Cube Reaction Hybrid 400 Pro 2018 on going review

[Andrez]

Hi I'm new to this forum and after reading lots of threads around ebike's I decided I would give it ago.

After much researching I decided to go with the Reaction Hybrid 400 Pro 18" (which comes with 27.5 wheels). I'm 5ft,10 and I think anything bigger wouldn't have done as its quite a big bike it seems those 2.6 tyres do make it look quite big!

I've not owned an ebike before and mainly got it to travel to work which is approx. just under 2miles away (I wanted to travel with relative speed without sweating etc by the time I get to the office) My non ebike is a Boardman Team Full Suspension 650B (just for context)

I've only ridden a few times on the new bike but I was surprised at the power of assist and the ease of pedalling. I mainly use it in EMTB mode, I will take it out for a longer ride this weekend.

I'll be honest coming from my other bike which weighs 14kg to a bike that weighs 23kg was a bit of a shock to the system to lift etc but nothing I wont get used to, when in motion it doesn't feel as heavy as it actually is. It is a great feeling riding this bike up some hills (I only seem to use the slowest gear (highest gear?)) as I've not come across extremely steep hills yet. It would be nice if the assistance cut out at 18mph instead of 15.5mph but I'll have to get used to it (I gotta get some exercise some how right?), you can typically get up to 20mph on the flat very fast. Got a saw a$$ after the first couple of rides coming from full suspension which I suppose is to be expected. I've only done 10miles so far and still on the first charge of the battery which has 4/5 bars currently which had a full charge which took about 10 hours last week (the first charge is always the longest, it states 3.5 hour charge time after this apparently). Just for context I am 5ft 10 and weigh 76kg.

Looking back I should have gone for the race version which was £400 more (I paid £1999) which would have upgraded parts and better front suspension, coming from rockshox solo air to suntour spring coil doesn't feel as smooth and 'floaty' to me.

This week my upgrades should arrive and I will update once I have got them installed, I ordered suntour ncx 30.9mm suspension seat post, some mudguards and a brand new set of RockShox Judy Gold RL Solo Air Suspension Fork 120mm 27.5 (I'm hoping this may lighten the front end a tad), this is why I should have gone for the race version as I've practically spent what the race version would have cost.

Anyway so far I love the fact I can ride to work without breaking a sweat and not have to drive in (if I'm feeling lazy)

 

[Gazzgo]

Sounds good. Be interesting to see how your new forks effect riding.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Plodder Bob]

I’ve got the same bike albeit larger frame so comes with 29 inch wheels . The suspension seatpost is excellent well worth the money for the added comfort . I’m happy with the standard front suspension but only using for work commute on cycleways / canal towpath at the moment . Motor cut out speed is slightly irritating but more annoying is the additional resistance felt when going quick 16 mph plus . I seem to run out of gears quite often yet rarely use the 3 largest rear sprockets . I’m tempted to try a larger front sprocket out . The biggest bonus is I’m enjoying cycling again and get to work without sweating buckets ! Added bonus is commute time on bike is often quicker than car !!

 

[Andrez]

The forks arrived today (didn't realise I have to buy the remote lock separately) I fitted the new forks and just went for a quick ride for a mile to test it out. I have to say the front end feels noticeably lighter and handling seems a lot more responsive when turning (probably due to the weight reduction and maybe more rigid?)

NCX seat post should arrive tomorrow, looking forward to giving it a good run on the weekend!

 

[Andrez]

I’ve got the same bike albeit larger frame so comes with 29 inch wheels . The suspension seatpost is excellent well worth the money for the added comfort . I’m happy with the standard front suspension but only using for work commute on cycleways / canal towpath at the moment . Motor cut out speed is slightly irritating but more annoying is the additional resistance felt when going quick 16 mph plus . I seem to run out of gears quite often yet rarely use the 3 largest rear sprockets . I’m tempted to try a larger front sprocket out . The biggest bonus is I’m enjoying cycling again and get to work without sweating buckets ! Added bonus is commute time on bike is often quicker than car !!

haha yea I noticed the resistance kick in a bit when accelerating fast, I'm determined to just get used to it and see how I feel in a couple of months. I'd be interested in finding out how different it would be with a slighter larger crank sprocket. Next week I will take the bike down to Torquay which is extremely hilly to give it a good hill test.

 

[Andrez]

I have to say another week on and I'm absolutely loving this bike! The ncx seat post is a complete godsend and really does smoothen out the ride! I'm going to take it out for a long run this weekend, though my plans have changed and I will take it to Torquay next weekend where there are some seriously steep hills I would like to test it out on. I'll see if I can post some videos of it action, I'm really getting used to the transition between assisted and when it fades out the more I ride it which is good.

I think when I changed the forks I get a tiny bit of rubbing on the disks which I think I need to read up on tips on how to fix this as its just very faint noise but I can hear it, so it must go!

 

[Plodder Bob]

Rubbing on disks - try loosening off 2 brake calliper retainer screws slightly , then spin wheel then tighten them back up . It just recentres the calliper back up usually works for me . Glad your enjoying the bike the suspension seat post is excellent best purchase I’ve made .

 

[Andrez]

Rubbing on disks - try loosening off 2 brake calliper retainer screws slightly , then spin wheel then tighten them back up . It just recentres the calliper back up usually works for me . Glad your enjoying the bike the suspension seat post is excellent best purchase I’ve made .

Cheers for that, it worked like a charm!

