Cube 2022 e-bikes

helentdavies · May 22, 2021

My local bike shop deal with Cube and have had trouble sourcing bikes. I noticed they had three in the other day all already sold. I think there have been hiccups with Brexit and I think its demand as well.

Darren Hayward · May 24, 2021

Cube bikes were in short supply last year before we officially left europe so, although it didn't help, it's not directly brexit. It's a global shortage of bikes and bike parts. The LBS said this has been getting worse since the first lock down and is now becoming chronic. They were expecting 9 bikes in and only 5 arrived. Orders for wheels just seem to disappear into a black hole never to be seen again.

As for the old Cube, mine is 2 years old and I had originally planned to keep it for 4 years. I'm now thinking a new motor and battery in 2 years time will keep it going for maybe another 5 or 6 years. As long as the frame is good why buy a new one?

Darren

stevenatleven · May 25, 2021

I'm the same age as you and ride a Cube Cross hybrid pro, mine is a 2020 which I was lucky to secure at the start of lockdown last year. Anyway mine has a Gen 4 motor with 75nm which is fine for me but the LBS has said I can get it uprated to 85nm if I want, maybe that option is available for the series 3 motor.

MichaelM · May 26, 2021

jackhandy said:
My mk3 is the quietest & smoothest of any of the Bosch systems ridden by aquaintances,

As I have also found with the Gen.3 ALP on my 2021 Cube - I've only heard the motor faintly at low speed, in low gears, up hills. A 10-12mph slipstream, anything other than a completely smooth road or the least amount of traffic noise makes it inaudible. I am also astonished at how natural it is to pedal, although I haven't much to compare it with except an unassisted bike and my daughter's 2 Shimano-powered bikes which are also very quiet - when such motors are available, any bike emitting an audible whine becomes much less desirable,

I'm also looking forward to riding with granddaughters before too long. Mine are in Cambridge, and brought up with bikes.

Bonzo Banana · May 26, 2021

I would imagine being a German importer now with the Brexit arrangement they can't use the 'last significant process' rule to pretend the bikes are sourced from Germany and would have to pay additional taxes to sell into the UK. They probably have set prices for the year so it made no commercial sense to sell into the UK where they would have to pay more tax and have less profit.

German Products May No Longer Be 'Made In Germany'

www.businessinsider.com

A lot of German industry is based on importing goods which they slap a 'Made in Germany' sticker on. They can still put the 'Made in Germany' sticker on goods sent to the UK but now have to pay the correct levels of tax/tariffs based on its Asian origins.

Again though they are fairly generic Asian ebikes so why not just shop around and find the same spec bike elsewhere for less. Cube use pretty low end factories in Bangladesh.

Germany's Cube teams up with Meghna to make high-end bicycles

Cube, the biggest bicycle manufacturer in Europe, has teamed up with Meghna Group to produce high-quality cycles in Bangladesh.

www.thedailystar.net

Last time I looked Cube had lower weight limits, shorter warranties and were typically more expensive than other brands for the same spec. You'd probably get better value from a UK importer or maybe an Asian brand. I saw a Cube bike in a shop and the surface inside the seat tube was clearly poorly machined as it was scraping the black paint of the saddle post. I think it was one of the Bangladesh made models. The welds on the frame weren't amazing either at least visually.

Better to set yourself a spec and then look for the best deal on such a bike. The logistics of Cube means you have to have profit for Cube, independent bike dealers, possibly wholesalers and of course the manufacturer themselves, then if the stock has to be detoured from Asia to Germany before coming to the UK that adds costs as well. Just seems like a good way for a consumer to waste money. It seems like our EU free trade agreement doesn't allow for fake German goods to be imported without additional tax. This was put in to prevent the UK importing goods from Asia and selling directly into the EU without paying additional tax so it is there to prevent the UK doing what Germany has done for years but now it means Germany has to pay tax/tariffs on those Asian goods sold into the UK.

