Cube Touring bike

[Nightfly]

As some may have read in On The Road section I was knocked off my bike about 3 weeks ago which has now unfortunately been written off. My bike was an immaculate original Trek 7500 in a beautiful understated shade of green grey. I had substantially upgraded the wheels and components.

Anyway an LBS has quoted for a replacement Trek 7500. However I'm really not keen on the mainly black colour scheme with white and red. The frame geometry appears more MTB now than hybrid/touring and nearly all the components are inferior to my bike's current spec.

Trek Bikes | Bikes | Bike Path | 7500


So I have been browsing the web and happened upon the Cube Touring bike which looks cool to me (in the pic) and seems to match the geometry of my current Trek. But the Cube has a suspension fork (as does the new 7500) which I am not sure about as this means increased weight, but also the fork lacks mounting bosses for my low loaders. Not sure about the dynamo front hub either (more weight) as I have good aftermarket lights. But the rest of the spec seems pretty good. Importantly 36H rims which the new 7500 doesn't have (32H) where as I had 36H hand built wheels on my current Trek (rear was badly buckled/bent). From the pic this Cube looks just the ticket to me - lurve even  . They also come in silver and blue according to the blurb.

Cube Touring Disc Mens Bike 2011 : Bikes | Mountain Bikes | Road Bikes| Winstanleys

Does anyone have experience of Cube bikes more importantly their frames for strength, durability and longevity above all else. Does anyone know of any warranty issues with the frames? It would be great if some one here actually has this bike and could share their thoughts.

My use will be general commuting, road riding, longer tours and hopefully a RTW by end of the year. I have a full set of touring panniers and sometimes carry a lot of weight (shopping) and too much when touring. Is the Cube frame and wheelset up to this?

And are Winstanleys any good to buy from as a couple of years back I emailed them about whether they had Ultegra 12-25 cassette in stock and they never came back to me.
 
Also Swansea is a bit of a long way from Cambridge. CRC sell Cube bikes, but again too far to go for a test ride  .

Cube 2011 Touring Disc | Buy Online | ChainReactionCycles.com

Thanks in advance.

[cyclone]

I'll go and have a look at one if its in stock - I have to try and get my missing spoke replaced - Tredz is my Lbs....

[Canardly]

Tredz have got limited size 2010 models on offer atm. Decathlon do a spookily similar model but with hydraulic rim braking.

[Nightfly]

Tredz have got limited size 2010 models on offer atm. Decathlon do a spookily similar model but with hydraulic rim braking.

Yeah hydraulic rim braking ............ I thought the whole point of disc brakes were that they were hydraulic and very powerful. Ok you can get cable disc brakes. But the whole point of disc brakes is they don't wear down your rims. So hyrdraulic rim brakes - mad!

[Nightfly]

I'll go and have a look at one if its in stock - I have to try and get my missing spoke replaced - Tredz is my Lbs....

Oh right, good. I have a feeling that LBSs are still waiting on this season's bikes arriving. For me, best place to see and test ride would be a train ride to London.

[Nightfly]

Why did this get moved into Knowledge? Surely bicycles is where it should be  ?

I have checked out the Cube Delhi and Touring. The Delhi is very impressive except the front fork is suspension, which is not necessarily fatal, I knew this before I saw it, but more alarmingly there are no eyelets/mounts to take front low loaders or rack for front panniers. Neither can a kit be used to attach them as the suspension fork has lawyer lips making the use of Tubus' QR kit impossible. A bit of an oversight by Cube as the bike is aimed at long distance touring/expedition. There is NO solid fork option either. Plus the head tube is very high giving a VERY upright riding position which would be a killer riding long distances every day. Must be something to do with the large frames of Germanic cyclists. But the build quality and finish of Cube bikes look excellent. So all in all a bit of a disappointment, a waste of cash and time driving 200 miles round trip to see it.

[hatler]

Why did this get moved into Knowledge? Surely bicycles is where it should be  ?

The 'Bicycles' board is in the Reviews section, ie you already have the bike and are letting others know what it's like.

[Karla]

A friend has recently bought a Cube road bike and it's a very nice piece of kit for an excellent price.  The frame looks fine, but this is a recent purchase so I can't comment on Cube's durability.  Neither can I comment on this specific model, but from what I've seen, Cube make good bikes.

[Wothill]

I don't know what sort of weight you are aiming at but I notice the bike linked to at the end of the OP is over 15Kg. That's nearly as heavy as our tandem. My idea of a good tourer is at least 4kg lighter than that.

[Nightfly]

I don't know what sort of weight you are aiming at but I notice the bike linked to at the end of the OP is over 15Kg. That's nearly as heavy as our tandem. My idea of a good tourer is at least 4kg lighter than that.

Long distance Touring/Expedition is the type of riding the bike is aimed at as far I can make out. So something very light and delicate might not endure. Plus I suspect the suspension fork adds a bit of extra weight.

[Alouicious]

I've got a slicked up Hardtail MTB with disks that's about the same weight. It has a 25" low gear.

The Cube has a 21" low gear, so don't worry about climbing.

What is lost in climbing is gained in downhill momentum  You won't have to pedal downhill, even against a moderate breeze.

[Nightfly]

Just thought I'd update on the Cube saga.

Went to see the Cube Delhi Disc and Touring at JC Cook In Grimsby last week. They had both in stock but unfortuately only in one size 54cm which was a little big for me and I would have liked to have tried the next size down but none available not even in any similar hybrid frame, infact that's pretty much the only size they had for all the Cube bikes they had built up. Then to the bikes themselves. Both the Delhi and Touring are unable to take front racks/low loaders so cannot carry front panniers which is a serious shortcoming as they are firmly marketed by Cube at the long distance expedition cycle tourer. A bit of a glaring over sight by Cube.

