Let's keep the momentum going...
Original frame, fork, stem and handlebar.
Shimano CUES crankset, derailers and cassette. RS10 wheelset. Genevalle shift/brake levers.
How do you like those shifters?
this post was submitted on 28 Jan 2026
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I really enjoy them, they allow me to be on the hoods most of the time (and I like that). But, I cannot compare them to modern brifters because I have never had a set: went from downtube to these.
I was in the same boat. I looked at those and almost pulled the trigger. But then i found a used set of Shimano sora in really good condition and gave them a shot. I liked them for a while, but just decided to go back to downtube for various reasons.
Very nice! Are those friction shifters?
Yes. ENE Ciclo (Dia Compe) shifters mounted on the Genevalle OM levers: https://www.gevenalle.com/product/om/
🔥
How do you like friction? I used friction till 2008-ish so I don't remember much about it. Plus I def didn't use high end friction. Been spoiled on high end indexed since 2015. Used two XTR shifters since then with a couple of different derailleurs and especially the 11s XTR+XT drivetrain is insane. Clean, fast shifts every time, even under load. I've never shifted under load before that system. Now I do it regularly, even if it's probably bad for cassette wear. I rececntly bought a folding commuter with an Alivio 3100 indexed mech and oh my how much worse it is. Totally usable but if that's the indexing I had to live with, I'd be considering friction.
Honestly, I'm behind the curve and have never used indexed shifting. I bought these CUES stuff before they had the drops stuff. I just went from downtube to handlebar.
Keep an eye on the bottom bracket. When I did track racing back in the 80s, it seemed like it was usually a Benotto that started a kilo with a loud crack when the BB shell broke away from the seat tube, forcing the rider to have to find another bike in a hurry. Maybe that was just their track bikes, but it tended to put people off Benotto bikes in general.
Yes, they were famously overheated at the factory. The consensus seems to be that all the bad ones are probably dead by now. I bought this one used and well ridden. I seriously doubt my legs can deliver that kind of torque.
Love the downtube shifters! Is the CUES line nice?
Not OP but everything I've read sounds amazing (from a durability perspective, at least)
Taking into account it's the cheapest Shimano line, I cannot complain. I did all the installation and setup, and everything works as intended. All possible complaints are probably layer 8 problems (related to the fact that I am not a bike mechanic, merely a manual reader and video watcher).
The front derailleur appears to be identical to the mechanical 105 group (the latest generation, the number escapes me). Might be different materials, but the design looks the same.
We've had a few new bikes come into the shop with Cues. It seems decent, no major complaints about setting it up. I haven't seen one in for repair yet.
The 105 is FD-R7100 and the Cues is FD-U6030.