Seems good but they really missed the ball on shorter cranks. All the cues cranks only go down to 170. Good to have a budget grounder but offering down to 165mm cranks would have made it ever better
The biking industry put way too much emphasis on weight . If you can get good bikes into the hands of newer riders at a cost that encourages them to ride , you have won. The new cues groupset will allow a lot of folks to set up their bike anyway they want. I have a number of bikes , different weights and different levels of groupsets , they all are fun to ride and to be perfectly honest my heaviest 2 bikes are my most favorite to ride. Hopefully at some point their upper levels of group sets will have a common pull ratio and be compatible to both flat and drop bar set ups.
Until the grade is above 2% then all the city bike riders buy ebikes. Weight is way more important than people pretend. The irony is, it’s the casual/weaker cyclists that need the high performing parts, not us 😅.
Fully Compatible with: 11S XT M8130, 10S Deore M5130, 11S Sunrace UX, 10s Sunrace US, 9s Sunrace U9. Microshift Sword/AdventX/Advent are possibly compatible with Cues Drop Bar Shifter but we need a test.
imho Simon i think the cues stuff looks great. Though this coming from the guy who would die on a Tiagra shaped hill telling you it was truly the groupset of the people.
I'm pretty sure the build cost for the 11 speed versions is the same as the 9 speed, they should just sell one thing. If the cassette spacing is the same then the shifting performance is the same (cable moves same length per click), it's just the limit that is in a different place.
I think this is great for most cyclists, and especially for those looking to get into cycling without having to make the serious financial commitment that bikes spec’d with higher end groups require. I say bravo Shimano. And,seriously, I would consider putting this on a gravel bike or a frequently used all-rounder, based on the quality and longevity. So what if there’s a 100 or 200 gram difference in weight? That doesn’t matter to the average person who’s not a feather weight racer/climber. But what does matter is not having to shell out for new chain and cassette every year. Cycling should be for the masses, not just the elites.
@@Andy_ATB why? when you got shimano releasing these egg crackers. sram is focused on tech advance which should not come cheap. go get your friction shifters.
They should stick only to 11s, high range every body be happy with that. They just replace lot of names of groupset to one, but results are same - to much components, 3 different shifter, 3x cassets, 3x deralier.
I agree that the price for an extra two cogs on the cassette or extra three teeth on the shifter gear for pawls to grab would cost virtually nothing in manufacturing for Shimano, but it's intentionally being split to let manufacturers segregate bike models.
I think its strategically smart to trade some weight for low cost, durability and range simplification. Aero has reduced somewhat our obsession with weight, plus theres a general perception (reality for many) that bikes are way too expensive. Also, they have to respond to rapidly growing Chinese competitors. Well done Shimano. 🙏
Good news... especially the combination of cost and range of gears available. Cues has made large range for touring a viable option. Looking forward to seeing it.
Can we just have old school Tiagra/Deore? It was bombproof. It didn't use lots of plastic. It was interchangeable. It offered enough range. As my old (and wise) boss used to say "Improvement means deterioration"
Cues for flat bar has already been getting great reviews. Let’s see how this works before we criticise? (This coming from someone who has only had Tiagra on road bikes)
honestly thinking of converting my Orbea Rise ebike from 12-speed to this -- tired of having to replace the chain every 500 miles. 11-39t 10spd cassette w/ 34t chainring should be sufficient. I don't even use the low gears as it is.
No. The cable pull is MTB/Linkglide. You would need to use Cues derailleurs. And then the indexing is narrower so you'd need a Cues/MTB cassette. And if you don't use 1x the crank chainring spacing is also different so you'd need a crank. And because you used Cues cassette you need a 11spd chain.
There might be some technical reasons for offering 8-9 speed with 2x setups to help minimize crosschaining angle. My main guess is that they probably reserve the highest gear count for the most expensive groupsets to incentivize people to buy the more expensive groupsets. As far as pricing is concerned, I agree that SRAM and Shimano are probably more expensive than they should be. With that said, I also think the good Chinese groupsets are probably underpricing their products to gain marketshare.
Cues is 9-10-11 speed because they have ESSA for 7-8 speed as a crankset and altus for 6/7/8 along with tourney, also cues uses an 11 speed chain which won't work for 8 speed nor 12 speed because the inner width is different and 12 speed wouldn't work due to the HG freehub
Doesn't matter. You can use a 11-50t cassette with a 40t chain ring WITH hidraulic brake AND linkglide AT a more affordable pirce. If you don't get the importance of these I can't halp u.
