At the end of last year, Shimano hinted at a new entry-level CUES drop bar groupset, and it has now officially launched. The range offers two levels for 9-, 10-, and 11-speed drivetrains, with options for hydraulic or mechanical disc brakes. Both series are available in 1x and 2x configurations. Additionally, Shimano has expanded its ESSA range to support drop bar 8-speed drivetrains.
Shimano CUES was launched somewhat mysteriously in 2023, promising to offer riders cross-compatible groupsets for city, touring and mountain bikes. The aim was to eventually consolidate its lower-end Claris, Sora and Tiagra groupsets under one product family on the road/drop bar side, although the switch has been pretty steady so far. It was months after the announcement that we actually saw CUES in the flesh, and bikes with CUES-branded components only started trickling through in 2024.
For a long time CUES was only available for flat bar bikes (replacing Altus, Acera, Alivio and Deore-branded components) and now we’ve finally got proper confirmation that CUES for drop bars is here. It slots in between the more premium GRX offering and the new entry-level ESSA drop bar groupset.
Targeted at “recreational road and gravel riding,” Shimano promises that the drop bar versions deliver the same durable, smooth drivetrain performance as their flat bar counterparts.
Cross-compatibility
The flat bar Shimano CUES series includes four groupsets at three levels:
- U8000 series: 11-speed
- U6000 series: 11-speed and 10-speed
- U4000 series: 9-speed
And the new drop bar CUES lineup includes three groupsets at two levels:
- U6000 series: 11-speed and 10-speed hydraulic disc brakes
- U3000 series: 9-speed mechanical disc brakes
Shimano CUES components are designed with cross-compatibility in mind. The rear derailleurs, cassettes and chains are the same across both the flat bar and drop bar lineups, which is a positive for those who want to see more compatibility across groupsets. Shimano says that this “reduces shop inventory needs and simplifies the servicing process for mid-tier bikes”.
U6000 series
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The Shimano CUES 6000 series includes 10- and 11-speed components with hydraulic disc brakes, designed to offer “smooth shifting with superior chain retention”. This series is available in both 1x and 2x setups.
Typically, technological advancements have happened to the highest-spec groupsets like Dura-Ace and Ultegra, and then trickled down through the ecosystem over the years. However, all CUES groupsets use the same fundamental technology called Linkglide, which is integrated into the cassettes.
The new components in the U6000 series for drop-bar bikes include:
Shifters
- U6030 hydraulic dual control levers 10/11-speed
- Designed with trickle down tech from Shimano’s high-performance road models
- Shortened lever design which is said to cater to riders with a wide range of hand sizes
Cranksets
- U6040-2 hollowtech II crankset 2x 10/9-speed
- Chainring options: 46-32T, 50-34T
- Crankarm lengths: 170mm, 172.5mm, 175mm
- U6040-1 hollowtech II crankset 1x 11/10/9-speed
- Chainring options: 40T, 42T
- Crankarm lengths: 170mm, 172.5mm, 175mm
- Dynamic Chain Engagement+
- U6030-2 2-piece crankset 2x 10/9-speed
- Chainring options: 46-32T, 50-34T
- Crankarm lengths: 165mm, 170mm, 172.5mm, 175mm
- U6030-1 2-Piece Crankset 1x 11/10/9-speed
- Chainring options: 40T, 42T
- Crankarm lengths: 165mm, 170mm, 172.5mm, 175mm
- Dynamic Chain Engagement+
Front derailleur
- U6030 front derailleur 2x 10/9-speed
- One front derailleur is compatible with all Shimano CUES drop bar bikes
Brake calliper
- U6030 flat mount hydraulic disc brake caliper
- Specifically designed for 160mm rotors
U3000 series
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While the flat bar Shimano CUES range only offers hydraulic disc brake options, the drop-bar version introduces a mechanical disc brake choice. The Shimano CUES 3000 series for 9- and 10-speed drivetrains includes mechanical disc brakes, designed for “increased reliability and worry-free maintenance”.
The 3000 series components are:
- U3030 mechanical dual control lever 10/9-speed
- U3030-L brake lever for single cranksets
Like the flat bar options, every Shimano CUES groupset is designed to use an 11-speed chain, meaning all of the cassettes have the same spacing between the sprockets.
More CUES products
Shimano has also added small-wheel bike components to the CUES ecosystem, with a dedicated rear derailleur and rotor for compact frames.
