One year on: Cube Kathmandu Hybrid Pro 625 - Review
I thought I’d jot down some thoughts after almost a year of owning this bike.
Overall this is a superb bike that has given me hours of pleasure from cycling to the local greengrocer’s shop to trundling around local cycle trails. At 68 and living in a hilly part of Devon, it has given me the opportunity to get a bit fitter and feel like I’m 14 again ! It provides a solid and stable ride, has more than enough torque for the hills and enough range in the 625 battery to meet my needs. The Intuvia control unit provides a clear display and all the information I’m likely to want. All the controls and levers are well placed. Changing the power input is easy and gear changes are smooth, fast and efficient. The Racktime rack is useful and I find a click-on top bag holds all I need for most journeys. I have some Cube panniers too and did not think I could fit these on at the same time as my top bag. However, a bit of extra adjustment resolved the issue. Although battery removal is a bit fiddly, I’m able to recharge it on the bike so this is no problem.
On the downside:
- The cheap nasty bell on the bike was just silly; not loud enough and the plastic hammer snapped off after a few months. I replaced it with a better one.
- The original “suspension” seat post was pretty pathetic so I replaced this early on with a Redshift Shockstop. An expensive option but truly excellent. As the saddle did not suit my sit bones I replaced that at the same time (though this was not really the bike’s fault)
- At only 2A the charger is a bit slow and looks mean for a bike at this price point.
- I reserve my strongest criticism for the manual which is utterly pathetic. Firstly, it is generic rather than specific to the bike and is thus inadequate in its description of some things. This can be confusing. Secondly, instead of first being separated into different languages, it is divided into sections (describing the bike, the drive unit, power pack etc, etc) and each section is then further subdivided into the various languages. This means you have to identify the right section then scrabble about to find the right language. Given that the indexing is pretty poor, this makes it all the more difficult. Thirdly, the advice is shocking. I needed to raise the adjustable height handlebars. It looked easy enough and was soon done, necessitating only the loosening of four bolts, making the necessary adjustments and then re-tightening them to the correct torque (usefully printed next to the bolts). I thought I’d look in the manual to see what it said. When I (eventually) found reference to the adjustment, it said it was a workshop job! Pitiful.
I am aware that some changes have been made to the 2023 model though I’ve not seen one. I hope that at least some of these issues have been addressed.
All that said, I don’t regret my purchase and look forward to many more enjoyable rides.
It's an awesome bike. Good company.