Just had a quick look at a Cube normal mountain bike and its £100 dearer than a mountain bike at Halfords with vastly inferior parts. Absolutely terrible deal in comparison. The Carrera bike also has a longer warranty and higher weight limits plus is actually ready go for real off-road riding based on far better forks, brakes and drivetrain and you have £100 left over too. I assume this would also scale up to ebikes not necessarily from Halfords. Admittedly Halfords just buy direct from factories and retail themselves, the logistic model is very simple and efficient.

Cube Aim 2021 Bike

<p>At Cube we believe you should be able to focus on the ride, not your bike. The extra comfort and control of a Suntour suspension fork ensures you're always in complete control, wherever your curiosity takes you. Easy-to-use Shimano gear

winstanleysbikes.co.uk

Carrera Furnace 2 Mountain Bike - Black/Orange, M | Halfords UK

Shop the latest Carrera Furnace 2 Mountain Bike - Black/Orange - S, M, L Frames at Halfords UK

www.halfords.com

helentdavies · May 26, 2021

Bonzo Banana said:
I would imagine being a German importer now with the Brexit arrangement they can't use the 'last significant process' rule to pretend the bikes are sourced from Germany and would have to pay additional taxes to sell into the UK. They probably have set prices for the year so it made no commercial sense to sell into the UK where they would have to pay more tax and have less profit.

German Products May No Longer Be 'Made In Germany'

www.businessinsider.com

A lot of German industry is based on importing goods which they slap a 'Made in Germany' sticker on. They can still put the 'Made in Germany' sticker on goods sent to the UK but now have to pay the correct levels of tax/tariffs based on its Asian origins.

Again though they are fairly generic Asian ebikes so why not just shop around and find the same spec bike elsewhere for less. Cube use pretty low end factories in Bangladesh.

Germany's Cube teams up with Meghna to make high-end bicycles

Cube, the biggest bicycle manufacturer in Europe, has teamed up with Meghna Group to produce high-quality cycles in Bangladesh.

www.thedailystar.net

Last time I looked Cube had lower weight limits, shorter warranties and were typically more expensive than other brands for the same spec. You'd probably get better value from a UK importer or maybe an Asian brand. I saw a Cube bike in a shop and the surface inside the seat tube was clearly poorly machined as it was scraping the black paint of the saddle post. I think it was one of the Bangladesh made models. The welds on the frame weren't amazing either at least visually.

Better to set yourself a spec and then look for the best deal on such a bike. The logistics of Cube means you have to have profit for Cube, independent bike dealers, possibly wholesalers and of course the manufacturer themselves, then if the stock has to be detoured from Asia to Germany before coming to the UK that adds costs as well. Just seems like a good way for a consumer to waste money. It seems like our EU free trade agreement doesn't allow for fake German goods to be imported without additional tax. This was put in to prevent the UK importing goods from Asia and selling directly into the EU without paying additional tax so it is there to prevent the UK doing what Germany has done for years but now it means Germany has to pay tax/tariffs on those Asian goods sold into the UK.

Just had a quick look at a Cube normal mountain bike and its £100 dearer than a mountain bike at Halfords with vastly inferior parts. Absolutely terrible deal in comparison. The Carrera bike also has a longer warranty and higher weight limits plus is actually ready go for real off-road riding based on far better forks, brakes and drivetrain and you have £100 left over too. I assume this would also scale up to ebikes not necessarily from Halfords. Admittedly Halfords just buy direct from factories and retail themselves, the logistic model is very simple and efficient.

Cube Aim 2021 Bike

<p>At Cube we believe you should be able to focus on the ride, not your bike. The extra comfort and control of a Suntour suspension fork ensures you're always in complete control, wherever your curiosity takes you. Easy-to-use Shimano gear

winstanleysbikes.co.uk

Carrera Furnace 2 Mountain Bike - Black/Orange, M | Halfords UK

Shop the latest Carrera Furnace 2 Mountain Bike - Black/Orange - S, M, L Frames at Halfords UK

www.halfords.com

Very interesting post - food for thought - thanks

cyclebuddy · May 26, 2021

Bonzo Banana said:
Just had a quick look at a Cube normal mountain bike and its £100 dearer than a mountain bike at Halfords with vastly inferior parts. Absolutely terrible deal in comparison. The Carrera bike also has a longer warranty and higher weight limits plus is actually ready go for real off-road riding based on far better forks, brakes and drivetrain and you have £100 left over too.

