[GORILLA SPUN] Silver and Wallet-Friendly: A Rising Star That's Almost Too Good.

The polished silver series of Shimano's CUES components, released last October.

CUES was developed as a lifestyle component group based on technology honed in high-end components, and this silver series, drawing on the experience of GRX Limited, feels like a challenge to today's component world where almost everything is black. For Circles, it's a group we're really, really excited about.

Several projects using it are in the works right now, so we'll introduce those separately. Personally, though, the one item in the CUES silver lineup I just couldn't overlook was this.

Yes, the hubs.

When I first saw the CUES silver lineup, I thought "This is it!" and put in a pretty big initial order. Those hubs have finally arrived!

SHIMANO Cues HB/FH-QC400

Axle type: Front 100mm QR, Rear 135mm QR
Spoke count: 32H
Compatible cassettes: Shimano 7/8/9/10/11

Front: ¥3,918 (tax included)
Rear: ¥5,401 (tax included)

With most frames on the market now using thru-axles, the choice of quick-release hubs has become really limited. And once you want silver, the options narrow dramatically, and there's often a price barrier too.

At Circles, the hub that's been covering this need is, quite simply, the XT hub (HB/FH-M8000), and we've built a huge number of wheels with it over the years. (The XT hub is a personal favorite of mine too, and I confidently recommend it to anyone who wants to ride hard, from daily use to touring.)

So it's great news that the CUES series, and a silver limited edition at that, now covers this territory too.

Front 100mm and rear 135mm, Center Lock compatible, with an HG freehub body that works with 7- to 11-speed.

They're more affordable than XT grade, so I think they're perfect for a first build, or for anyone who simply wants a silver wheelset rather than chasing specs.

Specifically, for bikes like:

- BASSI / Hog’s Back, Le Montreal, Rachel

- BIKE FRIDAY / New World Tourist, Diamond Llama, All-Pack (quick-release version)

- SURLY / Preamble, older Straggler

In fact, if you want to build up a RAL / Exposure as a geared bike, they're a perfectly good option as long as you don't mind the disc rotor mount.

If I had to nitpick, it would be perfect if the quick-release levers were silver too, but given how reasonably priced these are, I have no complaints at all! (If you want silver levers as well, I recommend the ones from VELOCITY.)

We've built stock wheels, too

So, we wasted no time building some stock wheels with these hubs.

GORILLA SPUN Build Wheel
[ASTRAL Outback 20″ x SHIMANO Cues]

Price: ¥68,000 (tax included)

To put it plainly, I see this as the top pick for a BIKE FRIDAY New World Tourist or Diamond Llama. It's built around the ASTRAL Outack / Matt Silver rims that arrived last November.

A wheelset you can enjoy with confidence, from touring to dirt rides.

GORILLA SPUN Build Wheel
[SIMWORKS by VELOCITY Standalone 26″ x SHIMANO Cues]

Price: ¥46,000 (tax included)

The other is a wheelset using the SIMWORKS by Velocity Standalone 001. If you're building a BASSI Hog’s Back with 26-inch wheels, this is the combination I'd recommend.

Of course, we can also build custom wheels with MSW rims to work with rim brakes! (The hubs do have a Center Lock disc rotor mount, but you can fit the included rubber cover and run them as rim-brake hubs.)

So, there were already some options for silver hubs compatible with 100mm/135mm quick release, of course, but with the arrival of this hub, the range of choices has gotten wider.

GORILLA SPUN, the wheel division of Circles, builds custom wheels to suit your bike's standards, your riding style and your budget, so please feel free to get in touch!