Bicycle Mechanics - XT or XTR

I'm currently building my new bike and was thinking about an XT Groupset throughout. My last bike had XT which I had no problems with in about 13 years of riding.
Anyway, I was wondering if XTR was worth the money.

also what is the difference between XTR M952 and XTR M960 (other than a crispy tenner)?

Not sure if this is the right forum, but i guess a mechanic would know

I'm currently building my new bike and was thinking about an XT Groupset throughout. My last bike had XT which I had no problems with in about 13 years of riding.
Anyway, I was wondering if XTR was worth the money.

also what is the difference between XTR M952 and XTR M960 (other than a crispy tenner)?

XTR is a little bit lighter.

Sheldon "Does That Matter?" Brown

Not really worth it unless you are racing and the slightly lighter weight is important to you. Some XTR parts also sacrifice durability for light weight.

The biggest benefit is that when people ask you why you spend so much money on XTR parts you can say "because I can". The same applys to Dura Ace, Campy Record and luxury cars.

M952 is high-normal, and M960 is low-normal (rapid rise). the only difference is weight.

Cheers guys!

I really like the look of the 2007 XTR DC levers (controversial!!) as they are far more compact than the current XT/XTR levers.

^^

It's your money. Spend it as you see fit.

XT is fine, you're pretty much paying for bling-bling with XTR. I use only Deore dual control levers and they shift perfectly (provided they're adjusted well). :)

XTR is a little bit lighter.

Sheldon "Does That Matter?" Brown

Also, if you are doing real mountain biking, your rear derailleur is always one 'twig in the lower chain run' away from being twisted beyond recognition.