So a waste of a day to go and look and cash as it was a 200 mile round trip  .

So I emailed Cube in Germany about the Delhi's and Touring's front pannier carrying deficiency and suggested that another model the Hooper Pro which has a solid fork with eyelets to fit a front low loader rack might be a suitable alternative, but for, unfortunately it had the rear disc brake caliper in the traditional MTB position, not in the rear triangle between the seat and chain stays like the Delhi model, thus making rear pannier rack fitting difficult.

Anyway I asked if they could supply a solid fork with eyelets for the Delhi - no, or to produce the Hooper with the rear disc caliper positioned in the rear triangle to make the mounting of a rear pannier rack easy - no.

And they ignored my suggestion that having a solid fork option would improve the bike as many cycle touring cyclists would be put off by not being able to fit front panniers. They didn't offer any solution instead the UK account manger offered this response:

The guys at the German office sent  your mail to me. Sorry we cant get the bike  quite as you want it. As we work across many boarders there will always be something which does not suit one particular rider but probably suits the general . We have 180+ models in the range so its hard for a dealer to stock all models all sizes so again sorry you have not been able to sit on the bike/size you need. The Delhi disc is not a main stream daily sale for most dealer hence them possibly keeping one in stock as opposed to size runs on the more common sales.

 

We are not able to supply bikes with custom specs for requirements, so we cant mix and match forks to models, sorry the cost of this has proven to be unworkable for us. The delhi comes in sizes 46/50/54./58/62 and Lady 46/50/54 only. The warranty on all alloy frames is 5years against manufacturing faults and defects.

 

I hope this helps and sorry we are unable to make the changes you require.

I have told him that I shall take my money elsewhere where a manufacturer would be pleased to listen and accommodate a customer with £1,500 burning a hole in his pocket. And Cube wants to grow their brand in the UK ........... Customer relations FAIL in this instance.

[BrianI]

Do you need disc brakes?  If not how about something like a Dawes Galaxy?

[Ray 6701]

Or perhaps Koga Miyata.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Kona Sutra?

http://www.evanscycles.com/products/kona/sutra-2011-touring-bike-ec026548

Surly Long Haul Trucker?

[interzen]

If you really want to push the boat out (and potentially spend an absolute sackload of cash) then Koga Signature is probably the way to go.

Failing that, the Surly Long Haul Trucker (or the Trucker Deluxe if you want S&S couplings with that). I know a few folk with LHTs and none of them have had a bad word to say about them. You can buy them as a complete bike starting at about £1100. The Cross Check is a pretty competent touring machine, too, especially if you plan to head off the tarmac.

[dasmoth]

Disk-braked tourer?  How about one of these?.  Although makes you really wish for drop-bar hydraulic levers...

[interzen]

Disk-braked tourer?  How about one of these?.  Although makes you really wish for drop-bar hydraulic levers...

If it had horizontal or rear-facing dropouts I'd so be ordering one of those right now ...

Edit: that page has now been bookmarked for future n+1ability

[dasmoth]

You know it does have an EBB, don't you?

[interzen]

You know it does have an EBB, don't you?

Yes, which is one of the reasons I'm not ordering one right now (not to mention the obvious financial implications )

However, it doesn't detract from the matter in hand - EBB notwithstanding, that'd make the basis of a pretty mean tourer/go-anywhere bike.

[MacB]

If you have £1500 to spend then neither of the bikes in the original post would be my sort of choice, but it depends on the sort of riding you intend doing. I like lists, and checklists especially, start the list with any deal breakers and refine as you go:-

tyre size and clearance - are you planning on going remote enough, and rough enough, that 26" would be a better choice than 700c? How big a tyre do you need/want to be able to run?

brakes - rim or disc - if rim do you need canti/v bosses - if disc do you need the rear disc tab chainstay mounted

frame material - speaks for itself

suspension - all, some or none?

bars - flat, drop, somewhere in between or the ability to switch around?

frame fittings - front and rear rack and guard mounts, number of bottle cages, do you potentially want to run hub gears, etc?

I went through something similar and ended up basing my build on a Salsa Vaya frameset but I don't anticipate remote touring or especially rough touring. The frames good enough for cross riding so will cope with all my needs. but it has front and rear rack mounts, clearance for up to 700x44 tyres, disc brakes with the rear on the chainstay and is made of steel. It ticked all the boxes except for ability to provide chain tension for hub gears. I decided to go with the frame and try one of the mini EBBs for chain tension, so far I'm glad I did.

But at the price you're looking then you could consider a custom steel frame, or an OTP with a few minor modifications.

[mrcharly-YHT]

Disk-braked tourer?  How about one of these?.  Although makes you really wish for drop-bar hydraulic levers...

b'stard. I have n+1 desire now.

[Will]

Why did this get moved into Knowledge? Surely bicycles is where it should be  ?

I have checked out the Cube Delhi and Touring. The Delhi is very impressive except the front fork is suspension, which is not necessarily fatal, I knew this before I saw it, but more alarmingly there are no eyelets/mounts to take front low loaders or rack for front panniers. Neither can a kit be used to attach them as the suspension fork has lawyer lips making the use of Tubus' QR kit impossible. A bit of an oversight by Cube as the bike is aimed at long distance touring/expedition. There is NO solid fork option either. Plus the head tube is very high giving a VERY upright riding position which would be a killer riding long distances every day. Must be something to do with the large frames of Germanic cyclists. But the build quality and finish of Cube bikes look excellent. So all in all a bit of a disappointment, a waste of cash and time driving 200 miles round trip to see it.