Shimano Cues / Linkglide and older 135mm QR bikes - anyone running this setup?

Posted by: Stu S

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reusing the existing 3X chainset with a generic 104BCD narrow wide ring

I could be wrong but I was under the impression that Hyperglide & Linkglide components weren't compatible so you may find that you need to use a Linkguide chain ring.

Could you use a shorter axle BB to achieve a better chainline

I could be wrong but I was under the impression that Hyperglide & Linkglide components weren't compatible so you may find that you need to use a Linkguide chain ring.

This was my understanding but I could well be wrong! Im also considering converting my old 29er Scandal with 135mm QR thats used as a bit of a winter bike to 1x...Id prefer 1x with a 36T chainring as the bike will be more like a hybrid than mtb but playing with the Cues configurator doesnt give the option of a more hybrid setup without going 2x 

cues | si.shimano.com

Linkglide chains are the same dimensions as 11 spd HG chains, so will be fine. Chainline should be ideal in middle position of triple too.

Yeah I have a normal NW single ring set up on both my bikes that have CUES drivetrains, eeb is 1 x 11, hardtail is running 1 x 10.

I thought the cassettes would happily mount on a HG freehub body, it's just the Linkglide sprocket spacing and tooth profiles that differ don't they? 

Posted by: cookeaa

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I thought the cassettes would happily mount on a HG freehub body, it's just the Linkglide sprocket spacing and tooth profiles that differ don't they? 

 

Yes!

So assuming you already had a 1x 11speed Shimano setup, what components do you need to change to move to Cues aside the cassette? 

Not the chain or chainring as helpfully explained but what about mech & shifter: are the pull ratios the same for cues as standard hg deore/slx/xt?

Easy to fine tune chainline with these if you're using standard 104bcd chainrings (they also do chainring bolts of different lengths):

https://www.spacycles.co.uk/m8b0s173p3306/SPA-CYCLES-Chainring-Axle-Spacers-large-%28x5%29

I generally space the ring inboard by 2mm from the middle position on old 3x cranks (non-boost frame).

Cable pull ratio is Cues specific and won’t mix with other stuff (at least without bodging). The new Cues drop bar stuff is interesting as it allows Road/gravel and MTB mixes that weren’t possible with Shimano recently - with the exception of Di2.

Thanks all, some great info.

So Cues chains are the same as 11-speed HG. I've also seen that the branded Cues 1X chainsets (with chainring) are only £27 so might just go with one of those as it works out cheaper than a Superstar narrow wide @ £30.

Ive just put 200 quids worth of thhe 6000 level cues stuff on a 135mm Surly.

I chose it as its supposed to be harder wearing, and for future proofing

Its ok. Not as high a level as deore stuff. more like Acera Alivio. Bit plasticy. Some standard issue slop in the joints from new, which is dissapointing. I was hoping if they were consolidating all the entry level stuff (deore and down) into one groupset, they would aim for deore quality.

Interestingly there is a megabucks Di2 option. I wonder if thats any better in build quality

Its 11 speed dimensions, but the ramps on the casette, and chain side plates are very slightly different. Im sure you could mix and match with regular 11 speed stuff, but it might not be as smooth as it could be.

The cable pull is all new, so that probably needs to be all new.

If youre going 1x, i dont see the front ring making any difference whatesover. the cues one is a narrow wide rampless thing.

The mech cable routing is ambiguous. There are two ways around you can put the cable, and no clarity as to which way around it is. Indeed when the mech is relaxed it certainly implies one direction, but having spent two days swearing at the thing not getting it to index, i swapped it to the less obvious option and it was absoloutly fine

Also, while they are all cross compatiable, they arnt actually.

some of the mechs have a max casette og 50T, others only a max of 43T.

Im hoping the longevity sell and future proofing proves positive. (this is all on my OHs tourer/commuter)

Seeing what ive seen,  wouldnt buy it again, to use on my bikes.

Ive just put 200 quids worth of thhe 6000 level cues stuff on a 135mm Surly....

... Not as high a level as deore stuff. more like Acera Alivio. 

