New Shimano CUES groupset

[zenitb]

While I am not a "new shiny gear" fanboy I do track what Shimano are doing - mainly so I can buy spares before they move onto the next thing. Their new CUES groupset sounds like a bit more than just a quick stir of the parts bin though. Here are some of the things that caught my eye

Neutral?
- replacing lots of groupsets we already use like Deore, Claris, Tiagra and cable 105.

Positive?
- all mid range groupsets would use the supposed harder wearing lyncsys chain and cassetes (formerly eBike components) rather then the 35 year old hyperglide system. Lyncsys is heavier I think but then it might last longer on my tandem than hyperglide? They claim it lasts 3x longer ???
- it sounds as if MTB and Road groupsets would have the same indexing gaps - even if you have a different numbers of speeds. Is this going back to the earlier shimano era where you could mix and match shifters, derrailiers and cassettes from Road and MTB groupsets on your tourer?
- they claim that with all this compatibility bike shops will have to hold less spares (one chain for all speeds for example) ?

Negative?
- it sounded like they were ditching cable/rim brakes and putting everyone on hydraulic discs ?
- it sounds like they are phasing out cup and cone hubs and just stamping out sealed bearing hubs like everyone else ?

See what you think - I am interested in people's views. Is it time for another of my Deore/105 hoarding sprees?

https://www.cyclist.co.uk/news/shimano-cues

[rotavator]

There is no triple chainset but the 32-46T double with the 11-45T cassette will give a give me a very useful gear range and will suit plenty of other "average" cyclists I guess.

[AndyK]

Interesting. I'm off to the IceBike trade show next week and apparently the new range will be on display there. I'll report back.

Anyway, never mind the groupset, what is that sleek step-through frame in the illustration at the top of the article? Been looking for something like that. Half a manufacturer's logo is visible but I can't work out what it says. Or is it just another e-bike?

[NickJP]

As far as I can see from looking at the Shimano EU website, all the various options are for flat bar bikes only: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/ ... /cues.html.

[PH]

As far as I can see from looking at the Shimano EU website, all the various options are for flat bar bikes only: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/ ... /cues.html.

Press reports say there's a "hint" of them replacing the lower drop bar groups in the future.

[AndyK]

As far as I can see from looking at the Shimano EU website, all the various options are for flat bar bikes only: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/ ... /cues.html.

Press reports say there's a "hint" of them replacing the lower drop bar groups in the future.

More than a hint. From the Cyclist article that the OP linked to:

CUES will initially be offered on the ‘lifestyle’ side of things, meaning for flat-bar hybrids, e-bikes and lower-end mountain bikes, but over the coming months and years it appears it’s all change on the road side too. This affects everything below 105 on the road while mountain bikers will bid farewell to the Deore, Alivio, Acera and Altus groupsets.

[PH]

As far as I can see from looking at the Shimano EU website, all the various options are for flat bar bikes only: https://bike.shimano.com/en-EU/product/ ... /cues.html.

Press reports say there's a "hint" of them replacing the lower drop bar groups in the future.

More than a hint. From the Cyclist article that the OP linked to:

CUES will initially be offered on the ‘lifestyle’ side of things, meaning for flat-bar hybrids, e-bikes and lower-end mountain bikes, but over the coming months and years it appears it’s all change on the road side too. This affects everything below 105 on the road while mountain bikers will bid farewell to the Deore, Alivio, Acera and Altus groupsets.

I haven't seen the wording of the official Shimano press release, so it depends where you read it. I read it on Bikeradar a couple of days ago:

Though it hasn’t been confirmed officially, Shimano has strongly hinted Cues will replace Tiagra, Sora and Claris road groupsets

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/shimano-cues/
They say "Strongly hint" while your link says "it appears"
I'm not suggesting I know anymore than anyone else, but until it's official it isn't official.

[Jdsk]

Press reports say there's a "hint" of them replacing the lower drop bar groups in the future.

More than a hint. From the Cyclist article that the OP linked to:

CUES will initially be offered on the ‘lifestyle’ side of things, meaning for flat-bar hybrids, e-bikes and lower-end mountain bikes, but over the coming months and years it appears it’s all change on the road side too. This affects everything below 105 on the road while mountain bikers will bid farewell to the Deore, Alivio, Acera and Altus groupsets.

