Any Good

[IanC2601]

At the moment I only have a race bike and do about 45-70 miles on a sunday
but have been thinking of getting a full touring / expedition bike to try some
long trips in UK to start with then europe and beyond after that.

I have finally seen a very nice bike and wonder if anyone has one or has rode one..
It is the "Cube Delhi Pro 2012".. ?

Thanks in advance

 

[rollinstok]

I was liking it till I saw the suspension fork
For a similar price check out the Surly Long Haul Trucker, a much more suitable bike for touring with
a Dawes Galaxy or Paul Hewitt bikes are also well worth considering
You've come to the right place for advice, I'm sure there will be others with more recommendations
The bikes I have mentioned are tried and tested amongst some of the members and have been proven touring machines
The Dawes Galaxy is a lot of peoples favourite as it has been the bike of choice for an awful long time
The SLHTrucker gets my vote
Welcome !!

 

[IanC2601]

Sorry.. I should have mentioned that I do NOT want drop handlebar bikes what-so-ever..
and I don't mind front suspension with the "lock out" facility for roads.. They will make a
bit of comfort for any trails or bumpy stuff.

Thanks for the recommendations so far anyway

 

[betty swollocks]

Thorn do some very nice straight handlebar touring bikes: here.
Suss forks on a bike, whether locked out or not, just mean extra weight. If you want a bit of comfort on bumpy bits, just use big tyres with the pressure down a bit.

 

[vernon]

I bought a Decathlon B'Twin tourer/hybrid with front suspension. I never explored the suspension and rode the bike with the suspension locked out. The forks added significantly to the total weight of the bike which only became significant on climbs and when manhandling the bike onto trains. Overall the bike performed well and I would still recommend buying one but sadly Decathlon has discontinued the products and have nothing on offer that fits the bill any more.

 

[Ticktockmy]

The choose of bike for touring is so great, it really hard to make a recommendation, for the newbie to touring I think you really need to look first at what type of touring you want to do, if you are only planning on using good paved roads, and no off road, then forget the suspension forks, if however you want to go off road with full touring kit, then you need to look at a bike more suitable to off road cycling, thorn or surly fill the gap very well, the Raleigh Sojourn seems to be a good spec. a little heavy but seems to be a nice bit kit.
I gave up using traditional touring bikes because they did not suit my needs, now i use a mountain bike which I built up to my spec, quite happy to have front suspension forks, as on rough Asian tracks and desert condition it is to me great as it takes away the hammering you get on some of the ripple road surfaces. I worry about the advice about use big tires and lower the pressure a little, as in the past when i did that I found the increased drag slowed me up quite a bit, more so than the extra weight of the suspension forks.

 

[betty swollocks]

T I worry about the advice about use big tires and lower the pressure a little, as in the past when i did that I found the increased drag slowed me up quite a bit, more so than the extra weight of the suspension forks.

Surprised you say that. Low(er) pressure on rough surfaces is supposed to be more efficient, because the softer tyre folds into the contours of the road rather than bouncing along the top, thus giving you more traction.

 

[Ticktockmy]

Surprised you say that. Low(er) pressure on rough surfaces is supposed to be more efficient, because the softer tyre folds into the contours of the road rather than bouncing along the top, thus giving you more traction.

I have to agree, however I did say increased the drag, which I guess it the effect of having a greater footprint, and a greater footprint will of course increase the efficiency for the tire to grip the surface better. I think!

 

[BalkanExpress]

At the moment I only have a race bike and do about 45-70 miles on a sunday
but have been thinking of getting a full touring / expedition bike to try some
long trips in UK to start with then europe and beyond after that.

I have finally seen a very nice bike and wonder if anyone has one or has rode one..
It is the "Cube Delhi Pro 2012".. ?

Thanks in advance

Ian,

have you seen one in the flesh or had a test ride?

I ask because ultimately if the bike feels comfortable and you want to get on it and ride then these are (for me at least) the most important factors.

