2,500 mile review
The bike's now clocked over to 2,500 miles so time for another update.
BBS01
The BBS01 hasn't skipped a beat. Pretty faultless, really. I'm using it on a mix of assist 2 and 3 (out of 5) and it's just doing exactly what is asked of it. In a way I'd be happy to trade some power for a reduction in weight, but then the bike overall only weighs 18kg and I probably wouldn't notice if it were any lighter. It's been out in some good rain and hasn't demonstrated any issues at all, which bodes well for the winter. The slight buzz I mentioned in the 1,000 mile review certainly hasn't got any louder - in fact I think I'd say it has pretty much gone away.
Battery still works perfectly, nothing else really to say. The cells keep completely in balance even without a BMS - they are perfectly matched.
Bike
The Cube SL Road Pro continues to be great at fast commuting. It is also proving to be a good mix of components - money spent where necessary, but cheaper components where they are good enough. This latter point is proving to be useful where wear and tear and maintenance is concerned. I've replaced the chain at 2,000 miles - replacements are around the £8 mark. I've bought a rear cassette at £10 but haven't had to change it yet. Even a new Sora rear derailleur is only £16. For high mileage cycling this cost-effective maintenance could dramatically lower the cost of ownership.
Ancillaries
Tyres - I bought 4 more when they were on offer at the ridiculous price of £10 each which might have been a bit premature - because they are showing no signs of wearing out yet! I can't fault them for my sort of journeys. They've only really let go once which was due to me being too heavy on the front brake mid corner when faced with two stationary cars blocking the road - my fault for going too fast when I can't see. I had my first puncture at 2,400 miles which is pretty good going too.
The Ergon GP3 grips are great. They are so comfortable and I haven't felt any numbness or tingling at all, which wasn't the case when riding my drop bar road bike. As mentioned before, the Cube saddle is also very good. It's much better than the Specialized Avatar on the road bike I had before.
Overall the bike is continuing to exceed expectations - although I guess my expectations are now being raised! I'm using the bike pretty much every day when I'm going to the office so it's doing about 200 miles per week when I'm there. The only real exceptions are when I'm away or a couple of weeks recuperating after coming off!
Michael
The bike path I need to navigate by the A3
So much nicer on the bike than on the M25!
The bike path again, before the council cleared the verges