The irony is that - as you previously posted in your comment linked here about the Chinese Fuji-Ta factory - both the Cube and Halfords bikes you're citing as examples may well be made in the same factory.

Ploughing through Fuji-Ta's corporate video and blog posts, they claim OEM manufacture for Specialised, Bianchi, Cube, Scott, Cannondale, GT, Schwinn, Mongoose... and Halfords.

MichaelM · May 26, 2021

Bonzo Banana said:
A lot of German industry is based on importing goods which they slap a 'Made in Germany' sticker on. They can still put the 'Made in Germany' sticker on goods sent to the UK but now have to pay the correct levels of tax/tariffs based on its Asian origins.

They certainly make the most of the German brand.

I assumed my Cube e-bike frame, and most of the parts, were made in China. The clues were (1) pretty much all everyday manufacturing takes place in China anyway, and (2) Cube say "Designed and Engineered in Germany".

Mine came from Bikester (Germany), ordered in February. Bikester showed a list price of £2199, I actually paid £1870.

The nearest match I can see at Halfords today (Bosch ALP) is a Raleigh Felix+ with the same Shimano derailleur and 9 speed cassette, at £2149. The Raleigh has a 400Wh on-frame battery, my Cube has a 625Wh in-tube one. Both have full mudguards and racks, and a cheap Suntour fork.

It will be interesting to see how many 2022 bikes reach the UK dealers and at what retail prices. The shipping arrangements post-Brexit from Bikester were quite complicated in the background, involving Koch International , Ziegler (who collected the UK VAT from Bikester) and a Hermes pallet delivery - all set up by Bikester and taking about 5 weeks.

Even at £2199, I would still have taken the Cube with that battery difference.

As you say, take brand with a pinch of salt, and look at the spec. I don't really like the fork with no lockout, in truth I set the highest preload and I never notice it, although I'm conscious it weighs about 3Kg!

Bonzo Banana · May 27, 2021

cyclebuddy said:
The irony is that - as you previously posted in your comment linked here about the Chinese Fuji-Ta factory - both the Cube and Halfords bikes you're citing as examples may well be made in the same factory.

Ploughing through Fuji-Ta's corporate video and blog posts, they claim OEM manufacture for Specialised, Bianchi, Cube, Scott, Cannondale, GT, Schwinn, Mongoose... and Halfords.

I think they have factories in China plus Cambodia and Vietnam so can cleverly avoid EU tariffs. I think companies like Halfords change factories fairly frequently, some of their bikes at the moment are coming from Insera Sena in Indonesia but some are coming from Cambodia and this could be fuji-ta. Same with most of these brands they keep switching to the cheapest factories of decent quality, I guess they play different factories against each other. The EU and US brands are pretty much meaningless at least for lower price bikes, better to buy by spec than brand. Why pay 30% more for a Cube bike, that's a more added to the national debt and taken out of your pocket for not actual gain to you. Most of the brands you have quoted probably have some not all of their bikes made by fuji-ta. I think some of the high end road bikes of these brands are coming out of Taiwan although sometimes all they do is assemble the bike in Taiwan with mainland Chinese parts to get the 'Made in Taiwan' sticker which is seen as a mark of quality in the world compared to Vietnam, Cambodia and mainland China (to a lesser extent). I think some of Halford's low end bikes like Apollo are coming from Bangladesh and Sri Lanka but that may have changed again. I could be wrong but I think Sri Lanka is mainly more basic steel bikes.

Bianchi charge serious money for some of their bikes especially in Japan where its a very desirable brand. Makes the German brands look really cheap. It's more about perceived quality than actual quality.

Bonzo Banana · May 27, 2021

MichaelM said:
They certainly make the most of the German brand.

I assumed my Cube e-bike frame, and most of the parts, were made in China. The clues were (1) pretty much all everyday manufacturing takes place in China anyway, and (2) Cube say "Designed and Engineered in Germany".

Mine came from Bikester (Germany), ordered in February. Bikester showed a list price of £2199, I actually paid £1870.

