I bought a Cube Touring Hybrid Pro 625 a few months ago, my first e-bike. I'm an experienced cyclist, into long day rides and touring with the panniers on. This is my first e-bike. Overall it's been good, especially the Bosch motor, controller and software, battery life (if used carefully), the 11 speed gears and the Schwalbe "Big Ben" tyres.
However there are some issues that I have noticed since buying it. I wouldn't have bought this bike if I had known about them.
IMHO:
1. The saddle position is much too far forward. With the saddle back as far as it would go, I needed a further 25 - 30 mm to get a comfortable position. The suspension seat post has no set-back and the saddle fore and aft adjustment is limited. I had to buy an after-market suspension seat post with set-back and a saddle with more fore-and-aft adjustment than usual (Spa Cycles "Nidd" leather saddle - slacken the tension and it's comfortable from the start). I consider this upgrade essential when covering any distance or going touring. Cost for both items - about £115.
2. The rubber cover that protects the charging socket (positioned low down, in front of the motor) does not fit securely and is unlikely to keep the water (or winter salt) out of the charging socket. The dealer was unable to fix this and says this is a known issue. They have reported it to Cube but so far there has been no response. I've had to tape the cover down with insulating tape, removing and replacing it every time I want to charge the battery.
3. The crossbar height (gents model) is generally OK but, since it slopes up steeply to the front, it can catch you out if you have to get your feet down in a hurry. I have a medium frame and it is definitely the right size for me.
4. The front forks (SR Suntour NVX30) feel bouncy, jerky and make creaking noises. They don't feel damped and road feel is poor, especially on patches of grit in country lanes when the bike feels on a knife edge. SR Suntour advise that this fork "has no oil damper cartridge" and "relies on friction between bushings and stanchions". They describe the fork as "lower-end", so it is surprising to find the NVX30 on an otherwise well specified e-bike priced at £2,999. The Cube dealer recommended upgrading to one of the cheaper RockShox air sprung forks, so I am following this up.
5. If you want to lift the rear end round, to roll it into the shed or park it straight, the rack is designed so there is nothing easy to get hold of. You can grab the front of the rack but to do this you have to reverse your hand grip as the spring-loaded luggage gripper gets in the way of a natural grip. If your strength is limited, lifting the back end might be difficult.
Conclusion
A nice bike let down by poor saddle position, forks with no hydraulic damping and a poorly protected charging socket. The other issues are relatively minor and no doubt all bikes have some.
For me it really wasn't set up for touring despite the model name. Rectifying the saddle position and upgrading the forks means an additional budget of perhaps £400, depending on the fork choice and fitting cost. With these things rectified, the bike should be a viable proposition for long day rides and cycle touring.
An apparently well specified bike for £2,999 ramps up to around £3,400 by the time the main problems have been fixed.
The loose charging socket cover appears to be a design fault and it would be good to hear whether Cube intend rectifying it.
Others may like to check these things out for themselves - don't take my word for it.
Perhaps Cube will respond and cast a different light on things?
I don't know whether any of these issues apply to other Cube models, but it might be wise to check.
However there are some issues that I have noticed since buying it. I wouldn't have bought this bike if I had known about them.
IMHO:
1. The saddle position is much too far forward. With the saddle back as far as it would go, I needed a further 25 - 30 mm to get a comfortable position. The suspension seat post has no set-back and the saddle fore and aft adjustment is limited. I had to buy an after-market suspension seat post with set-back and a saddle with more fore-and-aft adjustment than usual (Spa Cycles "Nidd" leather saddle - slacken the tension and it's comfortable from the start). I consider this upgrade essential when covering any distance or going touring. Cost for both items - about £115.
2. The rubber cover that protects the charging socket (positioned low down, in front of the motor) does not fit securely and is unlikely to keep the water (or winter salt) out of the charging socket. The dealer was unable to fix this and says this is a known issue. They have reported it to Cube but so far there has been no response. I've had to tape the cover down with insulating tape, removing and replacing it every time I want to charge the battery.
3. The crossbar height (gents model) is generally OK but, since it slopes up steeply to the front, it can catch you out if you have to get your feet down in a hurry. I have a medium frame and it is definitely the right size for me.
4. The front forks (SR Suntour NVX30) feel bouncy, jerky and make creaking noises. They don't feel damped and road feel is poor, especially on patches of grit in country lanes when the bike feels on a knife edge. SR Suntour advise that this fork "has no oil damper cartridge" and "relies on friction between bushings and stanchions". They describe the fork as "lower-end", so it is surprising to find the NVX30 on an otherwise well specified e-bike priced at £2,999. The Cube dealer recommended upgrading to one of the cheaper RockShox air sprung forks, so I am following this up.
5. If you want to lift the rear end round, to roll it into the shed or park it straight, the rack is designed so there is nothing easy to get hold of. You can grab the front of the rack but to do this you have to reverse your hand grip as the spring-loaded luggage gripper gets in the way of a natural grip. If your strength is limited, lifting the back end might be difficult.
Conclusion
A nice bike let down by poor saddle position, forks with no hydraulic damping and a poorly protected charging socket. The other issues are relatively minor and no doubt all bikes have some.
For me it really wasn't set up for touring despite the model name. Rectifying the saddle position and upgrading the forks means an additional budget of perhaps £400, depending on the fork choice and fitting cost. With these things rectified, the bike should be a viable proposition for long day rides and cycle touring.
An apparently well specified bike for £2,999 ramps up to around £3,400 by the time the main problems have been fixed.
The loose charging socket cover appears to be a design fault and it would be good to hear whether Cube intend rectifying it.
Others may like to check these things out for themselves - don't take my word for it.
Perhaps Cube will respond and cast a different light on things?
I don't know whether any of these issues apply to other Cube models, but it might be wise to check.
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