That's a bit disappointing. There's a Bike Radar article suggesting that the Cues U8000 is a direct replacement for their XT T8000 trekking kit (which I have) which would make the U6000 the equivalent of the Deore T6000 trekking kit and Deore level.

I like the look of the U8000 2x (46/30) x 11-45 as an XT level gravel drivetrain.

The U8000 & U6000 group sets also have MTB friendly single & double ring options with flat bar shifters & brifters offering some interesting set ups for various bikes including drop bar MTBs; it's potentially quite an exciting release.

some of the mechs have a max casette og 50T, others only a max of 43T.

I could be wrong here, but I think the mechs. with a 50t max. cog are for use with single rings & the 45 for doubles.

I put M5130 mech and shifter ( https://www.bananaindustries.co.uk/collections/drivetrain/products/rd-shimano-krdm5130gs-feore-10s-link-glide-rd-m5130 and https://www.bananaindustries.co.uk/collections/drivetrain/products/shimano-deore-sl-m5130-deore-link-glide-shift-lever-10-speed-band-on-right-hand for ~£50) on my e-cargo bike. CS-LG400-10 cassette from Amazon and chain from the spares box for total spend of around £100. Kept the existing chainring. I think it's brilliant. Doesn't feel plasticky; and gear change under load (it takes a while to soft pedal on a hub motor) is amazing.

Thanks for the extra info.

@oOlly - funny you say that as I've been doing a bit more reading today and the Cues derailleurs do get some bad reviews aligning with what people are saying above (plasticy, break easily, lots of slop / play).  Super confusing that there are also Deore / XT-branded Linkglide shifters and derailleurs which get a lot more praise. I'm guessing these are the ones aimed at ebikes.

Apparently you can use certain Hyperglide Deore mechs with Linkglide e.g. the Deore M5130 GS (above) and Deore M5120 SGS. I saw a video of the M5120 SGS working great with the Cues 11-48t cassette and Cues 10-speed shifter so that might be an option.

@sl2000 what range cassette are you using with that M5130 mech? Shimano's website says its only compatible up to 43t but there's a few folk on the e-bike forums that say they've got it to work with the 48t cassette no problem.

@devash 11-43 cassette for me

I have never come across any product range as confusingly marketed as LinkGlide/CUES has been!

I’ve got the XT 11 speed stuff, now running a 10 speed cassette and it’s very good - but finding parts is totally baffling, I can never work out which bit is which, it’s just a random selection of letters and numbers, especially the mythical replaceable smaller sprockets.

Thankfully my LBS stocks all of it so I just ask a competent human to deal with my drivetrain confusion! 

@chiefgrooveguru - tell me about it! 😆  My head is spinning with all the confusion.

What I understand so far:

1. Cues is / has replaced Alivio / Acera, but is also replacing some Deore parts too.

2. Cues runs on the Linkglide cassette machining and cable pull ratio, but there is also a parallel range of (cross-compatible) Deore and XT Linkglide shifters and mechs which run on the same cassettes and mechs.

3. Shimano say Linkglide is not cross-compatible with regular Hyperglide (HG) mechs, but some 10-speed HG mechs work perfectly with Linkglide, are cheaper, and are more durable.

4. Regarding 1X setups, different Linkglide mechs are rated for different maximum cog tooth sizes, and all have different / unrelated numbering schemes so its a bit tricky to find exactly what you need. Plenty of people online saying that mechs that shouldn't work with certain cassette sizes actually do, adding to the confusion.

I think I've got it worked out now and have a parts list put together, but if the idea of Cues was to standardise mid-to-low drivetrain components and make putting together a setup easier then I think Shimano are off the mark with their naming / numbering scheme.

1. Cues is / has replaced Alivio / Acera, but is also replacing some Deore parts too.

Just to point out again though, that the CUES U8000 groupset does muddy the waters a bit. It's supposedly a direct replacement for XT kit (XT T8000) and so to be assumed to be at XT level.

Pricing tends to back this up.

U8000 chainset 

XT chainset