The nearest match I can see at Halfords today (Bosch ALP) is a Raleigh Felix+ with the same Shimano derailleur and 9 speed cassette, at £2149. The Raleigh has a 400Wh on-frame battery, my Cube has a 625Wh in-tube one. Both have full mudguards and racks, and a cheap Suntour fork.

It will be interesting to see how many 2022 bikes reach the UK dealers and at what retail prices. The shipping arrangements post-Brexit from Bikester were quite complicated in the background, involving Koch International , Ziegler (who collected the UK VAT from Bikester) and a Hermes pallet delivery - all set up by Bikester and taking about 5 weeks.

Even at £2199, I would still have taken the Cube with that battery difference.

As you say, take brand with a pinch of salt, and look at the spec. I don't really like the fork with no lockout, in truth I set the highest preload and I never notice it, although I'm conscious it weighs about 3Kg!

Whatever works for you but it seems like it will now be much harder for Cube to be competitive in the UK at least until they fully adapt and just have bikes coming straight from China or Bangladesh etc to the UK. My point isn't don't buy Cube but just don't pay over the top for the brand focus on the spec and the best deal. Especially as the UK has a huge trade deficit and continues to borrow huge sums which all has to be paid back with interest on top. If consumers can be more canny with their money it helps both them and the country. The good thing now is if you buy a complete ebike from China which had a 80% tariff on which was paid to the EU apart from about 20% that huge tariff is now paid to our exchequer.

cyclebuddy · May 27, 2021

The main point is - I think - how much of a Cube (or any so-called "German" branded e-bike) is actually German? You're certainly paying inflated German prices for the perceived quality of precision German engineering... but in reality, the frame is Far Eastern, the Bosch motor, the battery, the brakes, the gears, even the Indonesian made Schwalbe tyres... What exactly is actually German?

Like a £900 iPhone... made in the same factory as a £30 Tesco DVD player. Some seem to be easily duped by brand.

Rogeramjet1111 · May 28, 2021

Hello,

My friend has a cube reaction I am considering buying when he upgrades this year and was wondering if it is reliable or not after 2years as it will not have any warranty?

thanks
Roger

MichaelM · May 28, 2021

cyclebuddy said:
The main point is - I think - how much of a Cube (or any so-called "German" branded e-bike) is actually German? You're certainly paying inflated German prices for the perceived quality of precision German engineering... but in reality, the frame is Far Eastern, the Bosch motor, the battery, the brakes, the gears, even the Indonesian made Schwalbe tyres... WTF is actually German?

Like a £900 iPhone... made in the same factory as a £30 Tesco DVD player. Some seem to be easily duped by brand.

I'm not sure how current this is, the article is recent, but it suggests if you are thinking of starting a mass market bike brand you should look to Taiwan for quality frames.

Cube is a big brand with a good reputation and I expect they will try not to lose it. That, basically, is where the value of a brand is. Nobody who wants to stay in business is going to make mass market bikes entirely in Germany, or Britain.

TedG · May 28, 2021

Our "local" dealer (50 miles away) has Cube bikes ready for sale.
350 ordered a while back and they are coming in steadily. Called a few days ago and he had just let one go that morning and another in stock which will be built whenever it is sold.
They are 2021 model Touring 500 at a decent price but personally I don't like the position of the battery which is in direct line with all manner of spray coming off the front wheel.

MichaelM · May 28, 2021

TedG said:
They are 2021 model Touring 500 at a decent price but personally I don't like the position of the battery which is in direct line with all manner of spray coming off the front wheel.

I spotted that. Fitted a RAW wide mudflap, does a good job of keeping spray off the motor and downtube, neither has collected any noticeable muck.

Needed a bit of modification as the mudguard stay fixing is in the way, but nothing difficult. If that's all that's stopping you, get it bought. I also replaced the 700mm wide riser bar with a Humpert "Stuttgarter", it was like riding a highland cow.

TedG · May 28, 2021

MichaelM said:
If that's all that's stopping you, get it bought.

Just keeping an eye on things - it will need to be pretty good to get me away from my Infinity.

Cube 2022 e-bikes

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