Just been shopping! Cube Reaction Race 500

[xena]

Hi all, just gone out and bought this:
https://www.cube.eu/en/2018/e-bikes/mountain/hardtail/reaction/cube-reaction-hybrid-race-500-blacknblue-2018/

I would have been quite happy with a 2016 or 17 model, but none of my local dealers could get them in a 19" as they'd all sold out. Should be picking this one up in a week / 10 days.

Apparently there's more chance of fitting a water bottle cage in the frame on one of these - anyone done it?

Also I was wondering if there's any semi-slick tyres available for it - MTB tyre size is 29x2.6, so I don't know what size I should look for in a road tyre?

Thanks!

 

[RobF]

There are bottle cage mounts on the seat tube, and enough clearance to fit a standard cage.

Plenty of choice of road orientated tyres from Schwalbe and others.

A Schwalbe Marathon tyre with a shallow tread would be a good bet, they are famously robust and rated for ebikes.

If you wanted to stick with something about the same width and profile, a Big Ben/Big Apple balloon tyre would also do the job.

A cheaper option would be one of the Land Cruisers.

https://www.schwalbe.com/gb/tour.html

Bike Discount in Germany are usually as cheap as anyone for Schwalbe tyres.

https://www.bike-discount.de/en

 

[xena]

There are bottle cage mounts on the seat tube

Well spotted!

Excuse my ignorance, so are the rims the same width for a 2.25 tyre as for a 2.6 then? I know how car rim widths work, but not bikes! I was already looking at the 28 x 2.35 Big Apples, but couldn't figure out if they'd fit.

Cheers

 

[LeighPing]

Well spotted!

Excuse my ignorance, so are the rims the same width for a 2.25 tyre as for a 2.6 then? I know how car rim widths work, but not bikes! I was already looking at the 28 x 2.35 Big Apples, but couldn't figure out if they'd fit.

Cheers

I use various widths of tyre, albeit from 1.9 to 2.35 in my case, that all fit the same wheel. Nice looking bike you've bought there.

 

[xena]

I use various widths of tyre, albeit from 1.9 to 2.35 in my case, that all fit the same wheel. Nice looking bike you've nought there.

Fab, thanks for the info I had tried googling the rim (Cube EX30) but it gave me no details on width, so thank you for clearing that up!

Yeah, I can't wait to get it and get out on it!

 

[LeighPing]

Fab, thanks for the info I had tried googling the rim (Cube EX30) but it gave me no details on width, so thank you for clearing that up!

Yeah, I can't wait to get it and get out on it!

Some more 29" tyres for you to look at. Contains width info in the sizing tab.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/cycle/road/mtb-off-road-tyres/29-622-wheel-size/

 

[RobF]

Well spotted!

Excuse my ignorance, so are the rims the same width for a 2.25 tyre as for a 2.6 then? I know how car rim widths work, but not bikes! I was already looking at the 28 x 2.35 Big Apples, but couldn't figure out if they'd fit.

Cheers

As said, rim width within reason doesn't matter.

Fractions - even decimal fractions - of an inch are irrelevant.

The Big Apples will be fine from a width point of view.

The cross section of the Big Apple will be bigger, so frame clearance needs to be considered.

As it's a mountain bike, there ought to be plenty of that, but you might have come a cropper if you'd bought a hybrid bike with mudguards.

 

[Trevormonty]

The smart sams it comes with are reasonable quick due to centre ridge. Not best grip for breaking on road especially in wet. For commuting and light offroad I'd run marathon at back and keep smart sam on front. Gives you some offroad grip up front for braking and steerage in mud.

 

[anotherkiwi]

I have become an unconditional Big Ben fan = Big Apple with rough tread.

 

[asc99c]

I've got the cube reaction hybrid HPA SL500. FWIW the rims are labelled with Alexrims stickers. There is no EX23 but looks similar to the EV23. Either way the quoted width of 2.3 seems correct.

I've used both land cruisers at 1.5" and marathon Almotions at similar width. It's quite happy on both. Although when I go off road it's now too slippery on the marathons. Definitely better for the road.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

 

[nemesis]

You could have bought mine,full carbon SL super light model only been used on the road.Very fast bike.

 

[LeighPing]

Very fast bike.

Hmm..There's no rubber holding it back, that's for sure. It's super light. But how is it compared to a regular ebike? It still cuts out at 15.5 mph right.

Do you mean that it's easy to pedal beyond that speed due to it being so light? Or can the cut off speed be adjusted higher? Just curious about the 'very fast' comment.

 

[asc99c]

I'd guess weight, I looked at that bike, but it's nowhere near as light as I'd hoped... Even the lightest version is still 16.9 kg.

Which given motor and battery are about 7kg means it's a 10 kg carbon framed bike still.

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[LeighPing]

I'd guess weight, I looked at that bike, but it's nowhere near as light as I'd hoped... Even the lightest version is still 16.9 kg.

Which given motor and battery are about 7kg means it's a 10 kg carbon framed bike still.

Assuming that it doesn't tweak speed upwards a bit, it's a light-ish eMTB set up for, and being used as a road bike with a 15.5 mph power assist cut off point. The 'Very fast' part would be entirely down to the physical ability of the person powering it with their legs thereafter.

Thanks for clearing that up for me.

Does anyone know if this cube model tweaks up beyond that 15.5 mph cut off at all? Or are the benefits just light-ish weight and no tread on the tyres?

 

[nemesis]

Hmm..There's no rubber holding it back, that's for sure. It's super light. But how is it compared to a regular ebike? It still cuts out at 15.5 mph right.

Do you mean that it's easy to pedal beyond that speed due to it being so light? Or can the cut off speed be adjusted higher? Just curious about the 'very fast' comment.

It is fitted with a x3 speed deristrictor meaning it can do x3 the speed limit before cutting out,29 mph on the flat is easy.

 

[nemesis]

I'd guess weight, I looked at that bike, but it's nowhere near as light as I'd hoped... Even the lightest version is still 16.9 kg.

Which given motor and battery are about 7kg means it's a 10 kg carbon framed bike still.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A3003 using Tapatalk

I have it down to 16kg with carbon bars and seatpost ,light saddle and stem plus the tyres are 310 g each,retail was £3600.

 

[Ballynoes]

Just been and bought the same bike, all others wont arrive until January 2018, but this one will be here in October. Apparently Cube can't keep up with demand. The new "powertube" design (attached) doesn't appeal to me as the battery is right in the firing line for all the muck and water. Hopefully well designed to repel such an attack. Any thoughts

 

[asc99c]

I really like the look of the new powertube, but similarly feel it should be on the opposite side of the downtube, away from spray, and also not physically able to fall down and off the bike.

But all that I've seen have it on the underside of the downtube, so I guess there's a reason!

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[xena]

Just been and bought the same bike, all others wont arrive until January 2018, but this one will be here in October. Apparently Cube can't keep up with demand.

Don't say that! I was expecting to receive mine for this weekend! I'll give Tredz a call, see if it's on the way yet.

 

[Ballynoes]

It all depends when you ordered your bike Xena, I am just talking from a point of ordering mine yesterday, and what is available colour wise. Yours could well come, as promised. My local bike shop is small in comparison, the bigger players might get more delivered.