Great round up of the new Cues that is sadly a new standard not compatible with any of the old speed Shimano stuff like Deore. I was thinking the same margins pros and cons maybe applicable to 1x12 speeds for hill climbing over triples with a 9 speed but would the wheel be weaker one one side because of the extra dishing for that massive cassette? Either way I may build a new bike around the Cues, a classic Pashley style as the gearing is pretty small on them as it is.
The price of the shifters/calipers are what is going to make or break this groupset. A pair of Tiagra ST-4720 levers with brake calipers, which are based on the now *10 year old* 4700 groupset, still retail for like £400! 😮
Triples shouldn’t be dead my Shimano 3x10 XT group set on my Fuji Tahoe 1.0 still shifts great the range of 30 gears is wonderful and the added weight of 289 grams is minimal
The triple is dead. That will be good that beginner bikes aren’t 1x and 2x. We’ve (well most) all been there learning to ride and not knowing how to shift a triple the right way.
fine for entry level and big box stores. but the same issues still exist putting this on a serious bike - the upgrade path is non-linear. still have to replace everything to jump from 10 to 11 or 12 speeds.
All Cues is interchangable. You can go from 9 to 10 or 11 speed because it's all based on the same 11 speed chain. Some people have even unofficially mixed Cues with higher stuff like Deore. How this new Cues stuff will mix with road groups remains to be seen.
@@zachs6191 On the road side you will probably will not be able to do much because this uses MTB/Linkglide cable pull ratio. The shifters/derailleurs will have to always match. But I suspect you could probably interchange calipers, cassette, and maybe the crankset.
Completely pointless, as people can just get second-hand bike with way better groupsets for much cheaper. Shimano just doesn't know WTF they are supposed to act in this downturned market.
Looks like foil. Shimano is loosing ground in the amateur/pro market with sram releasing incredible technology, it makes sense they are approaching more an entry level market. In the end 80% of parts shimano sells are on entry level box store bikes.
That’s probably because most bike sold are at entry level or lower. That doesn’t take away from the fact that Shimano still dominates the market in high end group sets also. Most pro teams still spec Shimano. I would guess at least 50% of high end bikes sold have Shimano components. High end components are great,but most people can’t afford them. SRAM’s new 13 speed electronic group set sells for around $3,000U.S. Most people can’t spend half that amount on an entire bike. I think Cues is great for what it is, a much less expensive but still decent quality component system that lasts longer than the high-end stuff. I think SRAM should take note and do the same.
Shimano has been hesitant to release anything since 2021 because of the market turndown, meanwhile SRAM is stuck with loads of excess inventory they can't move. One certainly is looking smarter than the other right now.
I own a Cube Nulane with the CUES 2x10 46-30 11-39. It's not that you *can* shift without easing on the pedals, you *must* do so. Otherwise the shift (especially upshift) is painfully slow. This really messes up my rides with other bikes. (I hate when technology goes too far to help idiots). The double front chainring jump is equal to three shifts on the cassette. With the 11-39, there is too big of a jump between the 6th and the 7th gear. I think Shimano will have to make a Cues cassette with narrower steps for road bikes. Other than that, I can say that it's reliable.
Pricing and full details updated since filming 👉www.bikeradar.com/news/2025-shimano-essa-drop-bar
Seems good but they really missed the ball on shorter cranks. All the cues cranks only go down to 170. Good to have a budget grounder but offering down to 165mm cranks would have made it ever better
The biking industry put way too much emphasis on weight . If you can get good bikes into the hands of newer riders at a cost that encourages them to ride , you have won. The new cues groupset will allow a lot of folks to set up their bike anyway they want. I have a number of bikes , different weights and different levels of groupsets , they all are fun to ride and to be perfectly honest my heaviest 2 bikes are my most favorite to ride. Hopefully at some point their upper levels of group sets will have a common pull ratio and be compatible to both flat and drop bar set ups.
Until the grade is above 2% then all the city bike riders buy ebikes. Weight is way more important than people pretend.
The irony is, it’s the casual/weaker cyclists that need the high performing parts, not us 😅.
Fully Compatible with: 11S XT M8130, 10S Deore M5130, 11S Sunrace UX, 10s Sunrace US, 9s Sunrace U9.
Microshift Sword/AdventX/Advent are possibly compatible with Cues Drop Bar Shifter but we need a test.
imho Simon i think the cues stuff looks great. Though this coming from the guy who would die on a Tiagra shaped hill telling you it was truly the groupset of the people.
