al3xsh
Über Member
- Location
- Peak district
I have now had my cube attain sl disc for 3 months and have done nearly 1000 miles on it - so here are my thoughts.
Firstly I should state that this is my first "proper" road bike so I have limited experience to compare it to. Prior to buying the Cube I have been riding around on a Giant Roam 1 hybrid (bought as a commuter bike to get to the station via the cycle to work scheme - just over 18 months ago - which has been my introduction to cycling). I am keeping the Giant for commuting and popping down the shops duties, and saving the Cube for fun!
In short it is a fantastic bike! It might not be the lightest in class (the Hoy Alto Irpavi I tested at Evans was roughly half a kilo lighter) but it hasn't ever felt heavy. It also seems to demand being ridden hard - I feel like I'm letting it down if I just potter along ;-). I'm still smashing personal bests on strava on most rides!
Initially I ordered in the 58 size having looked at the geometry charts (I'm 6ft 1), but, after sitting on it in the shop and taking it for a test ride, the guys in the shop recommended trying a 56 - which turned out to be a much better fit. At this point I should say a massive thank you to JE James in Chesterfield for their help and forbearance with all my nooby questions! They spent a lot of time with me helping to get the bike set up right, making sure it was the right size, and pointing me in the direction of some decent hills for a test ride. Rob in particular was a fantastic help! I would highly recommend them and have been back since for lots of bits and pieces!
One thing that surprised me is that, despite the Giant having a triple and some seriously low gears, the Cube makes lighter work of climbing even seriously steep hills (including Riber and Monsal Head). This is probably helped a little by the compact chain set and 11-32 cassette. On that note, I have never once regretted the decision to get a 32t cassette! It is now my "get home" gear to make sure that, even after a hard ride, I can still get up the 7% hill (up to Beeley Moor in the Peak District) that is almost always on my way home!
I love the look of the bike - black with fluoro green detailing - and have obviously had to go for matching bottle cages now! The internal cable routing (including for the rear hydraulic disc brake) keeps everything tidy and I don't find it rattles any more than the external routing on the Giant. Some of the roads around here are that poorly surfaced that everything rattles - brake levers, water bottles, my teeth!
The hydraulic disc brakes (shimano rs 505s) are effective and provide consistent braking in all sorts of conditions - though they are not as fool proof as I had hoped! Unfortunately it turns out I can still carry too much speed into a corner and overcook it I managed to lock the rear brake into a corner at the bottom of a steep descent and ended up leaving some of my skin on the road ...
The shifters are a bit of a funny shape (where the hydraulic reservoir is) which took a bit of getting used to but, with the addition of some padded gloves, they seem now to fit my hands well.
All in all it's a fantastic bike and I would highly recommend it!
Firstly I should state that this is my first "proper" road bike so I have limited experience to compare it to. Prior to buying the Cube I have been riding around on a Giant Roam 1 hybrid (bought as a commuter bike to get to the station via the cycle to work scheme - just over 18 months ago - which has been my introduction to cycling). I am keeping the Giant for commuting and popping down the shops duties, and saving the Cube for fun!
In short it is a fantastic bike! It might not be the lightest in class (the Hoy Alto Irpavi I tested at Evans was roughly half a kilo lighter) but it hasn't ever felt heavy. It also seems to demand being ridden hard - I feel like I'm letting it down if I just potter along ;-). I'm still smashing personal bests on strava on most rides!
Initially I ordered in the 58 size having looked at the geometry charts (I'm 6ft 1), but, after sitting on it in the shop and taking it for a test ride, the guys in the shop recommended trying a 56 - which turned out to be a much better fit. At this point I should say a massive thank you to JE James in Chesterfield for their help and forbearance with all my nooby questions! They spent a lot of time with me helping to get the bike set up right, making sure it was the right size, and pointing me in the direction of some decent hills for a test ride. Rob in particular was a fantastic help! I would highly recommend them and have been back since for lots of bits and pieces!
One thing that surprised me is that, despite the Giant having a triple and some seriously low gears, the Cube makes lighter work of climbing even seriously steep hills (including Riber and Monsal Head). This is probably helped a little by the compact chain set and 11-32 cassette. On that note, I have never once regretted the decision to get a 32t cassette! It is now my "get home" gear to make sure that, even after a hard ride, I can still get up the 7% hill (up to Beeley Moor in the Peak District) that is almost always on my way home!
I love the look of the bike - black with fluoro green detailing - and have obviously had to go for matching bottle cages now! The internal cable routing (including for the rear hydraulic disc brake) keeps everything tidy and I don't find it rattles any more than the external routing on the Giant. Some of the roads around here are that poorly surfaced that everything rattles - brake levers, water bottles, my teeth!
The hydraulic disc brakes (shimano rs 505s) are effective and provide consistent braking in all sorts of conditions - though they are not as fool proof as I had hoped! Unfortunately it turns out I can still carry too much speed into a corner and overcook it I managed to lock the rear brake into a corner at the bottom of a steep descent and ended up leaving some of my skin on the road ...
The shifters are a bit of a funny shape (where the hydraulic reservoir is) which took a bit of getting used to but, with the addition of some padded gloves, they seem now to fit my hands well.
All in all it's a fantastic bike and I would highly recommend it!
