To buy or not to buy... Cube Attention SL 29

DonG

Hi,

I've come here (as I guess most people do!), in search of some impartial advice please...

I'm looking to get back into mountain biking, I used to be very much into my bike, but I then discovered girls liked cars more so the bike gathered dust in the garage.

Now, turning 30, and having a mini mid-life crisis, I think I'd like to re-join the MTB fraternity.

I've done some initial research, I started by looking at bikes around £400, that soon jumped to £500, £600 and I'm now fairly happy to go up to (and certainly no further than) £700.

I've been told that the 2nd hand market is the place to go, but I'm still fairly set on a shiny new bike.

I know there are a great deal of quality brands out there, specialized, trek etc but for some reason none of them really inspire me. With a level head I'm aware I should be looking for the best spec on a quality frame, but I also can't help wanted a bike that also looks bad ass.

For me, the Cube Attention SL 29 in black and white looks to be the mutts, its got rock shox, some XT components etc. But my question is (sorry for the long run up!), is this a decent option for this sort of cash, I can see how spending a bit more would get more bike, but I think I need to draw a line money-wise.

I know its a bit subjective and many people will have prefered brands etc, but is Cube a brand I can trust? They didn't seem to have much (if any) presence when I was last mountain biking.

Final question/concern, its not a deal breaker, but is there a reason I can't find any reviews of this bike? Should this affect my decision?

Thanks for taking the time to read this, any thoughts are very welcome

mak3m

Had a cube acid 29er, last bike, that would be another £69

Very nice build quality and top notch components, German company been around for a while.

A bit of a rep for eye catching colour schemes etc, I enjoyed my time with them.

DonG

Thanks Mak, super speedy response!

That's reassuring news... the downside being that you're encouraging me to spend more and I am very, very weak willed!

Thanks again bud.

97th choice

Decent enough spec for the money, massively let down by the fork though.

Might not be your cup of tea but the voodoo bizango at £599 is a decent buy, the drivetrain isn't as well specified but the 120mm air fork is way better, and I reckon it looks pretty bad ass in black and yellow.

If you get the cube that's great, you'll probably get the upgrading bug anyway!

gazcarsf1

Hi
I have a carbon cube just now, 2011 model, it's been to many trail centres, and the only thing that's went wrong is a new bottom bracket bearing. Can't fault it. Great bike

buddy_club

97th choice wrote:

Decent enough spec for the money, massively let down by the fork though.

Might not be your cup of tea but the voodoo bizango at £599 is a decent buy, the drivetrain isn't as well specified but the 120mm air fork is way better, and I reckon it looks pretty bad ass in black and yellow.

If you get the cube that's great, you'll probably get the upgrading bug anyway!

+999999999999999999
I love the black and yellow 8)

burglarboycie

Recently bought the ltd sl 29er and totally love it!! The build quality is excellent and Cube's own brand bars and stem etc are great.
I would highly recommend the brand to anyone!
Buy it and enjoy it
James

DonG

97th choice wrote:

Decent enough spec for the money, massively let down by the fork though.

Might not be your cup of tea but the voodoo bizango at £599 is a decent buy, the drivetrain isn't as well specified but the 120mm air fork is way better, and I reckon it looks pretty bad ass in black and yellow.

If you get the cube that's great, you'll probably get the upgrading bug anyway!

Are those Rock Shox's no good then? that brand was always the benchmark when I was younger so I just assumed that was a big plus...

That's so weird. I almost settled on the Voodoo Bizango last week, read so many great reviews (best bike of 2013 etc) and the spec is great. I also thought it was pretty bad ass from the pictures as it has that matt finish with nice yellow accenting ( I hear ya buddy_club!). I went into Halfrauds to check it out, I'm not sure why, it just didn't quite hit the spot (plus the standard halfrauds customer service pi**ed me off, which may have affected my judgement - silly I know!). I think it may be a little too luminous in real life. I know its Voodoo's style, but it also didn't look quite finished for some reason...

Thanks also to Gazcars and James, it seems there are a good few Cubers out there already and I'm only hearing about positive experiences.

Thanks everyone for your help, it's certainly reassuring so far!

97th choice

They are bottom end rock shox, probably the modern day equivalent of the dart.

RS make some great forks, but these aren't one of them, probably worth less than £100 new. But, you are buying at a price point so something has to give.

Edd CSL

Just bought a Cube Aim Disc 26", great bike and from what I've heard they have decent specs..

DonG

Thanks 97th and Edd,

97th choice wrote:

They are bottom end rock shox, probably the modern day equivalent of the dart.

I might talk to the shop to see if they will do an upgrade on those before I buy it

ProjectGaz

I feel like reading your post is like looking back at myself 2 months ago! Was looking for a hardtail with a budget of around £550, that stepped up to £600 (Voodoo Bazingo became a serious contender), but I saw the Cube Attention SL at £700 and the spec jump was huge and I knew it was the bike for me (also, I too am early thirties and getting back into mountain biking after a long hiatus!). I bought this bike and have absolutely no regrets. I guess it can be considered somewhat entry level but from my research it really is the best spec you can get for £700, plus it's pretty good looking - I got the green one!
I don't think the forks are that low in the range, I may be wrong but perhaps people are looking at the Attention at £650 which has Rock Shox XC, rather than the Attention SL which has Rock Shox Recon Silver air sprung. The brake is bottom of the Shimano hydraulic range but you won't find better at this price - regardless, they're powerful and reliable, time will tell how well they take a beating!
Sounds like you're in a similar boat to me so I would definitely recommend this bike to you, seriously consider the green tho, it looks awesome!
Oh, one other thing, the stock pedals aren't great (they rarely are as people usually have a very specific preference in pedals), they're metal but not too grippy and can easily leave you thrown off so have a think about researching new ones and getting them changed quickly, personally I didn't want clips so got Shimano Saint flats, they're awesome!
Good luck and enjoy! If you're anything like me, please remember your skill level, I almost had a nasty meeting with a tree trying to corner like a pro, which I am most definitely not! The brakes saved my ass

The Rookie

All that for a 2 year old thread? Really?

When using a search engine, before posting check the age of the thread!

ProjectGaz

Hahahahaha, D'oh!!!

Duly noted good sir

Fury68

@ProjectGaz, thanks for your post as I found it really helpful to be honest even if you were replying initially to an old post! I'm buying one of these 29ers and I've already checked out the pedals you mentioned as I did notice the ones on the bike from new are tiny and I have big feet so defo a good point.

ProjectGaz

Glad it was of use to someone! Hope you enjoy the bike as much as I do