In terms of fitness for task, the Cube is a classic European style trekking bike, and no surprise well suited for European touring, I've used similar and seen similar all over the place.

However, based on nothing more than this and other forums/articles/etc I'd have concerns about it as an expedition bike notably: the 700c wheels (26 inch more common outside Europe?) and the 10 speed gears (less robust? harder to get spares?). I'm happy to be contradicted though.

 

[Bodhbh]

What's the weight of sus forks vs rigids? Another 4-500g on a bike that's probably 15kg? /shrug But then you're paying for something you might not get much use out of, depends where you are going.

 

[IanC2601]

The size of wheels is not a major factor for me.. The suspension forks I will get use of as I will be on trails as well as paths and roads and in time.. iceland and other places alike will be on the agenda. As for the 10 speed.. I see the point and on looking at the next model down.. the "Delhi" rather than the "Delhi Pro".. that one has 9 speed so more relaible etc

 

[Crankarm]

I looked at the Cube Delhi last year and test rode one in Grimsby of all places at JC Cooke cycles.

First off you can't fit a low loader to the suspension front forks so your luggage carrying capacity is greatly reduced. A bit of an over sight by Cube. The frame only has two pairs of bosses for bottle mounts and I found the head tube was very high typical of a European sit up and beg commuting bike which would be rather uncomfortable riding for 80-100 miles a day, day in day out. Also Cube's customer serivce is pants as I emailed them about fitting a solid fork with bosses for a rack to a Delhi Disc that I wanted. I got a shitty response stating they make 10,000 bikes a year and couldn't possibly fit a solid fork to the bike as none was available despite one of their other models a hybrid disc brake bike which had a solid front fork (same colour) with mounting bosses for front rack. Customer service fail. They couldn't tell me what warranty they gave on their frames either. Avoid.

I would like to try a Surly LHT with disc brakes which I think would be awesome, particularly with a Rohloff hub and belt drive. For extended touring you really need disc brakes and belt drive. Too much maintenance otherwise and hassle and expense keeping drivetrain clean and having to have wheels rebuild when wheel rims wear out or become split from rim brakes.

 

[the snail]

Also Cube's customer serivce is pants as I emailed them about fitting a solid fork with bosses for a rack to a Delhi Disc that I wanted.

A little unfair if you are asking for a custom build from a company that doesn't offer it, but somewhere like Hewitt or Thorn that know about touring/custom builds would surely be a better bet?

I would like to try a Surly LHT with disc brakes which I think would be awesome, particularly with a Rohloff hub and belt drive. For extended touring you really need disc brakes and belt drive. Too much maintenance otherwise and hassle and expense keeping drivetrain clean and having to have wheels rebuild when wheel rims wear out or become split from rim brakes.

Belt drives/disk brakes also have their drawbacks, such as replacing parts in far-flung places. Rohloff + enclosed chain would be very reliable/low maintenance, and probably more efficient/easier to fix than belt-drive?

 

[Ticktockmy]

I looked at the Cube Delhi last year and test rode one in Grimsby of all places at JC Cooke cycles.

First off you can't fit a low loader to the suspension front forks so your luggage carrying capacity is greatly reduced. A bit of an over sight by Cube. The frame only has two pairs of bosses for bottle mounts and I found the head tube was very high typical of a European sit up and beg commuting bike which would be rather uncomfortable riding for 80-100 miles a day, day in day out. Also Cube's customer serivce is pants as I emailed them about fitting a solid fork with bosses for a rack to a Delhi Disc that I wanted. I got a shitty response stating they make 10,000 bikes a year and couldn't poss
ibly fit a solid fork to the bike as none was available despite one of their other models a hybrid disc brake bike which had a solid front fork (same colour) with mounting bosses for front rack. Customer service fail. They couldn't tell me what warranty they gave on their frames either. Avoid.

