need advice on cube tourer.

fatboybiker
fatboybiker Posts: 62
edited January 2013 in Commuting general
Hi,

I got some great advice from you guys when I first started commuting back in 2011.

Sadly, from my aspect anyway, my riding into work (only 15/16 miles a day) didn't last long, only about 6 months.
I was moved to another establishment and dropped the cycling in Nov 2011 when I moved as the new commute was mostly unlit country roads, 11 miles each way and a 600 ft climb and descent in both directions.

It took me a year to Nov 2012 to get back on my bike :(
I cleaned up my Specialized Hardrock and set off one day :shock:
Hard work ? Hell Yes but not as bad as I had been telling myself for the previous year.
Anyway, my clunky old Hardrock is not really the best thing for doing this route everyday and I've been looking at other options.....
I don't know if a full road bike would be the best thing so I'm looking at this and would value your opinions.

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cube-Touring-20 ... _49496.htm

This seems to be a good compromise between my MTB and a roadie and Cube make good bikes right ?.... full guards, rack for panniers( save me carrying a backpack everyday) thinner wheels and tyres, lighter frame etc etc.

Your suggestions, as ever, would be greatly appreciated.

:D
FCN 11

Comments

  • wheezee
    wheezee Posts: 461
    I'd try and find something without a suspension fork. It'll only slow you down.
  • Yeah..... dont really like the idea of the cheapy suspension forks.....that is one thing putting me off.

    Maybe I should look at a non sus hybrid and put full guards and rack on that......hmmmmmm...
    FCN 11
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Is it a commute on Road?

    if so - you dont need anything with suspension and there are plenty of Audux/Tourers available.

    Have a look at Edinburgh bike co-op Clicky
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills
  • SXJ
    SXJ Posts: 17
    I have similar but older higher spec model (http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cube-Cross-2011 ... _39715.htm). It's for sale but read this first.

    The Cube Cross is light considering the design and very responsive. This is down to very rigid frame. This does make it fast on good roads but very uncomfortable on poor roads and paths. Chatter and vibration through the frame is (in my view) excessive for this type of bike, it renders the front suspension almost pointless. Suspension absorbs the bumps from front wheel but still transmits vibration and chatter from rear to the extent of delivering numb hands which occurs after very short distance on the Thames path which is fairly gentle ground. I bought the bike to replace a Charge Mixer so I could use on paths as well as roads. However I really dislike the ride on the Cube, despite tweaking stems, tyre pressure etc and so it has been rarely used. Cube Cross V Charge Mixer is not a fair comparison as they are different machines however they are both marketed as commuters and Charge is just more "fun" to ride.

    If you want a Cube, have a look at mine, it's in almost new condition and with much superior spec to the one you linked to. It has the mounts for guards. I'll do it cheaper and it has hydro disc brakes which are a must for winter commuting. However if I was doing 16 mile commute on anything other than fairly good roads, I'd be looking for a much more compliant frame (audax/sportive based). (By separate post I'll be asking here about potential frame replacements).

    I'd recommend a Charge Mixer to anyone that wants a low maintenance commuter but its weight doesn't lend itself to big climbs unless you want to get fitter faster.
  • andy9964
    andy9964 Posts: 930
    Im in a similar position. I also have a Hardrock, and feel like it is sucking the energy out of me if I need to get out the saddle for a climb.
    I've been looking at the Giant Escape RX Disc, and now, the Scott Speedster 50 (the flat bar model) which seems to be very light in comparison to the Hardrock
  • Both cracking looking bikes.... my only concern of going to a road bike though is the performance of those razor blade like tyres in the winter..... I have, and fully intend to do my 22mile round trip commute everyday whatever the weather, and upto now my hardrock and its specialized semi road/ dirt tyres have kept me upright so far...(looks for wood to touch).
    FCN 11
  • I have a Cube Nature with remote lockout suspension and hydraulic discs (would be the Pro version in the current specs), so probably one down from the Cross mentioned above.

    I have regularly commuted on this for the last 4 years or so, on roads and cycle paths in both London and my native Devon averaging 20-25 miles a day, round trip. I can't speak highly enough of Cubes as I think they offer great value for money, but if I could rewind I wouldn't have gone for a hybrid at all. I use a back pack so no need for panniers and use Zefal clip on guards which keep the worst of the wet stuff off, although there are fittings for proper guards if that's what floats your boat. For me, the major selling points of this bike were the two in the first paragraph, but if I'm honest, I only ever engage the front suspension fork when I'm going off a kerb at speed, or on known rough sections of the road. The hydraulics are OK but meh, I've never been that sold on their effectiveness. I say this with the experience of not only the stock Hayes Stroker that it came with, but also the Avid Juicy's that I replaced them with after my bike was stripped. In contrast to the other poster, I've found it to be a really comfortable ride with no excessive chatter that a decent set of gel gloves can't sort out. I've even done a sportive on it in a reasonable time, so it can't be that bad.

    My bike has been great, however, the reason for the comment that if I could have my time again, above, is that with the benefit if hindsight, I would probably have gone straight for a road bike, which I thought at the time were a bit poncey. I now realise that it is probably a natural evolution. Although when I bought the bike I sold myself on a utility bike that offered the best of both worlds - what I've come to realise is a hybrid is by definition a compromise and doesn't offer you the best of anything, but is just about passable, in the best of both environments (in other words don't expect to off-road and you will be left in the dust at the lights, by the chain gangs). I've come to realise that I seldom leave tarmac (and ride 28 Gatorskins accordingly) so unless it is a short cut across a park on a dry day, forget any ideas (if you had any) of using your commuting bike becoming a weekend off roader. In contrast, if it is about getting from A-B in as short a time as possible (and when you discover the joys of Strava, if there is a competitive bone in your body, it will be!), then you may come to the conclusion that a road bike is the best option.

    Hopefully, my Cube has a few more years left as my daily hack, but if like me you want a bike that will be your last bike, rather than simply your next bike, then I would seriously consider a road bike from the outset. You'll probably find that you'll want to upgrade that as you get fitter/faster/more into the sport/want to try different things/test yourself, but I hope that my experience would mean that you have skipped one step.
    Pride and joy: Bianchi Sempre
    Commuting hack: Cube Nature
  • rubertoe
    rubertoe Posts: 3,994
    Both cracking looking bikes.... my only concern of going to a road bike though is the performance of those razor blade like tyres in the winter..... I have, and fully intend to do my 22mile round trip commute everyday whatever the weather, and upto now my hardrock and its specialized semi road/ dirt tyres have kept me upright so far...(looks for wood to touch).

    Get a CX and put some fat tyres on it.
    "If you always do what you've always done, you'll always get what you've always got."

    PX Kaffenback 2 = Work Horse
    B-Twin Alur 700 = Sundays and Hills