An unreleased drop-bar variant of Shimano's Cues groupset has been leaked after Cube released its 2025 bike lineup today.
The Cues franchise was released back in 2023, as Shimano sought to replace its entire mid-range groupset family in both road and mountain with a singular, cross-compatible ecosystem of 9, 10, and 11-speed components. Until now, however, there has been no official release of drop-bar parts.
Shimano also hinted that the new Cues lineup would primarily serve 1x groupsets, which is what has been shown off on the Cube Nuroad Pro.
This morning, Cube showed off its new range of road, gravel, and electric bikes for 2025 - but that wasn't all they released into the public eye.
Spotted first by Bike Radar, the brand also inadvertently released information on new Cues groupset components, including part numbers and spec details for the Cube Nuroad Pro. A scroll down to the components information on the Cube website will show you that the Nuroad Pro features Shimano Cues brake levers, brake calipers, rear derailleur, and cassette.
First and foremost, the shifters. Cube's website has them down as the Shimano Cues ST-U6030 shift-brake levers, and ergonomically at least, they seem to resemble the shape of the GRX levers seen higher up in the Japanese component manufacturer's range.
The addition of these hydraulic brake levers also helps to fill a gap in Shimano's range, with no real up-to-date low-cost hydraulic drop bar levers previously available. It also allows Shimano to offer a dedicated 1x groupset at a lower price, rather than stick to budget road bike groupsets, often with compromised gearing options for commuting and gravel riding.
At the rear, Cube has used the already released Cues RD-6000-GS rear derailleur, reinforcing Shimano's initial claims that groupset parts in the Cues family would always be cross-compatible. This also means that Shimano's shifters share the same pull ratios for both flat and drop bar shifters.
The Cues CS-LG400 cassette is notably wide range too. The 11-speed shift system boasts a wide range of 11-50 teeth. Current forms of Shimano GRX boast similar compatibility, meaning we will likely see similar gear ranges being available at a lower price when this groupset becomes available to the wider market.
That's it for Cues branded parts on the Nuroad. Cranks are handled by the Cube's in-house component brand Acid, though it's expected that for full builds, the same crankset would be used across the Cues flat bar and drop bar range.
Cues has a focus on durability and smoothness with a technology called Linkglide. This features a tooth profile design, with higher and thicker teeth, that guides the chain up and down the cassette for smooth shifting in either direction while pedaling under load.
On the Nuroad, Cube has curiously opted for a KMC Xglide chain, rather than a Shimano specific option. These chains have been available for a long time now, but clearly, they must be at least functionally compatible with the Linkglide technology.
Finally, a word on price. Cube's Nuroad Pro is hitting the shelves for £1,199. For a carbon fork, 11-speed shifting, and hydraulic disc brakes, this bike represents good value - another key component of Shimano's focus with the new Cues groupset.
At this time, there are no further details, but Cycling Weekly has contacted Shimano for comment.
