The brand new Shimano CUES and ESSA shift-brake levers rework the less expensive groupsets into gravel and road-worthy choices. These strains have been formally solely obtainable for leisure flat-bar metropolis and mountain bikes.
The CUES enlargement brings Shimano’s confirmed price range drivetrains to the drop-bar crowd. Each 1x and 2x cranksets pair with 9-, 10-, and 11-speed cassettes, drastically reducing the price of all-road and gravel commuter and different drop-bar builds. CUES has LINKGLIDE know-how, which has confirmed dependable shifting beneath load.
Plus, there are new CUES parts for teenagers’ bikes or smaller commuters. A brand new brief cage derailleur improves floor clearance for bikes with 20-inch wheels. That is matched with a “child-sized” brake rotor.
Though CUES is the large information, Shimano additionally launched drop-bar levers for its entry-level ESSA 8-speed drivetrain.
Editor’s word: This story relies on early reporting by BikeRumor.com.
Shimano CUES 9-, 10-, and 11-Pace Drivetrains
The Logic Behind Shimano CUES
Shimano’s extension of its CUES parts lastly brings its budget-friendly but sturdy drivetrains to the drop-bar market. CUES additionally fills the substantial void between its price range lineup and the premium efficiency 105 groupset.
For my part, Shimano CUES may simply be the perfect, underrated drivetrain on the market. Including drop-bar levers with hydraulic disc brakes made it even higher. CUES might need been neglected as a result of complicated LINKGLIDE drivetrain choices and compatibility points. Its 9- and 10-speed gearing requires the previous Shimano HG freehub, whereas 11-speed variations want the broader MicroSpline freehub.
Certainly, one in every of Shimano’s objectives was to simplify issues for sellers. The addition of drop-bar levers coincides with the elimination of a bunch of lower-level highway and gravel parts. Now, CUES represents the model’s lower-level 9- to 11-speed drivetrains, and ESSA covers the even lower-priced, entry-level 8-speed choices.
Moreover, all 9- to 11-speed choices use the identical new 11-speed chain. Shimano claims the chain is stronger and has an extended service life than earlier 8- to 10-speed models. This chain is far more inexpensive than 12-speed fashions.
An necessary facet of CUES is that in a time when ever-thinner cassettes and chains squeeze extra gears into the identical area, Shimano went towards the tide. CUES LINKGLIDE has thicker, extra sturdy cassettes, leading to considerably longer life and sturdiness. The cassettes can higher stand up to shifting beneath load.
This will not be a priority for skilled cyclists, however it’s an enormous assist to new riders. And it’s an absolute necessity for e-bikes, because it’s widespread to shift whereas an electrical motor drives the chain.
What’s Truly New?
Twin Management Levers
To make CUES work on drop-bar bikes and 2x drivetrains, Shimano solely had so as to add a number of parts: shifters, flat-mount brakes, a entrance derailleur, and some new crankset configurations.
The mixed shifters and brakes are the costliest half, promoting for ~$280-300 per aspect, together with brake calipers. In spite of everything, they’re functionally the identical because the newest 105 mechanical twin controls however with fewer gears. And so they seem to have the identical ergonomics.
Curiously, the rear derailleur’s twin management levers work for 10- or 11-speed drivetrains. This drastically lowers the price of switching from one to the opposite later, so long as you aren’t transferring between 1x and 2x.
Brakes
New flat-mount brake calipers are in all probability essentially the most distinctive element of the brand new Shimano CUES drop-bar groupset.
The brand new Shimano CUES hydraulic disc brakes have a particular entrance caliper that accommodates 160mm rotors on the flat-mount commonplace with out the same old adapter bracket. This implies it’s incompatible with 140mm rotors, and forks with 160mm mount could require a 180mm rotor.
The identical applies to the CUES rear calipers. A flat mount adapter isn’t required to run a 160mm rotor. Once more, the caliper is incompatible with 140mm rotors, and if the mount is supposed for a 160mm rotor, a 180mm could also be obligatory.
There are additionally cheaper 9/10-speed CUES mechanical shift twin management levers to be used with Shimano mechanical disc brakes. These will work for each 9- and 10-speed cassettes, however Shimano presents 1x or 2x particular pairs.
Entrance Derailleur
Lastly, the CUES 2 x 9- or 10-speed entrance derailleur is new. Accessible for braze-on or clamp mount, one entrance derailleur can work with all CUES 2x drivetrains, every with a +2.5mm chain line offset to clear the en-vogue wider tires.
Drivetrain Configurations
The brand new CUES 2x possibility requires a number of new HOLLOWTECH aluminum alloy cranksets. These are the identical cranks as earlier than however with new 46/32T and 50/34T chainring combos. Shimano up to date the 1x cranks with 40T & 42T chainrings, that are extra appropriate for gravel and highway using.
Shimano CUES for Children and Commuters
Shimano added a CUES brief cage 9/10-speed Shadow derailleur for small 20″ and 24″ wheeled bikes. It should nonetheless work with an 11-39T cassette. For 20″ wheels, Shimano claims it provides 30% extra floor clearance.
A 140mm six-bolt CUES-level brake rotor supplies a extra acceptable stage of stopping energy for teenagers’ mountain bikes. An excessive amount of braking energy makes it troublesome for youngsters to modulate the brakes, so a smaller rotor addresses this problem.
Shimano CUES Drop Bar Pricing and Availability
Shimano said that a number of OEM companions already specified the CUES drop-bar drivetrain on manufacturing bikes. This consists of bikes from Cannondale, Fuji, Big, Marin, Salsa, Specialised, Surly, and Trek, to call a handful. Anticipate these OEM CUES drop-bar bikes to pop up later in spring 2025. Shimano didn’t provide any data on the retail pricing of those bikes.
Aftermarket CUES parts will likely be obtainable at about the identical time because the OEM bicycles. Shimano said {that a} full 1×11-speed CUES construct package (levers, brake calipers and rotors, 1x crankset, rear derailleur, cassette, and chain) can have an MSRP of $896. A 2×10-speed package with the identical components plus a entrance derailleur and a 2x crankset will retail for $891.
The mechanical disc brake CUES drop-bar (9- or 10-speed) and mechanical disc brake ESSA Drop Bar 1 x 8-speed groupset (under) will price only a fraction of that.
Shimano ESSA Modifications
Much more inexpensive than CUES, the Shimano ESSA groupset additionally will get twin management drop-bar levers. Once more, it appears to be like to have Shimano’s mechanical shift lever ergonomics. The ESSA drivetrain opens up lower-cost 1x setups with a wide-ranging 11-45T cassette out again.
No pricing was obtainable on the time of publication.