8-speed Shimano ESSA joins CUES in coming to drop bars
Alongside the introduction of CUES for drop bars, Shimano has expanded its ESSA range – originally launched last year as an affordable component system for MTB, fitness and city bikes – to include compatibility with drop bar 8-speed drivetrains.
“Based on the existing Hyperglide platform, ESSA will seamlessly integrate with the existing Shimano branded products in that range, which will make life easier for bike retailers and cycling enthusiasts alike”, says Shimano.
Here are the new components:
- U2030 dual control lever 8-speed
- U2030-L brake lever for single cranksets
- HG300 HG 8-speed cassette (11-45T)
And the prices?
At the time of writing, we don’t have any pricing information for the CUES or ESSA drop-bar options, so we are unable to confirm if they are indeed going to be available “at a reasonable price point”. However, given the affordability of the flat-bar ecosystems, it’s reasonable to expect the drop-bar options to follow suit.
You can check out Shimano’s website for more details on CUES, and we’ll update when we get more information.
14 thoughts on “Shimano officially launches entry-level CUES groupsets for drop bar road and gravel bikes, including 9, 10 and 11-speed options “at a reasonable price point””
It would be very interesting
It would be very interesting to know if there’s any backward compatibility with anything. If a lever breaks on my rim braked Tiagra equipped bike, it looks as if I’d have to find a used spare rather than fitting anything from Cues.
Yeah, we could do with some
Yeah, we could do with some comprehensive compatibility tables. I’ve got 8-, 9-, 10- and 11-speed Shimano set-ups in the fleet. Only just ditched 7-speed Ultegra on the hack bike.
The CUES ecosystem will not
The CUES ecosystem will not be backwards compatible with Tiagra.
Tiagra 4700 spares should still be around for a while, though. The legacy components are being phased out over a 7 year period, although I think that started in 2023 when the flat-bar gear was released. they will still be available for longer than the previous iteration of Tiagra, which they stopped supporting soon after the most recent release.
Thanks, much appreciated.
Thanks, much appreciated.
Pleased to see 2x options
Pleased to see 2x options with 50/34 still. Also good to see mechanical disc being an option up to 10 speed, that should help keep bike costs down. It’s not the prettiest looking groupset but if it’s robust, works well and is relatively cheap, it sounds good to me.
While they’re at it, one not
While they’re at it, why not combine 105 and Ultegra into a single group set?
Have the Ultegra 105 for the non-pro and Dura Ace for the pro (that doesn’t likely pay for his or her own bike and can afford it).
Because the price points are
Because the price points are so wide between 105 and DA.
Does this now mean shimano
Does this now mean shimano now dont have a single rim brake in their catalogue? Not withstanding the ‘mechanical disc brake lever’ which I know is a rebadged rim brake lever
No callipers, because there
No callipers, because there are very few, if any, brand new rim brake frames still being made. Nearly all new bikes coming to market are disc. The CUES and ESSA ecosystems are being introduced gradually, whilst the legacy components of Tourney, Claris, Sora and Tiagra are all still going to be supported for a few years yet. This will allow existing pre-built bikes with old groupsets to be shifted whilst bringing in this new setup.
However if you want to fit CUES aftermarket to a rim brake bike, just use the MDB levers with existing callipers.
Is it just me, or is the Cues
Is it just me, or is the Cues chainset better looking than the current Ultegra/ Dura Ace versions?
It has more resemblance to
It has more resemblance to GRX and MTB grouppos. Don’t forget, the entire ecosystem across drop and flat bars is cross-compatible allowing for smaller inventory of parts required to fix a wider range of bikes. It makes a lot of sense for a groupset aimed at non-performance orientated riding.
If my Tiagra kit ever needs replacing on my winter bike (once phased out) the mechanical brake CUES would be a good logical switch. It looks smart and the durability means it should stand up to the foul weather abuse a bit better.
I’d ideally like to see more
I’d ideally like to see more long numbers and compatibilty confusion.
So sad that there is no 11
So sad that there is no 11 speed cable operated brake option what about the retro market for people who want to update their old rim brake frames? or if they already have a good set of cable disc brakes like TRP Spyres, Avid BB7’s or Like me Paul Klampers
No 11 speed double crankset?
No 11 speed double crankset? Or am I missing something?