So I bought one...

[mab13]

After having a good ol' look around, I have bought my first pedelec... the Cube Stereo Hybrid 120 HPA SL.

Main features are:

- Bosch Performance
- Fox Float CTD fork and shock
- SRAM XX1 and X01 rear dérailleur and shifter
- Shimano XT brakes
- Rockshox Reverb Stealth seat post (amazing!!)
- Bosch Nyon

I wasn't specifically looking for FS, but this bike came up (with way better spec that a novice MTB hack like me needs) at what I thought was a very good price with very few miles covered... so I went for it.

Put it through its paces this evening and I must say that the FS really smooths out those rocky descents and also seems to give me better traction on some of the climbs.

I was out for a couple of hours doing some (unfortunately short) local trails and then I did a big lap through the hills (I live on the edge of the Peak District, so they're proper hills too!). Covered around 20 hilly miles in total and still had 3 (of 5) lights left on the battery with some playing in turbo mode on the steep hills too - very impressed.

The pedelecs are certainly heavy compared with my Cube carbon hardtail, but still very nimble - you certainly wouldn't think it's pretty much twice the weight when winding it through tight tracks.

Anyway, very impressed and hope to get out again this weekend!

 

[EddiePJ]

Enjoy.

 

[EddieH]

- Bosch Performance

This always makes me laugh as the Bosch Trekking Haibke I bought had nowhere near the power of my Alien Aurora. In fact the Bosch bike has died and the Alien still goes on.

 

[RobF]

This always makes me laugh as the Bosch Trekking Haibke I bought had nowhere near the power of my Alien Aurora. In fact the Bosch bike has died and the Alien still goes on.

The Bosch Performance motor has noticeably more torque than the standard one.

The standard one is a decent climber, if you are prepared to ride it like a bicycle by changing down for hills and putting in some effort.

Plenty of more powerful hub and crank kits available for those who want a mini moped.

 

[bmc]

Nice bike......enjoy

 

[les drew]

Where did you buy your cube from ?

 

[rsyme]

A

This always makes me laugh as the Bosch Trekking Haibke I bought had nowhere near the power of my Alien Aurora. In fact the Bosch bike has died and the Alien still goes on.

Absolute rubbish!! Either you are a troll or an Alien dealer!

 

[EddieH]

A


Absolute rubbish!! Either you are a troll or an Alien dealer!

Neither, merely a disabled electric bike rider who is stating what he has found without insulting others.
Having only 10% of my lungs left and severe osteoarthritis means I cannot exercise much and so I am over weight.
I found that the Bosch bike did not have the power that I needed compared to my other bikes. This I feel I am perfectly within my rights saying without expecting insults and accusations.
Had you checked your facts first you would have found out that Alien closed down last year, therefore I cannot be a "Dealer" and the only person I see "Trolling" in this thread is you therefore I will not dignify any further rants from you with answers.

 

[rsyme]

The main biking world would not tolerate Bosch if their motors lacked power. That they are used by the majority of quality pedelec said is ample proof of my comments. I accept you aren't a dealer, but your statement is still rubbish in my opinion, which, I believe, I am perfectly entitled to have.

 

[EddieH]

The main biking world would not tolerate Bosch if their motors lacked power. That they are used by the majority of quality pedelec said is ample proof of my comments. I accept you aren't a dealer, but your statement is still rubbish in my opinion, which, I believe, I am perfectly entitled to have.

And I am perfectly entitled to my opinion that my other bikes have more power, which opinion I am entitled to express without expecting insults from others.

 

[mab13]

And I am perfectly entitled to my opinion that my other bikes have more power, which opinion I am entitled to express without expecting insults from others.

You are absolutely entitled to your opinions but, as the OP, I don't need my thread mis-directed by you repeatedly stating the motor on my pride and joy is crap / inferior to brand x, y or z / laughable because Bosch have the audacity to call it 'Performance'. Your own thread on the Bosch motor is, however, absolutely fair game. Please move on.

Anyway, back to normality...

About to have a bacon sandwich and then head out for the afternoon and really looking forward to it.

I put my two Cubes side-by-side a couple of days ago and the e-MTB as a 29er is surprisingly larger than the the 26" MTB, even though both are frame size 18". Pretty obvious really as the 29" wheel size results in increased length / increased height and increased overall dimensions, even thought the frame in which you sit is still broadly the same size.

I also popped out for 30 mins on my 26" the day after spending a couple of hours on the 29" e-MTB and definitely agree with the online reviews I've read that 29ers massage your ego a little. The perfect line is less important and the larger wheel size with FS enables you to roll over stuff with little drama.

