New Shimano groupsets in AZUB’s offer

Last year we were excited to introduce the new Shimano Cues Di2 groupset, which we have started to mount on our Shimano electric bikes and trikes. The Cues Di2 is particularly special because it offers the first derailleur with automatic shifting, which brings with it some major benefits. You can read about these in our article with video dedicated to Cues Di2 combined with Shimano Steps EP8, here. But the Cues as such, that we started to offer last month, is a big news from Shimano and actually a big change in the overall concept of component groupsets from the Japanese cycling giant.

Shimano Cues is a replacement for the Shimano Altus, Acera and Alivio series, a sort of mid-range quality range of cycling components that used to be fitted to a huge number of bikes. It’s also an attempt to unify the components between the nine, ten and eleven speed groupsets so that it’s easier to service bikes with these groupsets and possibly upgrade their specification. We therefore started to offer Shimano Cues components in a 2×10 combination this year as our basic set for all bikes and trikes with a 26″ rear wheel. The huge advantage of this change is not only the option of future upgrades to, for example, 2x11s, but more importantly the use of Shimano’s Linkglide technology that Shimano uses on the Cues range. This Linkglide cassette has been optimized for use on electric bikes, which makes it easier to shift even under the force coming from pedals/motor, and which according to Shimano should last up to 3 times longer than previous versions of so-called Hyperglide cassettes. Therefore, you’ll be able to find this technology on both our electric and “analogue”, i.e. non-motorized cycles with Cues components.

If you choose the Cues 2×10 component set, you will get cranks with 46/30 tooth gears and a 10-speed cassette with 11 to 39 teeth. However, there is also the option to “slow down” the gears, using fewer teeth on the cranks, to make slow climbs up steep hills easier.

For fans of really high quality components with a sporting spirit, we now have a modern Shimano Deore 1×12 component range. And that’s just for non-motorized recumbent bikes. The Deore 1×12 lacks a derailleur on the front. What does that mean for you? First of all, it makes shifting easier. No need to worry about two shifters, you only need to operate one. Also, the front of the trike is greatly simplified in appearance and looks much more elegant. On the other hand, the huge cassette at the back with a big 51-tooth cog wheel looks really monstrous. To complete the picture, this set has a 34-tooth derailleur as standard and the cassette has a range of 10 to 51 teeth. This gives a range of 510%. For comparison, the Cues 2×10 has a range of 544%. A little side note. A little side note. On two-wheel recumbents, two pulleys must be fitted due to the large range of gears and the width of the 12-speed cassette body.

You can enjoy playing around with different options in our configurator.