You could buy one of these and less than £70.00 Surly Instigator Rigid Forks, fitted V brake mountings and Disk mounting, 11/8 stem so you could use the V mounts as fitting points for a Low rider rack

 

[Crankarm]

A little unfair if you are asking for a custom build from a company that doesn't offer it, but somewhere like Hewitt or Thorn that know about touring/custom builds would surely be a better bet?

Belt drives/disk brakes also have their drawbacks, such as replacing parts in far-flung places. Rohloff + enclosed chain would be very reliable/low maintenance, and probably more efficient/easier to fix than belt-drive?

Not unfair about Cube at all. They were most unhelpful. I had a round trip of 180-190 miles to test ride their bikes which cost me a fair amount in fuel. The impression Cube gave me was they couldn't give a crap. It was very disappointing really as their bikes appeared to promise so much. I guess I was wrong. In contrast previously I have emailed Trek and they have been most helpful. Because of this I have 2 Trek bikes. Maybe Cube make so much money that they can treat customers and potential customers as an inconveniences but they won't be getting any of my hard earned cash. There are plenty of other makes of bike to spend my cash on.

Re disc brakes and belt drives. Not this old chestnut again. They are far far better and more reliable than ancient rim V or centre pull brakes and chain transmissions. How easy would it be to get a good wheel build strong enough to carry all your gear in a far flung place? Tell me this. CGOAB has numerous tales of woe of where rims have worn out split bringing the tour to an end or created massive problems. And how can disc brakes fail? Is it the fallacy that brake lines suddenly start rupturing brake fluid everywhere? It doesn't happen. How many years have cars, motorbikes and mtbs been using disc brakes? It is far easier to replace a brake disc rotor than have a wheel rebuilt because a wheel rim has worn through so it is as good as scrap. End of tour. Unless you are going to carry spare rims with you and of course a wheel building jig and 72 new spokes. Think how awkward that would be.

Traditional deraillieurs and chains need lubing and keeping clean from mud and crud. This is why so many touring/expedtion cyclists opt for the Rohloff hub and would never go back to an open transmission for a commuting/touring bike. Rohloff have excellent after sales support and customer service as well.

Please tell me how a belt can fail? If it snaps which is HIGHLY unlikely then just replace it in minutes. Presumably you would carry a spare or two as they are pretty light. If you have the number of the Gates belt then I am sure you could order it and get it pretty quickly as they make literally millions of belts for engines so would have distributors around the world. No greasy oily hands either. Belts made by Gates are for engine cambelts and supercharger belts which are EXTREMELY strong and durable. I believe Mark Beaumont used a belt drive on his Santos when he set a new world record for cycling around the world, so they can't be that unreliable ...... When it pours with rain day in day out you'll be wishing you didn't have to clean and relube your chain everyday. Then there is carrying the cleaner stuff and lube itself ....... in sufficient quantities. Not really practical for a long tour.

As far as I can see the only bikes on the market at the mo with what I am looking for (hub gears, disc brakes and belt drive) is the Milk RDA. The On-One Pompetamine uses a chain but a chain guard could be fitted. There has been talk of the Surly LHT in disc brake version which I await eagerly. I suppose one could have a custom built bike such as a Roberts Roughstuff with disc brakes, Rohloff or Alfine hubs and belt drive, with all the attachments for racks and bottles, but being a cheap skate £3-3.5k which is what it would cost to build is a bit much for me. I would much prefer to able to buy a frame and custom built wheels then build up the bike myself.

I have a disc braked MTB bike but have yet to get a hub transmission such as Rohloff or the cheaper Alfine 11 speed to combine with the disc brakes. If a belt is not a possibility which it won't be as there is no gate in the rear triangle to open to get a belt on and off, then I suppose the next best thing would be to fit an all encasing chain guard for the chain which would hopefully at least keep it clean. You'd still need to lube it though. However without rear facing drop outs there is still the problem of tensioning the chain unless an adjustable bottom bracket is fitted which can take up some slack.