Shimano hints new Cues entry-level drop bar groupset coming in "early 2025" after tech leaked in Cube gravel bike launch

This week's Cube announcement of 12 new bikes for 2025, including two revamped (and very keenly-priced) Attain road bikes, has sparked speculation about a new Shimano Cues drop-bar groupset after photos of the new Nuroad gravel bike appeared to show some unreleased tech.

Cube's extensive launch attracted plenty of interest, not least because of the incredible value on display, its C:62 SLT with Ultegra Di2 shifting available for around £2,500 (€2,999), potentially another sign that bike prices across the industry are still coming down.

Also seen in the launch, first spotted by BikeRadar, is what appears to be an unreleased drop-bar Shimano Cues groupset, which was seemingly accidentally leaked in the announcement for the new Cube Nuroad Pro gravel bike. The components giant Shimano has promptly replied to our request for comment, stating that it won't be saying much at this time.

"Shimano works closely with our OE partners to ensure new product information to the market is accurate," the brand said. "While we appreciate the enthusiasm for Shimano Cues, we do not want to comment on speculations regarding its availability, pricing or specifications until everything has been finalised and is ready for launch. The product has since been removed from the OE's website and more information will be shared in early 2025."

Cues was launched last year, offering riders new cross-compatible groupsets for city, touring and mountain bikes, the aim to eventually consolidate its lower-end Claris, Sora and Tiagra groupsets under one roof.

> Chapeau, Shimano: CUES looks like a genuine game changer for bike shops, brands and consumers

At the time we saw a new 9,10 and 11-speed, disc-brake-only drivetrain ecosystem announced, meaning everything below mechanical 105 will be slowly phased out on flat bar bikes, with the likelihood that these changes would be coming to drop bar bikes too in the not too distant future.

Well, it appears that future has arrived, the new drop-bar groupset seen on the Cube Nuroad Pro gravel bike likely slotting in between the more premium GRX offering and budget road bike groupsets.

The Cube bike has an existing Cues RD-U6000-GS rear derailleur, which looks positive for those who want to see more compatibility across groupsets. A range of interchangeable components that "standardises compatibility across a wide range of categories", is how Shimano summarised the Cues concept last year.

We don't know everything just yet though, the Cube build featuring Acid in-house crankset, although the cassette seen is a wide-range Cues CS-LG400 11-speed 11-50t and the shifter design does look familiar when compared with other Shimano levers, the release stating they are Shimano Cues ST-U6030 shift-brake levers.

Also catching the eye in Cube's release was the new Attain C:62 SLT, a carbon road bike featuring Ultegra Di2, all for around £2,500. By our calculations, the SLT model with Shimano Ultegra Di2 shifting is only around £100 more than its groupset at the full recommended retail price. We can't remember a better value carbon road bike since at least the late 2010s. 

Check out the full range of 2025 models (minus some since-redacted info about a Cues groupset) on Cube's website..