New groupset: Shimano Cues soon also for road and gravel bikes

Shimano has been offering the Cues product family since last year, heralding a new product strategy: The individual components, which can be combined with each other as with the GRX drivetrain, replace previous complete groupsets as a beginner-friendly ensemble. Shimano announced its intention to expand the range for road and gravel bikes at the launch of the new entry-level and mid-range groupset. Now, just under a year after the market launch, this is imminent.

At the very least, a gravel bike from Conway equipped with Cues components suggests that the new groupset is in the starting blocks. The GRV 4.0 SE model with 2x10 components from the U6000 series is listed on a dealer's website. According to TOUR information, other well-known manufacturers will be offering road and gravel bikes with the Cues standard in the coming weeks and months.

New shift/brake levers required

The fact that the components have not yet been seen on bikes with racing handlebars is mainly due to the fact that Shimano has not yet presented any suitable shift/brake levers. Officially, only shift levers and brake levers for flat bars are available. The new shift/brake levers have the model designation ST-U6030, but do not (yet) appear in the Japanese range.

Previous road handlebar levers, for example from the Tiagra or Sora groupset, are not compatible with the new Cues components. A left brake lever without a shift mechanism for single drivetrains without a front derailleur, which are becoming increasingly popular on gravel bikes, is also only available for the more expensive GRX gravel groupset.

The double crankset (FC-U6030-2) on the Conway comes with the 46/32 chainring combination that Shimano introduced last year for 2x11 drivetrains. In combination with an 11-39 cassette (CS-LG300-10), a significant gear reduction is possible in the lightest uphill gear. The rear derailleur (RD-U6020), which like the sprocket set is already in the range, does not allow for a larger sprocket. If Shimano retains the modular system, gravel-typical single variants should also be possible. The model name of the hydraulic brake system (BR-U6030) indicates a new development. On the Conway, this is combined with large discs from the Deore series.

Nothing is yet known about the design and ergonomics of the new components. Although a Conway is pictured on the dealer's website, the photo shows a gravel bike with different components to those in the specifications. When asked by TOUR, Shimano did not want to comment on this.