What is Shimano CUES? Everything we know so far about Shimano's new entry-level components range

If you weren't aware, since early 2023 Shimano has slowly been merging its lower-tier groupsets across its mountain bike and flat-bar road/city groupsets, from Deore and Tiagra down, into one family called CUES (Creating Unique Experiences). Here is everything we know so far about Shimano's entry-level components range, and whether it's likely to expand further in the future. 

Shimano CUES can be a bit tricky to grasp, so we’ve put together this guide to explain what it is, what it’s replacing and what it's compatible with. 

What is Shimano CUES?

First, the name. CUES is an acronym standing for Creating Unique Experiences, and it was launched last year with the aim to eventually consolidate Shimano's lower-end Claris, Sora and Tiagra groupsets under one roof, simplifying the range and offering cross-compatible groupsets for city, touring and mountain bikes (everything with flat bars essentially). 

A range of interchangeable components that "standardises compatibility across a wide range of categories", is how Shimano summarises the CUES concept. 

Currently, a 9, 10 and 11-speed, disc-brake-only drivetrain ecosystem exists, meaning everything below mechanical 105 will be slowly phased out on flat bar bikes.

There is also the likelihood that these changes will be coming to drop bar bikes soon, after what appears to be an unreleased drop-bar Shimano Cues groupset was spotted on Cube's new Nuroad Pro gravel bike. 

What is Shimano CUES replacing?

> Chapeau, Shimano: CUES looks like a genuine game changer

As already mentioned, everything below mechanical 105 will be slowly phased out on flat bar bikes, which means that in the not-too-distant future, any new bike that was previously specced with Shimano Tiagra, Sora, Claris, Altus, Acera, Alivio or Deore components will instead be dressed with CUES. 

These groupsets have been popular in lower to mid-range bikes for years, but instead of having multiple lines with differing technologies and compatibility issues, CUES aims to consolidate these groups into a more unified platform.

However, Shimano isn't getting rid of parts for these existing groupsets anytime soon. The brand assures us that as CUES slowly takes over, all older generation components will remain available for at least the next six years.

Shimano CUES groupsets 

The current Shimano CUES series includes four groupsets at three levels:

• U8000 series: 11-speed
• U6000 series: 11-speed and 10-speed
• U4000 series: 9-speed 

The U8000 Series is positioned as the top-tier option with a nicer finish and as you go lower, the finish leans more towards the value end of the spectrum with the 9-speed U4000 serving as the entry-level groupset. 

CUES only includes hydraulic disc brake options, and the chainsets are limited to either 1x or 2x setups - meaning there will be no triple chainsets with a granny ring or rim brakes any more. 

What is Shimano CUES compatible with?

A major positive of Shimano CUES is it's compatibility across groupsets, and it's designed for cyclists to mix and match components. CUES 9, 10 and 11-speed groupsets are cross-compatible, and shifters, derailleurs, cassettes and chains can be used together across different bike setups. 

Importantly, all CUES groupsets use 11-speed chains with the same front mech pull ratios and cog spacings. You can also use 11-speed chains from other brands if needed without detracting from performance, as the Linkglide shifting technology is built into the teeth ramps rather than the chain itself. There's more on Linkglide below. 

> Will Shimano CUES ease future bike industry supply chain dilemmas?

This means that you can mix 9, 10 or 11-speed CUES cassettes and mechs with different CUES shifters, and all that will happen is that you’ll lose one or two gears at the top or bottom (you decide), or hit the travel limit with a few clicks to spare.

To give an example, it's possible to fit an 11-speed CUES shifter on a bike with a 9-speed set-up and vice versa if emergency replacement parts were required. Just grab what’s available, off the shelf or another CUES-equipped bike, and it’ll work fine.

For more information on part compatibility, Shimano has a page showing the specific part numbers that are compatible within the CUES ecosystem here. 

Is Shimano CUES coming to road bikes? 

While Shimano hasn’t yet released a CUES entry-level drop-bar groupset, it appears that one may be on the way, especially after the recent appearance of a new drop-bar groupset on the Cube Nuroad Pro gravel bike.

Shimano has remained tight-lipped, stating, "Shimano works closely with our OE partners to ensure new product information to the market is accurate.

"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."