I'm pretty sure the build cost for the 11 speed versions is the same as the 9 speed, they should just sell one thing. If the cassette spacing is the same then the shifting performance is the same (cable moves same length per click), it's just the limit that is in a different place.
I think this is great for most cyclists, and especially for those looking to get into cycling without having to make the serious financial commitment that bikes spec’d with higher end groups require. I say bravo Shimano. And,seriously, I would consider putting this on a gravel bike or a frequently used all-rounder, based on the quality and longevity. So what if there’s a 100 or 200 gram difference in weight? That doesn’t matter to the average person who’s not a feather weight racer/climber. But what does matter is not having to shell out for new chain and cassette every year. Cycling should be for the masses, not just the elites.
When you’re starting out, price matters. Weight, not so much.
I guess cues for road bikes is pretty much the replacement for Tiagra; and there was nothing wrong with that Tiagra.
That Tiagra came out in 2015... It's 10 years old. It's also still very expensive, doesn't offer 1X, clutch derailleurs, or wide range cassettes.
Now over to Sram to produce their entry level groupset........I may be waiting a while.......
S1000 might be nice but it will only be oem so meh
@@Andy_ATB why? when you got shimano releasing these egg crackers. sram is focused on tech advance which should not come cheap. go get your friction shifters.
This is the end of the market where Shimano absolute kill it. I think they’ve nailed it with Cues.
Release the BRIFTERS NOW!!!!!
They should stick only to 11s, high range every body be happy with that. They just replace lot of names of groupset to one, but results are same - to much components, 3 different shifter, 3x cassets, 3x deralier.
I agree that the price for an extra two cogs on the cassette or extra three teeth on the shifter gear for pawls to grab would cost virtually nothing in manufacturing for Shimano, but it's intentionally being split to let manufacturers segregate bike models.
I think its strategically smart to trade some weight for low cost, durability and range simplification. Aero has reduced somewhat our obsession with weight, plus theres a general perception (reality for many) that bikes are way too expensive. Also, they have to respond to rapidly growing Chinese competitors. Well done Shimano. 🙏
I was looking for those levers, as I'm building my off-road touring bike! Depending on prices I can go with them or GRX 600
So does this replace grx 400?
No
Good news... especially the combination of cost and range of gears available. Cues has made large range for touring a viable option. Looking forward to seeing it.
Can we just have old school Tiagra/Deore? It was bombproof. It didn't use lots of plastic. It was interchangeable. It offered enough range.
As my old (and wise) boss used to say "Improvement means deterioration"
You have no idea how this performs or what is made of and you already are yapping.
People didn't buy tiagra nor deore 10/11 speed that's why they are putting them out of their misery same for alivio and acera
Cues for flat bar has already been getting great reviews. Let’s see how this works before we criticise? (This coming from someone who has only had Tiagra on road bikes)
honestly thinking of converting my Orbea Rise ebike from 12-speed to this -- tired of having to replace the chain every 500 miles.
11-39t 10spd cassette w/ 34t chainring should be sufficient. I don't even use the low gears as it is.
Do mind that changing your chainring might affect how your motor functions
@@Hydun already changed to a 36t without issues.
but, yes, user-unfriendly policies keeping us from making simple changes are a pain.
Would it be possible to have hydraulic disc brake with sora then? Switching to cues levers but keeping everything else from sora? Please 🙏
No. The cable pull is MTB/Linkglide. You would need to use Cues derailleurs. And then the indexing is narrower so you'd need a Cues/MTB cassette. And if you don't use 1x the crank chainring spacing is also different so you'd need a crank. And because you used Cues cassette you need a 11spd chain.
hopefully it is priced comparably to the l-twoo GR7 groupset ~ $200 for the brifters, hydro brakes and rear derailleur.
I don’t get this 8,9,10 speed stuff. Chinese groups will offer 11-12 speed mexhanical stuff at 200-300 usd.
Keep paying the communists then.
Maybe some kind of compatibility with cheaper free hubs? But yeah I agree. I don’t get it either
There might be some technical reasons for offering 8-9 speed with 2x setups to help minimize crosschaining angle. My main guess is that they probably reserve the highest gear count for the most expensive groupsets to incentivize people to buy the more expensive groupsets. As far as pricing is concerned, I agree that SRAM and Shimano are probably more expensive than they should be. With that said, I also think the good Chinese groupsets are probably underpricing their products to gain marketshare.