I haven't seen the wording of the official Shimano press release, so it depends where you read it. I read it on Bikeradar a couple of days ago:

Though it hasn’t been confirmed officially, Shimano has strongly hinted Cues will replace Tiagra, Sora and Claris road groupsets

https://www.bikeradar.com/news/shimano-cues/
They say "Strongly hint" while your link says "it appears"
I'm not suggesting I know anymore than anyone else, but until it's official it isn't official.

"SHIMANO unveils new, highly compatible ecosystem with SHIMANO CUES":
https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/informat ... no-cu.html

... which takes us to what they mean by consolidates.

Jonathan

[PH]

"SHIMANO unveils new, highly compatible ecosystem with SHIMANO CUES":
https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/informat ... no-cu.html

... which takes us to what they mean by consolidates.

Jonathan

I'd read that but can't see any mention of future plans for the road groupsets?
I'd expect the press release and any briefings to have been more comprehensive. Or maybe the jurnos are guessing like the rest of us.

[zenitb]

"SHIMANO unveils new, highly compatible ecosystem with SHIMANO CUES":
https://bike.shimano.com/en-US/informat ... no-cu.html

... which takes us to what they mean by consolidates.

Jonathan

I'd read that but can't see any mention of future plans for the road groupsets?
I'd expect the press release and any briefings to have been more comprehensive. Or maybe the jurnos are guessing like the rest of us.

Shimano being Shimano I think there will be a bit of a mish mash in the next few years. I suspect high sales volume groupsets will be transitioned into the CUES stable earlier. However they are bound to keep flogging some of the old stuff (possibly rebadged) for a while if only to maximise the use of the old tooling. Look how the old Deore and XT five bolt "big balls" disc hubs have carried on in production years after "official" splined replacements have come in.

I have taken solace from the fact that HG splined freehubs appear to be still supported by the new cassettes/world order. And given I have durability issues with the existing HG cassettes/chain upgrading my older wheels (and HG hub stash) to Lyncglide may well be a viable route for me?

That only works if Lyncglide IS more robust though?

However replacing cup and cone hubs with sealed bearings may be a bridge too far for me. Ideally I would keep using cup and cone...even if I resort to hoarding them

[AndyK]

However replacing cup and cone hubs with sealed bearings may be a bridge too far for me. Ideally I would keep using cup and cone...even if I resort to hoarding them

Each to their own. Me, I see the advent of sealed bearings in CUES as a sign that Shimano has finally come to its senses.

[interestedcp]

Shimano's patent on HG Hyperglide has expired, which is why they roll out the new "Linkglide" everywhere they can in order to keep the competition away from making compatible hubs, chains, sprockets and chainsets.

That Shimano will drop cup-and-cone hub bearings for low end hubs isn't completely surprising. Cup-and-cone bearings are technically superior to cartridge bearings, and since they require real knowledge and expensive tooling to make, Shimano has used it as a way to distance itself from cottage hub makers who can't afford the tooling, and therefore has to resort to cartridge bearings.

But since modern day utility cyclist don't care about bearing efficiency, and don't want to spend time to maintain equipment and acquire the necessary knowledge to do so, they prefer to just ride equipment into destruction and then just buy new stuff to replace it.
These days people have far more money than time, so it kind of makes sense.

Also, Shimano is a de facto monopoly when it comes to utility cycling, so it is extremely unlikely that any competitor will step up and make cup-and-cone bearing hubs to compete with Shimano.

I guess this is also the final farewell to shining silver parts, and probably 36H hubs as well, at least in the sense that these things will become marginalized to an extreme degree.

[Jupestar]

I guess this is also the final farewell to shining silver parts

please no.......

[interestedcp]

I guess this is also the final farewell to shining silver parts

please no.......

The writing has been on the wall some time, the point where Shimano offered the same product in either silver or black have been passed. AFAIK, there isn't a single "shining metal" part among CUES part revealed until now except the chains and some plates on a FD. Even the rear sprockets are either black or "dark metallic".

Of course Shimano will offer some kind of low-end "painted silver" line and perhaps some high end products too like Dura Ace in silver at least for a while, but basically the future is black groupsets, disc only, with proprietary chains and sprockets, hubs only in 32H or below, and even 32H hubs will be marginalized.

[Jamesh]

Imho
it's horrid and I hope it doesn't come to road bikes.

I'll be keeping my 9/10spd bikes running for many years to come.

How will the different speeds work?