The exciting part is that, if and when CUES road shifters are introduced, they should be compatible with CUES mountain bike derailleurs and cassettes, provided they have the same pull ratios as the flat-bar versions. It's likely that this new groupset will slot in between the more premium GRX offering and Shimano's budget road bike groupsets.

Trickle down technology

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.

> Your complete guide to Shimano road bike groupsets

The brand initially introduced Linkglide as an alternative to its more premium Hypereglide tech, but whereas Hyperglide is all about lightweight and performance, LinkGlide is about durability. 

It's predominantly designed to overcome the higher torque of e-bikes and reduce drivetrain wear, but the benefits can be had by any cycling paradigm, whether that's commuting, touring, bikepacking or MTB. 

The CUES Linkglide cassettes fit on a standard HG freehub body and the two smallest sprockets - the 11 and 13-tooth ones - are the exact same across the range so that they can be replaced separately from the rest of the cassette. 

Shimano says the lifespan of the Linkglide cassettes is three times longer than that of the alternatives, making them the most durable in the brand's offerings. This makes the Linkglide range more budget-friendly, as well as not having to change the components as often. 

Pricing 

As mentioned earlier, the components are cross-compatible across different ranges. Below are the current prices for each part.

U8000 series (11-speed)

Chainsets

• FCU8000 9/10/11-speed 1x chainset (40 and 42T) £169.99
• FCU8000 11-speed 2x chainset (46/32T) £179.99 

Rear derailleur

• U8000 and U8020 11-speed Shadow+ rear derailleur £84.99 

Front derailleur

• U8010 10/11-speed front derailleur £39.99

Shifters

• U8000 right hand 11-speed shifter £54.99 
• U8000 left hand 2-speed shifter £54.99

Cassettes

• LG700 11-speed casssette (11-50T) £129.99

U600 series (10-and 11-speed)

Chainsets

• FCU6000 9/10-speed 2x chainset (46/30T) £74.99 
• FCU6000 9/10/11-speed 1x (30T, 32T, 40T and 42T) and 2x (36/22T) chainset  £69.99
• FCU6010 11-speed 2x chainset (46/32T) £119.99

Rear derailleurs 

• U6000 10/11-speed Shadow+ rear derailleur £59.99 
• U6050 Di2 10-speed Shadow rear derailleur £149.99 
• U6020 11-speed rear derailleur £59.99 
• U6020 10-speed rear deailleur £49.99

Front derailleur

• U6000 and U6010 10/11-speed front derailleur £29.99

Shifters

• U6000 right hand 11-speed shifter £39.99 
• U6000 right hand 10-speed shifter £34.99 
• U6000 left hand 2-speed shifter £34.99

Cassettes

• LG700 11-speed cassette (11-50T) £129.99
• LG400 11-speed cassette (11-45T and 11-50T) £94.99
• LG400 10-speed cassette (11-39T, 11-43T and 11-48T) £59.99
• LG300 10-speed cassette (11-39T and 11-48T) £54.99

U4000 series (9-speed)

Chainsets

• FCU4000 9/10/11-speed 2x chainset (36/22T and 40/26T) £34.99 
• FCU4000 9/10/11-speed 1x chainset (30T, 32T, 40T and 42T) £44.99
• FCU4010 9/10/11-speed 2x chainset (36/22T and 40/26T) £44.99
• FCU4010 9/10-speed 2x chainset (46-30T) £49.99 

Rear derailleurs

• U4000 9-speed rear derailleur £44.99
• U4020 9-speed rear derailleur £39.99
• U3020 9-speed rear derailleur £34.99

Front derailleurs

• U4010 9-speed front derailleur £22.99
• U4000 9/10-speed front derailleur £27.99

Shifters

• U4000 right hand 9-speed shifter £29.99 
• U4000 left hand 2-speed shifter £29.99

Cassettes

• LG400 9-speed cassette (11-36T, 11-41T and 11-46T) £39.99
• LG400 11-speed cassette (11-45T and 11-50T) £94.99
• LG300 9-speed cassette (11-36T, 11-41T and 11-46T) £34.99

All Shimano CUES groupsets use an 11-speed chain, but you can choose one from any brand. A Shimano 11-speed chain is priced at £29.99.

For more information, head to shimano.com