We'll see what today brings...

 

[EddieH]

the Bosch Trekking Haibke I bought

I find it strange that someone can know exactly how a bike I own performs without even knowing me let alone the bike.
Perhaps you can perform your magic on my Land Rover as well and tell me what is wrong with that.

 

[RobF]

You are absolutely entitled to your opinions but, as the OP, I don't need my thread mis-directed by you repeatedly stating the motor on my pride and joy is crap / inferior to brand x, y or z / laughable because Bosch have the audacity to call it 'Performance'. Your own thread on the Bosch motor is, however, absolutely fair game. Please move on.

Anyway, back to normality...

About to have a bacon sandwich and then head out for the afternoon and really looking forward to it.

I put my two Cubes side-by-side a couple of days ago and the e-MTB as a 29er is surprisingly larger than the the 26" MTB, even though both are frame size 18". Pretty obvious really as the 29" wheel size results in increased length / increased height and increased overall dimensions, even thought the frame in which you sit is still broadly the same size.

I also popped out for 30 mins on my 26" the day after spending a couple of hours on the 29" e-MTB and definitely agree with the online reviews I've read that 29ers massage your ego a little. The perfect line is less important and the larger wheel size with FS enables you to roll over stuff with little drama.

We'll see what today brings...

Leaving aside full sus, you are right about 29ers being able to steamroller over anything.

One of the MTB mags did a long test comparing the three wheel sizes, 26", 650b and 29er.

Their conclusion was the 29er was fastest over the trail.

The 26" scored on agility, but that didn't make up for the steamroller effect of the 29er.

650b is often touted as the best of both worlds.

The mag found the opposite, the 650b bike lacked the agility of a 26", and didn't have the go over anything quality of a 29er.

 

[mab13]

Leaving aside full sus, you are right about 29ers being able to steamroller over anything.

One of the MTB mags did a long test comparing the three wheel sizes, 26", 650b and 29er.

Their conclusion was the 29er was fastest over the trail.

The 26" scored on agility, but that didn't make up for the steamroller effect of the 29er.

650b is often touted as the best of both worlds.

The mag found the opposite, the 650b bike lacked the agility of a 26", and didn't have the go over anything quality of a 29er.

Ha, that's interesting - thanks. Wheel size was another bit of research I met myself coming backwards on!

I've never ridden a 650b bit would like to at some point. However, no regrets whatsoever with the 29er.

 

[mab13]

Right, where do I start with yesterday's ride...

Firstly, the uphills are as fun as the downhills on this thing! I was climbing steep, loose rock hills which I'd have no chance ascending on a non-powered 26er. Another great attribute is the torque being immediately available so, when I innevitably have to bail out on an uphill when my skill runs out, it's possible to restart because you're back up to full torque in less than a second - I simply couldn't do that with my legs alone.

The downhills were ace too and I'm fairly sure I made the right decision with full suspension. The terrain threw me about a bit and was quite harsh at times, so would have been VERY jarring on a hardtail. I'm not saying it couldn't be done, but it would certainly be less comfortable.

Also, I threw a few jumps in here and there on the downhills and the FS allows you to land in a really 'cushioned' way, if that makes sense; no harshness and no feeling of bouncing when landing. Really pleased with this.

Now the bad points...

The bike is heavy, as are all pedelecs. That's not a problem climbing or descending, but it's a real pain in the **** when you're having to frequently stop for farmers gates. With my carbon hardtail, I'd pick the bike up with one hand and open, then close the gate with the other. With the pedelec, I have to pop the bike on the ground, open the gate, pick bike up and go through the gate, pop bike back down, close the gate, carry on my merry way. Not a huge deal but something of an inconvenience.

Er, I think that's it for bad points!

I cycled around 30 miles yesterday up and down some steep and difficult terrain. It was probably more than I should have done as I was exhausted at 25 miles at which point I turned on 'turbo' and cycled straight home (using the nav on my Nyon). When I arrived home, I had 1.5 / 5 lights left on the battery so I was certainly pleased with the range.

Overall, the bike has enabled me to do more and go further than I could with my non-pedelec hardtail so I'm really very pleased indeed. In fact, yesterday was the most fun I can ever remember having on a bike!

 

[EddiePJ]

Thanks for an entertaining first ride review, and also for making my day with post 11

If you haven't already seen the thread, get your self across to this thread and start posting some photos. http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/how-many-people-are-using-there-e-bike-off-road.15780/

Just out of interest, when you mentioned the bikes range and battery level, were you using various levels of assist, and also no assist. I read some pretty unbelievable range claims at times, but your statement stood out as being comparative to mine, when using the assist modes frugally and sensibly. Clearly range is very subjective to terrain and conditions, but some claims do stand out as being seemingly overly exaggerated.

