Cube MTB. Any good?

bikeandbivvy

Currently looking at two bikes in a clearance sale one is a Trek Xcaliber 7 2018 which is just over budget but with trade in discount & fact its been a demo bike will cost about £475, the other is a Cube Reaction Pro 2018 which is far more over budget £774 with trade in but much higher specced and potentially a more sensible long term option with air forks etc. Both are similar weights.

Trek is well known, reviews are positive, but other than sales blurb I have found no proper reviews of the Cube. Obviously I'll try them both out but does anyone have experience of Cube mtbs?

figbat

I have a Cube Reaction GTC Pro 29 - carbon-fibre hard-tail. I bought it second hand and have used it constantly for over a year in all conditions (natural trails rather than trail centres). So far so good - it's all held together well and all I've had to replace are serviceable parts (brake pads, bottom bracket). It's a decent enough brand, just not as well-known as the likes of Specialized, Trek or Cannondale.

cooldad

If you post links it might help with opinions.

CitizenLee

Cube are decent brand and very well known on the continent. The frames are very well made with nice clean welds, all the modern features you'd expect (internal cable routing etc) and they spec their bikes well for the money. I haven't had any of their MTBs but I did have a Hyde Race hybrid and currently have a NuRoad which one of their CX/gravel bikes and have no complaints what so ever. If I was in the market for a new MTB then I'd definitely consider them.

mark_fogel

bikeandbivvy wrote:

Currently looking at two bikes in a clearance sale one is a Trek Xcaliber 7 2018 which is just over budget but with trade in discount & fact its been a demo bike will cost about £475, the other is a Cube Reaction Pro 2018 which is far more over budget £774 with trade in but much higher specced and potentially a more sensible long term option with air forks etc. Both are similar weights.

Trek is well known, reviews are positive, but other than sales blurb I have found no proper reviews of the Cube. Obviously I'll try them both out but does anyone have experience of Cube mtbs?

The Cube is a good cross country bike, just change the cheap nasty Tough Tom and Rapid Rob tyres and you will be flying its very efficient. Its less capable on rougher trails though, but its not the bikes propose. If you ride trail centers and bike parks, there are better suited bikes out there otherwise this will be fine.

02gf74

Yes.

From my experience the frames are a bit smaller than the equivalent from other brands, so check the geometry or better still sit and ride the bike.

baz2011uk

I got the same bike cube reaction race in orange and red with the sram Eagle absolutely loving it I come from a cube race Pro Ltd 2015 x3 x10 but love the x1 x12 not had any issues myself with cube and that a good price you got it for there I paid £1099 a few weeks back for mine

bikeandbivvy

Thank you for all the replies. Really helpful. After doing more research I discovered the following on the Cube website. The bike is classified as "3" and this is what cube say is suitable...

"
BIKE CLASSIFICATION
Children‘s bicycles wheel size 16“-24“
Classification: Category 0
Kids bikes for paved ways like:

tarmac roads not used by motor driven vehicles and bicycle routes
ways paved by gravel, sand or similar materials (e.g. re road, dirt road) not used by motor driven vehicles
In doing so the wheels have constant contact to the ground (-> no jumps, no riding on one wheel neither front nor rear, no braking that causes the rear wheel to lift up)

Parents/guardian responsibility:

The intended use (correct use of the bicycle), the instruction how to use, the control and the proper functioning of the bicycle are the parent/guardian responsibility.

Road racing bikes Triathlon- and time trial bikes Recreational and urban bikes
Classification: Category 1
Meant for riding on paved ways like:

tarmac roads and bicycle routes
In doing so the wheels have constant contact to the ground (-> no jumps, no riding on one wheel neither front nor rear, no braking that causes the rear wheel to lift up)

Cross and trekking bikes (also as Hybrid) Cycle cross bikes
Classification: Category 2
Meant for rides on paved ways like:

tarmac roads and bicycle routes
ways paved by gravel, sand or similar materials (e.g. re road, dirt road)
paved hiking trails with only few roots, thresholds, rocks and drops
In doing so the wheels have constant contact to the ground or lose contact for a split of a moment due to small asperities like roots (-> no jumps, no riding on one wheel neither front nor rear, no braking that causes a lift up of the rear wheel)

Mountainbike with suspension fork (also as Hybrid)
Classification: Category 3
Meant for riding on ways like:

tarmac roads and bicycle routes
ways paved by gravel, sand or similar materials (e.g. re road, dirt road)
paved and non paved hiking trails where roots, thresholds, rocks and drops are more often
In doing so the wheels have constant contact to the ground or lose contact for a split of a moment due to small uneven terrain like roots (-> no jumps, no riding on one wheel neither front or rear, no braking that causes the rear wheel to lift up)"

Bearing that in mind I'd be really concerned about any warranty in the future so I've decided to look at the Trek but upgrade the forks to Rockshox Judy Air (I'll sell the others for a few quid) and maybe use the funds to upgrade components over time!

Quite glad I read that on their site before going ahead!

cooldad

That's a load of b0ll0cks. ^^^^^^^^^

JBA

What type of riding to you intend doing, bikeandbivvy?
The Reaction is a good cross-country MTB and will be fine if that is what you want it for.
If you intend getting a bit more rowdy and visiting trail centres, riding rough natural trails and more technical, rocky landscapes then a trail or all-mountain bike will be more suited.

bikeandbivvy

Thinking the odd visit to a trail centre so a mountain bike rather than x country will be a better option!

mattyfez

They are both cross counrty style bikes, and the Cube is a lot better than the Trek.

joebristol

That Cube description is a load of rubbish - it’s a mountain bike with similar components to many other mountain bikes.

Yes it’s got a more xc leaning but in the majority of trail centre blues and reds it’ll be fine. Maybe I’d hesitate to badly land big gap jumps on it or do too many huge drops etc - but you’d have to be a good rider to be pushing the bike’s limits.

The Trek is no more capable than the Cube imo - and I don’t think Judy’s are meant to be particularly good.