Shimano has announced another set of polished-silver limited-edition components – this time for its 1x 10-speed CUES U6000 drop-bar groupset.
Following on from its GRX Limited groupset, which launched to great fanfare three years ago, the Japanese brand says the special-edition polished-silver CUES groupset is designed to celebrate its “heritage of metalworking excellence”.
Unveiled at the Bespoked bike show in Dresden, Shimano says the groupset will feature on two custom bikes at the show.
Is this a sign Shimano is finally listening to riders and embracing its continued love affair with metal components? Let’s find out.
Classic Shimano
The special-edition CUES U6000 groupset consists of six components, each with polished-metal parts.
As a 1x 10-speed groupset, there’s a polished-silver crankset and chainring spider, plus a rear derailleur, an 11-48t cassette, and a set of brake calipers and matching shifters.
There are also polished-silver hubs to complete the look, although it seems you’ll need to source your own rims and spokes to build these up into something you can ride.
As with GRX Limited, not every part of the components is polished to a shine, but there’s an elegant mix of silver and black, reminiscent of Shimano’s iconic Dura-Ace R9000 groupset.
As things stand, there are only options for the CUES U6000 1x 10-speed drop-bar groupset, with shifters for hydraulic or cable-actuated disc brakes.
The new special-edition parts are widely cross-compatible with other parts in the CUES ecosystem, though, so riders can “mix and match” them to build their preferred setup.
Shimano CUES Polished Silver range
- RD-U6000 10-speed rear derailleur
- CS-LG400-10 cassette, 11-48t
- FC-U6030-1 crankset, 40 or 42t chainring, 170-175mm crank lengths
- HB / FH-QC400 rear and front hubs
- BL-U6030-L and ST-U6030-R hydraulic dual control levers
- BR-U6030 flat mount hydraulic disc brakes
- BL-U3030-L and ST-U3030-10R mechanical dual control levers
We asked Shimano for details about pricing and availability, and will update this article if we receive a response.
More to come?
An intriguing question raised by this launch is whether it’s a signal of more to come.
GRX Limited launched to an incredibly warm reception, and Dura-Ace R9000 and 7800 – the last Shimano Dura-Ace groupsets to feature predominantly polished-silver components – are still widely regarded as among the most desirable the brand has made in the modern era.
It’s fair to say polished-silver parts are – in some quarters – seen as distinctly retro. After all, it’s what bike parts used to look like before the introduction of carbon fibre, and a desire for everything to mimic that took over.
But there’s something to be said for celebrating the materials being used, and in a sea of black everything, something like this can help a bike or component stand out from the crowd.
While I think the standard, matt grey CUES U6000 looks fine, for example, the new silver crankset and rear derailleur, in particular, look fantastic – and far more premium than the original versions.
Aside from a brief flirtation with carbon cranks in 2007 with the FC-7800C, though, Shimano has stuck steadfastly with alloy cranksets through thick and thin – even as a global recall of its bonded Hollowtech II aluminium cranks threatened to dent rider confidence in the design.
Despite this belief in the material, Shimano has tended to hide that fact behind paint in recent years.
The last non-limited edition silver groupset it produced was 105 R7000 (which was available in gloss black or matt silver), and we’ve since had a succession of excellent-but-slightly-dull black and grey road bike groupsets from the Japanese giant.
Recent developments might give riders reason to hope change could be on the horizon, however.
Shimano’s XTR Di2 R9200 mountain bike groupset, for example, features a decent amount of polished-silver accents, while ENVE’s new SES 4.5 Pro wheelset – as used by man of the moment Tadej Pogačar – also features polished-silver hubs and spokes.
Could we see polished silver make a return in some form for the next-generation Dura-Ace Di2 R9300 groupset, then?
When we put this to Shimano, it told us it wouldn't comment on future developments, but did say that "if there is an increased demand for a polished silver line-up across the range, Shimano may consider future silver editions and expanding this to higher-end models".
It seems, then, that Shimano is listening after all.