You kind of get used to the weight of, but it's an undeniable inconvenience when you do have to start lifting and carrying. It also makes riding a normal mtb, more of a pleasure as well.

29ner's V other sizes, is definitely a subject that I have seen get heated debates about on mtb forums. I reckon that at least on paper each has it's own merits, but it isn't something that I'd dwell about for long.

Just glancing back at the photo of your bike, one mod that is worthy of consideration, is either buying or making one of these. http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/mucky-nutz-bender-fender-xl-black-id74650.html?gclid=CNSHwrbxxMYCFYzMtAodqa8IwQ They are surprisingly effective at keeping crap from coming up at your face.

 

[mab13]

Thanks for an entertaining first ride review, and also for making my day with post 11

If you haven't already seen the thread, get your self across to this thread and start posting some photos. http://www.pedelecs.co.uk/forum/threads/how-many-people-are-using-there-e-bike-off-road.15780/

Just out of interest, when you mentioned the bikes range and battery level, were you using various levels of assist, and also no assist. I read some pretty unbelievable range claims at times, but your statement stood out as being comparative to mine, when using the assist modes frugally and sensibly. Clearly range is very subjective to terrain and conditions, but some claims do stand out as being seemingly overly exaggerated.

You kind of get used to the weight of, but it's an undeniable inconvenience when you do have to start lifting and carrying. It also makes riding a normal mtb, more of a pleasure as well.

29ner's V other sizes, is definitely a subject that I have seen get heated debates about on mtb forums. I reckon that at least on paper each has it's own merits, but it isn't something that I'd dwell about for long.

Just glancing back at the photo of your bike, one mod that is worthy of consideration, is either buying or making one of these. http://www.jejamescycles.co.uk/mucky-nutz-bender-fender-xl-black-id74650.html?gclid=CNSHwrbxxMYCFYzMtAodqa8IwQ They are surprisingly effective at keeping crap from coming up at your face.

Ha - I took a photo about 4 miles into my ride, planning to take several along the way... and then totally forgot to take any more! I have seen the thread and will post some pics on there when I remember to take them next time out.

Regarding range, I'd say I was fairly frugal in my use of assist. This means largely a combination of 'off', 'eco' and 'tour'... with the exception of my 'turbo' home as I was exhausted and wanted to get there asap. I was happy with my relatively frugal use though as it made me feel as though I had to put effort in to get enjoyment out - not sure I'd want to go everywhere on 'turbo'.

One negative I forgot to mention above regarding the weight is that you really notice it on any tarmac inclines where I thought I could get away with assist 'off', so I selected a minimum of 'Eco' which more than negated the additional weight.

And yes, I've seen plenty of Internet debates regarding wheel size, which I certainly wouldn't want to get into. I don't have sufficient knowledge or experience to credibly argue one over the other; I'm just pleased with the performance of my 29er. My much lighter 26er feels much easier to throw around; my eMTB 29er gives me way more confidence over technical terrain at higher speed. In my view, your typical terrain and which elements of cycling you enjoy will dictate your wheel size choice - each has its respective advantages.

Thanks for the mucky nuts heads up. I have one on my 26er, but haven't transfered it over as it doesn't fit the colour scheme. I need to work out how I'm going to personalise my bike and take things from there. I caught one of my pedals on a rock yesterday and it cracked, which gives me an opportunity to get some red ones to bling up the colour scheme a little.

 

[soundwave]

i got 28 miles out of mine in turbo

 

[EddiePJ]

Regarding range, I'd say I was fairly frugal in my use of assist. This means largely a combination of 'off', 'eco' and 'tour'... with the exception of my 'turbo' home as I was exhausted and wanted to get there asap. I was happy with my relatively frugal use though as it made me feel as though I had to put effort in to get enjoyment out - not sure I'd want to go everywhere on 'turbo'.

That's sounds pretty identical in every respect to my riding and performance figures.

One negative I forgot to mention above regarding the weight is that you really notice it on any tarmac inclines where I thought I could get away with assist 'off', so I selected a minimum of 'Eco' which more than negated the additional weight.

I can also sympathies with that one. Not knowing your fitness level, it is something that you should overcome, but it certainly makes riding a pedal mtb a pleasure.

I don't have sufficient knowledge or experience to credibly argue one over the other;

I'd say that most of those with an opinion about it don't either.


Enjoy the bike, and I look forward to seeing some photos of it in action.