Shimano has expanded its CUES ecosystem with new drop bar components to bring the affordable drivetrains to road and gravel riders. The latest update places CUES as a replacement for Shimano’s lower-end road and gravel groupsets, covering 9- to 11-speed drivetrains. Meanwhile, ESSA remains the entry-level 8-speed option, now with its own drop bar components.
While the premise of CUES was to simplify Shimano’s mid-tier lineup, the drop bar expansion brings no additional backward compatibility – keeping the ecosystem separate from Shimano’s legacy road and gravel groupsets.
CUES – unifying things into another unique compatibility matrix
Shimano introduced “Create Unique ExperienceS” (CUES) mechanical drivetrains in 2023 to replace its Acera, Alivio and various lower-tier flat-bar groupsets across 9-, 10-, and 11-speed drivetrains. Designed to consolidate its sprawling lower component range into one cross-compatible system, CUES was set out to simplify inventory for retailers. Less SKUs, easier operations.
The initial launch focused on flat-bar drivetrains, and the phased transition meant that for the years to follow, retailers and consumers have continued to see both CUES and the old groupsets on shelves.
With today’s drop bar CUES launch, Shimano Sora and Claris are set to follow the same phasing-out process. While Shimano says its goal with CUES is to unify and simplify, it has also indicated that models like Tiagra and lower-levels of GRX will stick around, even as CUES takes over the entry-level road and gravel specs.
Phasing out so many lineups has also raised questions about long-term serviceability. Shimano has promised to support the outgoing ranges for at least seven years – though other than saying this to press, it has not officially announced this or another specific timeline.
For those unfamiliar with the CUES components; it is built around Shimano’s Linkglide drivetrain technology, which according to the company triples component lifespan and offers smoother shifting via increased cog width and revised tooth profiling. All CUES cassettes use a standard HG freehub body.
The unique aspect of CUES is that regardless of the number of gears, all the drivetrains use a chain with 11-speed width, meaning the cog spacing and cable pull at the shifter are also kept consistent. However, despite some hoping for it, broader backward compatibility with Shimano’s pre-CUES components was never in the cards.
One sticking point in the compatibility has been cable pull ratios. While Shimano standardised the CUES family to use one cable pull ratio across the entire ecosystem, the non-CUES groupsets feature ratios from 1.2 to 1.1, making mixing and matching impossible.
With all this, Shimano created what many have described as a parallel ecosystem, making the compatibility charts at si.shimano ever more puzzling – at least until the old groupsets are all phased out.
Adding to the mix, in 2024 Shimano added its ESSA lineup as a true budget 8-speed option aimed at MTB and hybrid bikes. This was designed to replace the Acera, Altus and Tourney TX components – and while it is compatible with pre-existing 8-speed drivetrains, it’s not compatible with any of the CUES components.
What’s new for CUES?
The drop bar CUES expansion follows the same trend as its flat-bar predecessor: durability, unified compatibility (within CUES), and affordability. With the pricing that Escape received, the total price for a full 1×11 U6030 build would be around £750 (no other currencies available at the time of publishing).
The most notable difference in the drop bar CUES is obviously the shifters which are offered for both hydraulic and cable-actuated brake systems. Shimano also said “Where there are differences between the two series concerns the shifters (for only the CUES U6030 front derailleur and crank). The pitch differs, by about ~0.5mm, between the drop bar and flat bar versions. Both have a cable pull that is 2.0mm or less. The Q-Factor also differs.”
Much like Shimano’s GRX lineup, the drop bar CUES offers very limited options for those seeking shorter-length cranks. Though the drop bar cranksets include a 165 mm option for both 1x and 2x setups, this is limited to the most basic U6030 level. More shorter cranks is a change we’d like to see, as it’d expand the options for smaller-sized riders and anyone else looking to size down.
Shimano hasn’t disclosed weights for the new cranksets, but based on the existing CUES parts, they’re likely on the heavier side to keep costs down. The chainring and chainline spec of the drop bar CUES system largely mirrors GRX 10-speed, suggesting that it could take over the lower-tier GRX parts in the future. An industry source told Escape that this will eventually happen, while Tiagra will stay in the lineup, positioned a step above CUES on the road side.
The existing flat-bar CUES components will continue to work with the drop bar versions, which means there are no new cassettes, chains, or rear derailleurs introduced. The existing 9, 10, and 11-speed cassette options range from 11-36T to 11-50T, with the more compact options designed around 2x crankset, while the largest are based on a 1x system.
The new drop bar CUES components are:
Shifters
- ST-U6030 – Hydraulic dual-control levers for 10- and 11-speed drivetrains
- ST-U3030 – Mechanical dual-control levers for 9- and 10-speed drivetrains
Cranksets
- FC-U6040-2 – A Hollowtech II crankset for 2x drivetrains (10- or 9-speed), available in 46-32T or 50-34T chainring combinations, with a 47 mm chainline and crank lengths of 170 mm, 172.5 mm, and 175 mm.
- FC-U6040-1 – A Hollowtech II crankset for 1x drivetrains (11-, 10-, or 9-speed), available in 40T or 42T, with a 50 mm chainline and the same crank length options.
- FC-U6030-2 & FC-U6030-1 – More affordable two-piece cranksets that match the specifications above but use heavier materials. These also introduce a shorter 165 mm crank length option, alongside 170 mm, 172.5 mm, and 175 mm choices.
Front Derailleur
- FD-U6030-F/B – A front derailleur designed for 2x systems, featuring toggle link construction and an integrated cable tension adjuster. +2.5mm chainline. Available in braze-on or clamp band mount versions.
Brakes
- BR-U6030 – Flat-mount hydraulic disc brake calipers, optimised for 160 mm rotors, with a two-piston design.
As a final new element to CUES, Shimano is also addressing more niche needs with new components for small-wheel bikes, such as 20-inch frames. These include a short cage rear derailleur (with matching cassettes) and a 140 mm disc brake rotor, both designed for use on smaller-wheeled bicycles.
Shimano ESSA
As mentioned briefly earlier, ESSA was introduced in 2024 as Shimano’s lowest-tier mechanical drivetrain, and has also been expanded to drop bar setups as a budget 8-speed alternative.
It’s worth reiterating that despite the ESSA product tier being U2000, these parts are not cross-compatible with CUES. Instead, Shimano designed them to be backward and cross-compatible with some existing 6-, 7- and 8-speed components such as Tourney, Altus, and Acera.
Unlike CUES, ESSA isn’t Linkglide-based and uses an 8-speed chain width instead of an 11-speed. The first ESSA launch included a rear derailleur, 1x only crankset/chainrings, and an 8-speed cassette. These were complemented with two 8-speed Hyperglide cassettes (11-40T and 11-45T).
Now, the new drop bar options for ESSA are:
- ST-U2030: Dual control lever for 8-speed drivetrains
- BL-U2030-L: Brake lever with Shimano Linear Response (SLR)
- CS-HG300: HG 8-speed cassette, 11-45T and compatible with 8-, 7-, and 6-speed Hyperglide chain
What to expect
Shimano primarily sees CUES as an OEM offering – not something offered to consumers as full groupsets, but rather found on complete bikes or as just replacement parts that will be sold aftermarket. For now, we can expect bike brands like Giant, Specialized, Trek, Marin, Cannondale, and Surly to start rolling out CUES-equipped drop bar bikes in the coming months.
Did we do a good job with this story?