Renowned supplier Shimano has made significant changes to its drivetrain range. One, it brings simplicity to its 9-, 10- and 11-speed systems through simplified naming and grouped under the CUES entity, and two, it improves their durability through its LINKGLIDE technology. What greatly facilitates the choice of a bike equipped with this type of transmission.
To fully understand the ins and outs of this article, it is first necessary to recall some basic principles specific to bicycles and electric bicycles. A cycle is made up of a transmission group, which is made up of different components related to gear changes, braking and the transmission itself.
Shimano is one of the best-known drivetrain suppliers in the world. We find its brake levers, its derailleurs, its cassettes, its pedals, its chains or even its brakes on millions of two-wheelers. This may not be what neophytes look at first, but these are very important systems here.
The Shimano CUES in force
Inevitably, there are different transmission groups depending on the use – road, mountain bike, city, trekking –, since the aptitudes of a bike and the expectations that we have change according to the practice. This has a direct impact on the price of the groups, and therefore on the final price of your machine.
The great novelty recently presented by Shimano is called CUES. Here’s an all-new range of components aimed at simplifying 9, 10 and 11-speed drivetrains. As explained BikeRadarCUES aims to replace the Alivia, Acera, Altus and Deore groups to a lesser extent.
First, the naming of ranges is simplified. Here is their name:
- U4000 series: 9 speeds;
- U6000 series: 10 speeds;
- U6000 series: 11 speeds;
- U8000 series: 12 speeds.
Alivia, Acera or Altus transmissions could seem very blurry to the general public. Citing them, it was difficult to understand their positioning in the manufacturer’s catalog. Here, the system by number is immediately easier to grasp: the lower it is, the less high-end it is. And vice versa.
But Shimano goes much further than that: it wants to bring a form of uniformity to this range of transmissions, which share a large number of common components. Consequences: these famous components can be compatible with the U4000 Series as well as the U6000 Series, for example.
Interchangeable components
To be more precise, “the range includes unified sprocket spacing on [les] 9, 10 and 11-speed drivetrains, so components can be compatible for a wider range of users and riding styles», Explains Shimano in its press release.
Its interchangeable components would, according to the manufacturer, reduce the need for in-store inventory and simplify the maintenance process for bicycles equipped with a Shimano CUES transmission. In addition, the latter benefit from the LINKGLIDE in-house technology.
LINKGLIDE technology provides smoother, smoother shifting and longer lasting components – up to three times longer. Still according to Shimano, this system “can withstand the high stresses that an e-bike places on drivetrain components“. It is therefore only a bonus for our future VAE.
To cite a clear example, the cassette teeth here are taller and thicker. This provides more surface area for the chain, which reduces the risk of chain skipping and derailment. Shimano also explains that this “distributes pedaling forces to prevent premature wear from gear changes“.
For affordable bikes, probably
To sum up, it’s a whole ecosystem that is transformed here, which many users will be able to try in the future. Because the transmissions unofficially replaced by CUES indeed belong to the category of entry and mid-range, which are intended for relatively affordable bicycles.
Shimano does not specify when its CUES transmissions will land on our bikes, but it would be very logical that we see the tip of their nose pointing in the coming months.
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