 

[Andrez]

Had a 28 mile ride around Torbay yesterday and got to really test it out some of the steepest hills I could find here, and it just flew up them with absolute ease. I'm quite shocked at how fast you can go up some of these hills:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.4681014,-3.5630806,3a,45.8y,316.96h,88.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3TcLwfDAOQP_xAWD7vwL-g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'll upload a video of me going up it once I can encode it down.

This is another long steep hill I tested it out on.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.4689634,-3.5541461,3a,75y,222.63h,99.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shMjate7JDktzfWqiD_5muA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656​

I rode for 28 miles in EMTB mode and it had 2 bars left on the battery though saying around 9 miles remaining. So impressed with this.

 

[Andrez]

Had a 28 mile ride around Torbay yesterday and got to really test it out some of the steepest hills I could find here, and it just flew up them with absolute ease. I'm quite shocked at how fast you can go up some of these hills:

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.4681014,-3.5630806,3a,45.8y,316.96h,88.72t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1s3TcLwfDAOQP_xAWD7vwL-g!2e0!7i13312!8i6656

I'll upload a video of me going up it once I can encode it down.

This is another long steep hill I tested it out on.

https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@50.4689634,-3.5541461,3a,75y,222.63h,99.11t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1shMjate7JDktzfWqiD_5muA!2e0!7i13312!8i6656​

I rode for 28 miles in EMTB mode and it had 2 bars left on the battery though saying around 9 miles remaining. So impressed with this.

https://1drv.ms/v/s!AnPllJ1TwED8gfhObQBbarV-LbIYig

 

[Andrez]

Just an update, all is going well touch wood, I've not had the chance to do any large runs lately but have been using it almost daily to commute to work (that rear mudguard comes in handy in the rain and snow) I was really impressed using it during the snow as I would have probably worked from home if I didn't have this bike as the car was snowed in. I must admit I haven't used my car in the last 3 weeks, just riding which is great.

I hope to really get more longer rides in as the weather gets better including taking it for a long ride until the battery runs out to see how far it really will go. Again I just stick to EMTB mode and I only appear to use 2 gears.

I bought some cube ally flat pedals which are quite big and comfortable (better than the cheapo ones they sent me with it) I updated the grips to some lizard ones which I quite like the feel of.

 

[Andrez]

A couple of hundred miles in riding to work every day and all is gone well (though my rides are very small 3 miles a day its been great during the hot weather).

I decided I would change the tires to Schwalbe Rocket Ron - SnakeSkin - TL-Easy - PaceStar 3.0 width to see how they are and to give the backend a little more softness. I also accidently bought some WTB TRAIL BLAZER 27.5x2.8 TCS Tubeless FAST Rolling x2 so if they aren't any good ill try these out or sell them.

One thing I noticed is when you measure the speed (via phone gps) the bike cuts out around 13.5 mph (pre tyre change) maybe now the wheel is bigger (28.7) it might cut out at 15mph now. Not overly fussed as its quite flat where I am and I'm often above the assisted speed on the flats.

below is before and after original 2.6 and 3.0.

 

[Andrez]

Just an update 8 months on from buying the bike, all has gone well, it has exceeded my expectations.

I've mostly used the bike for travelling to work, more recently 7 mile round trip 4 days a week which is quicker than using the car. My miles are pretty low so far (600 miles) it always brings a smile to my face riding home from work! I've kept it restricted and I'm used it to it now, I'll wait until 2020 before looking into seeing what exciting bikes are available then!

Sure, like most people say if I had a wish list for this bike it would be that it had less resistance on the cut-off but I'm used to it now so its not a major issue.

 

[Plodder Bob]

Agree with the need for less rolling resistance after cut off . I have changed the speedometer from mph back to km as it seems to give a more accurate idea of when you reach cutoff and with a bit of practice I can keep my cadence rate just under it . I did remove the cut off briefly but found it hammered the battery range and So I decided to keep legal ( I’m commuting rather than fun riding ) . I’ve done 1500 miles this year apart from 4 rear punctures having to adjust for cable stretch in derailier and new front brake pads it’s been trouble free . I have also swapped the battery pack over with the wife’s bike to give me 500wh and thus extending the range . Don’t envisage any trouble with the bike at the moment

 

[Choccy13]

A couple of hundred miles in riding to work every day and all is gone well (though my rides are very small 3 miles a day its been great during the hot weather).

I decided I would change the tires to Schwalbe Rocket Ron - SnakeSkin - TL-Easy - PaceStar 3.0 width to see how they are and to give the backend a little more softness. I also accidently bought some WTB TRAIL BLAZER 27.5x2.8 TCS Tubeless FAST Rolling x2 so if they aren't any good ill try these out or sell them.

One thing I noticed is when you measure the speed (via phone gps) the bike cuts out around 13.5 mph (pre tyre change) maybe now the wheel is bigger (28.7) it might cut out at 15mph now. Not overly fussed as its quite flat where I am and I'm often above the assisted speed on the flats.

below is before and after original 2.6 and 3.0.View attachment 24349 View attachment 24350

Hi Andrez, what is the clearance like with 3.0 tyres. I'm looking at this bike and thinking about changing out the tyres for something larger.

 

[Andrez]

Hi Andrez, what is the clearance like with 3.0 tyres. I'm looking at this bike and thinking about changing out the tyres for something larger.

Clearance was fine, my back tire is a little wonky (as the tubeless tape thing was slightly sat in the groove of the rim causing the tire to not sit perfectly straight) and it still had clearance. I can't confirm if there is enough clearance with the original forks though, i'll see if i can dig out some pictures of the current fork clearance before and after.