic trails.