Drop-bar Shimano Cues groupset leaked in Cube 2025 range reveal

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.