Shimano Cues - New 9/10/11 speed lower tier drivetrain components

Almost 2 years ago, Shimano introduced Linkglide.

With lots of new innovations focusing on life span which is theoretically three times longer and shifting smoothness and performance.




Whilst this was great news for EMTBers, it did mean that the vast and expansive shimano range became even more convoluted with Alivio, Acera, Altus, Deore, XT and some road only options like Tiagra, Sora and Claris.

Shimano CUES (Create Unique ExperienceS - Hopefully more time was spent in development than in naming), effectively introduces versatility with simplicity and fortunately adds in Durability by being built around the Linkglide technology.

One of the primary changes with Linkglide was taller and thicker cassette teeth, providing additional surface area. This mitigates the chain from skipping and distributes pedaling forces to prevent premature wear due to shifts from new and experienced riders. (Though it doesn't mean it's completely idiot proof. If you still bang through the gears with zero mechanical sympathy, you will introduce massively increased component fatigue despite what Shimano say).

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For EMTB's this will mean that even bikes equipped with lower tier components, you'll still benefit from the extended component lifespan with Linkglide introduces– Cassettes and chains built to withstand consistent daily wear and tear of both analog and high-torque e-bike use.

What does this all mean with regard to components, interchangeability and simplicity ?

The new CUES system introduces 9/10/11 speed groupsets which all use the same chains (any existing Shimano 11 speed chain is compatible), have the same spacing and the same pull ratios.

Common 13T derailleur pulleys are introduced and cassette sprockets are all the same. CUES 13 and 11 speed cogs will be available as aftermarket replacement parts no matter what speed system you have on your bike.

The CUES system will be compatible with existing linkglide systems, however, it won't be compatible with Hyperglide systems as they use a different pull ratio.

One of the primary reasons to develop and introduce CUES was to make like far simpler for Manufacturers. It much easier and more efficient to hold stock of items if they're interchangeable, reduces many supply issues and from Shimano's end, hopefully keeps customers in house rather than searching for cheaper and more readily available components from alternative manufacturers. The trickle down will be that it will become easier for us and bike shops to maintain bikes.

10 and 11 Speed CUES derailleurs come equipped with a clutch, which the 9 speed has to make do with an uprated spring.

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Would have been nice if they'd introduced the little cable nozzle sleeve after the barrel adjuster from some of the XT systems which stops the cable from snagging and wearing, but it doesn't look like it's there.
About author
Zimmerframe
Self confessed Muppet and EMTB lover, based in France. Crash tests a lot.

Comments

Nice write-up thanks!

Always happy to see modern options for 9/10 speed 1x setups. Not mad keen on the relatively heavy Linkglide cassettes but spec'ed as a 9 or 10 speed I guess it shouldn't be too heavy, right? And it's shown with a XT crank in the pics, so I assume I could run the CUES cassette/rear-mech with any 11spd compatible chainring and crank, so that is somewhere to save a bit of weigh too.

Alternative is the current Deore 10 speed, which looks great, but I worry about parts availability. Nice how CUES tries to solve that with commonality of parts across the range.

Just need James The Bike Guy to weigh all these product options and give us the stats...
 
I think CUES is due to replace Alivio, Acera, Altus and the 10 and 11 speed Deore range - though you'd imagine some people would still want a lighter 10 speed cassette without paying a premium.

Any of the existing 11 speed chainrings and cranks should in theory work with the whole CUES range.
 
They haven't released much information on individual pricing except for the U8000 (the top level one).

11s (CS-LG700-11 Cassette) U8000 with shifter, derailleur,cassette,chain comes to $288 (11-50T)
11s (CS-LG400-11 Cassette) U6000 with shifter, derailleur,cassette,chain comes to $214
10s (CS-LG400-10 or CS-LG300-10 Cassettes) U6000 with shifter, derailleur,cassette,chain comes to $187
And the 9s U4000 apparently runs to about $151 (CS-LG400-9 or CS-LG300-9 Cassettes)

The existing Shimano 1×11-speed XT Linkglide comes in at $362

Only the U8000 has been released so far. Full availability is expected May/June.
 
Hmm, there is an 8 series Cues... During the launch, they only mentioned the 4,5 and 6. Seems the 5 is gone now? So it's U4000 10 speed, U6000 10s, U6000 11s and U8000 11s.

U8000 is trekking and urban
U6000 is trail and sporty daily
U4000 is casual everyday use
They say, SHIMANO CUES | SHIMANO BIKE-EU

The 11-48t 10-speed cassette looks reaally interesting, the 11-43t wasn't optimal I think.

Still no mention of the most interesting Cues model, the Di2. I'm waiting for Deore level electronic shifting at a surprisingly low price :)
 
Still no mention of the most interesting Cues model, the Di2. I'm waiting for Deore level electronic shifting at a surprisingly low price
Like this ?




The RD-U6070 (11 speed) or RD-U6050 (10 speed)
 
Would love to know the cog spacing on these. Seems to be super secret information. 11 speed currently is 3.76mm (I think).When shimano say linkglide cassettes wont work with current shifters & derailleurs, I would like to know if its vastly different, or maybe will work well enough but not enough for them to recommend it.
 
@Zimmerframe That 3.5 mm was the cable pull of the 10s Linkglide shifter, not the cog spacing.
I just measured the cog spacing and it's about 3.76 / 3.78 mm for the 10s Linkglide cassette (CS-LG600-10 to be precise).
That was measured with a dodgy vernier caliper, so please do not make any buying decisions based on my measurement :p
 
@Zimmerframe That 3.5 mm was the cable pull of the 10s Linkglide shifter, not the cog spacing.
I just measured the cog spacing and it's about 3.76 / 3.78 mm for the 10s Linkglide cassette (CS-LG600-10 to be precise).
That was measured with a dodgy vernier caliper, so please do not make any buying decisions based on my measurement :p
So the same as current 11 speed.
I wonder why they say a new derailleur and shifter is required? Apart from to sell more stuff.
I'm sure once it becomes more mainstream the information will be out there.
 
That 3.5 mm was the cable pull of the 10s Linkglide shifter, not the cog spacing.
I just measured the cog spacing and it's about 3.76 / 3.78 mm for the 10s Linkglide cassette
Thanks @MickS, that makes a lot more sense than it being smaller !
 
So the same as current 11 speed.
I wonder why they say a new derailleur and shifter is required? Apart from to sell more stuff.
I'm sure once it becomes more mainstream the information will be out there.
You can be right about them just wanting to sell us more stuff. But it is also possible that there are some true reasons for that. It would be nice to know the details from Shimano, but I'm afraid we will need to investigate it on our own :).

Some time ago, when Linkglide was launched, I read somewhere (unfortunately I don't remember where) that Linkglide shifters use linear cable pull (the same length of cable is pulled for every click of the shifter). My measurements confirm that. I do not own any non-Linkglide Shimano shifter anymore, so I can't check myself if there is a difference in that matter. Maybe someone who owns non-Linkglide shifter could check that? That would be helpful.
 
It is a ploy to get rid of the Hyperglide compatible third party market like Microshift. Since the pull ratio is changed you can forget using your Deore 11s stuff. Time to stock up before you have to throw your whole drive train away.
 
I purchased a cues 10 speed 11 -48 cassette (I think these are the same as linkglide, it's all a bit confusing) recently as it was cheap at £46, so I could check the cog spacing. It is around 4.15 to 4.20mm so definitely will not work with my current slx HG 11 speed mech and shifter designed for 3.76mm.
Once I smash my current mech I'll purchase the cues u6000 mech and shifter so I can use it. Parts come in at around £75.
 
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