Cues is 9-10-11 speed because they have ESSA for 7-8 speed as a crankset and altus for 6/7/8 along with tourney, also cues uses an 11 speed chain which won't work for 8 speed nor 12 speed because the inner width is different and 12 speed wouldn't work due to the HG freehub
Doesn't matter. You can use a 11-50t cassette with a 40t chain ring WITH hidraulic brake AND linkglide AT a more affordable pirce. If you don't get the importance of these I can't halp u.
Great round up of the new Cues that is sadly a new standard not compatible with any of the old speed Shimano stuff like Deore.
I was thinking the same margins pros and cons maybe applicable to 1x12 speeds for hill climbing over triples with a 9 speed but would the wheel be weaker one one side because of the extra dishing for that massive cassette?
Either way I may build a new bike around the Cues, a classic Pashley style as the gearing is pretty small on them as it is.
The price of the shifters/calipers are what is going to make or break this groupset. A pair of Tiagra ST-4720 levers with brake calipers, which are based on the now *10 year old* 4700 groupset, still retail for like £400! 😮
Triples shouldn’t be dead my Shimano 3x10 XT group set on my Fuji Tahoe 1.0 still shifts great the range of 30 gears is wonderful and the added weight of 289 grams is minimal
Naw, rip 3x.
Budget shifters,that are identical to premium 105 & yet this guy isn't happy with that fact 😂
I doubt they're truly identical.
The triple is dead. That will be good that beginner bikes aren’t 1x and 2x. We’ve (well most) all been there learning to ride and not knowing how to shift a triple the right way.
Tripple should be buried, it is such a PITA to have to constantly check what chain line/gear that you are in.
@@johnlesoudeur3653 Not for Touring they aren't......still as popular as ever.
@@johnlesoudeur3653 There are brain exercises you can do to help you memory if you can't remember what gear you last shifted into.
@@johnlesoudeur3653is this not what gear shifter indicators or a simple glance down will do?
@@That_Stealth_Guy Now I know why I never got past gear 7 when I had a tripple
fine for entry level and big box stores. but the same issues still exist putting this on a serious bike - the upgrade path is non-linear. still have to replace everything to jump from 10 to 11 or 12 speeds.
All Cues is interchangable. You can go from 9 to 10 or 11 speed because it's all based on the same 11 speed chain. Some people have even unofficially mixed Cues with higher stuff like Deore. How this new Cues stuff will mix with road groups remains to be seen.
10/11 is mostly interchangeable tho shimano markets their derailleurs as 10/11 and cassettes work fine
@@cup_and_cone I guess I meant to upgrade outside of Cues to something higher end. Cues is a whole new ecosystem
@@zachs6191 On the road side you will probably will not be able to do much because this uses MTB/Linkglide cable pull ratio. The shifters/derailleurs will have to always match. But I suspect you could probably interchange calipers, cassette, and maybe the crankset.
Completely pointless, as people can just get second-hand bike with way better groupsets for much cheaper. Shimano just doesn't know WTF they are supposed to act in this downturned market.
Looks like foil. Shimano is loosing ground in the amateur/pro market with sram releasing incredible technology, it makes sense they are approaching more an entry level market. In the end 80% of parts shimano sells are on entry level box store bikes.
That’s probably because most bike sold are at entry level or lower. That doesn’t take away from the fact that Shimano still dominates the market in high end group sets also. Most pro teams still spec Shimano. I would guess at least 50% of high end bikes sold have Shimano components. High end components are great,but most people can’t afford them. SRAM’s new 13 speed electronic group set sells for around $3,000U.S. Most people can’t spend half that amount on an entire bike. I think Cues is great for what it is, a much less expensive but still decent quality component system that lasts longer than the high-end stuff. I think SRAM should take note and do the same.
Shimano has been hesitant to release anything since 2021 because of the market turndown, meanwhile SRAM is stuck with loads of excess inventory they can't move. One certainly is looking smarter than the other right now.
@@chesterthomas5093 consider their off-road teams, most are sram. i’m not just speaking Worldtour teams.
I own a Cube Nulane with the CUES 2x10 46-30 11-39.
It's not that you *can* shift without easing on the pedals, you *must* do so. Otherwise the shift (especially upshift) is painfully slow. This really messes up my rides with other bikes. (I hate when technology goes too far to help idiots).
The double front chainring jump is equal to three shifts on the cassette.
With the 11-39, there is too big of a jump between the 6th and the 7th gear. I think Shimano will have to make a Cues cassette with narrower steps for road bikes.
Other than that, I can say that it's reliable.