Cube Bikes - help wanted!!

[bobdaspider]

Unlike my 2016 Cube Attain GTC Disc, your steerer might be carbon, my one is alloy... Which allows me full ability to play with the stem position and spacers, accepting it might look bad. On a carbon steerer, you really need the "bung" supporting the stem clamp on the inside of the steerer.

On my Cube, moving the 30mm of spacers above the stem, effectively increases the reach to the bars by ~10mm.

Is the stem currently in the "+" orientation, pointing more to the sky? Flipping it will increase the reach by ~6mm, as well as lower the bars by ~18mm.
http://yojimg.net/bike/web_tools/stem.php

The stem is by Certini and has a 0º degree angle - my bike shop did say I need to ride it first before replacing the stem. Moving the spacers above the stem will also increase the angle of one's back - which if you have a lower-back issue, could be problematic but I appreciate your comment. I can move the saddle back approx. 2cm = increase the reach but a 100mm stem would also create an additional 1cm of reach. But yes, as the bike shop told me, I need to ride it first 🤔

 

[Drago]

The stem isn't "by" Certini - theyre merely a UK based retailer and distributor. They don't make anything. Its far eastern stuff marked up with their branding.

Deda are also of Asian manufacture and bearing Italian branding, although they are at least usually decent value.

You don't need a Certini stem. Any stem of suitable dimensions will do. Theres no magic to the design or any kudos whatsoever to the brand name - it has as much heritage as Lidl or Woolworths. Stems are inexpensive, and you can source an eminently suitable replacement and have change from £20, never mind £30. £60 for a Certini item is hilarious verging on tragic.

I know this because a back injury has forced me to go through the same process on my Ribble. Replacing the Ribble in-house branded 110mm stem with an 80mm item bearing the distinguished Bontrager brand name (although in reality nothing more than far eastern mass produced kit with someone else's brand etched upon it) cost less than a tenner to purchase, barely more than a tenner with postage.

 

[N0bodyOfTheGoat]

The stem is by Certini and has a 0º degree angle - my bike shop did say I need to ride it first before replacing the stem. Moving the spacers above the stem will also increase the angle of one's back - which if you have a lower-back issue, could be problematic but I appreciate your comment. I can move the saddle back approx. 2cm = increase the reach but a 100mm stem would also create an additional 1cm of reach. But yes, as the bike shop told me, I need to ride it first 🤔

I've had an on-off lower back issue for ~18 years, in fact just this week gone it randomly pinged the worst it has for a number of years, thankfully improving after a week of doing core exercises that I've neglected over the last ~8 years.

My back winced at the geometry of your 53cm, my 58cm has same stack/reach of your model, 388/610mm. I'm only 178cm on a good day, but the 56cm is 385/591mm and I have a long torso.

0 degree stem is a surprise, my Cube Attain came with +/-6, which allows some bar height play. A few years ago I replaced the default stem with a Deda adjustable, so when my back was good, I could lower the bars by ~4.5cm and not be such an aero brick.

Personally, I wouldn't play with saddle fire/aft outside your optimum position, to get more reach.

Hopefully it feels fine to ride as is, my gravel ebike is ~390mm reach with a 90mm stem and it doesn't feel too bad at all.

 

[bobdaspider]

The stem isn't "by" Certini - theyre merely a UK based retailer and distributor. They don't make anything. Its far eastern stuff marked up with their branding.

Deda are also of Asian manufacture and bearing Italian branding, although they are at least usually decent value.

You don't need a Certini stem. Any stem of suitable dimensions will do. Theres no magic to the design or any kudos whatsoever to the brand name - it has as much heritage as Lidl or Woolworths. Stems are inexpensive, and you can source an eminently suitable replacement and have change from £20, never mind £30. £60 for a Certini item is hilarious verging on tragic.

I know this because a back injury has forced me to go through the same process on my Ribble. Replacing the Ribble in-house branded 110mm stem with an 80mm item bearing the distinguished Bontrager brand name (although in reality nothing more than far eastern mass produced kit with someone else's brand etched upon it) cost less than a tenner to purchase, barely more than a tenner with postage.

Yeah - I made a mistake - the stem on the bike is actually by Cube and it is available from Certini but the 100mm option is currently out of stock in the store I looked at. Either way, whatever stem I get has to be like for like or similar so you get an attractive 'flat' finish with the head cap - these ones are priced at the £50 - £75 mark. I just know from my own experience that riding a bike with a 90mm stem made the bike's front end very twitchy when decending - i.e. anything over 24 mph. When I swapped it for 100mm stem - no issues with the front end...

 

[bobdaspider]

I've had an on-off lower back issue for ~18 years, in fact just this week gone it randomly pinged the worst it has for a number of years, thankfully improving after a week of doing core exercises that I've neglected over the last ~8 years.

My back winced at the geometry of your 53cm, my 58cm has same stack/reach of your model, 388/610mm. I'm only 178cm on a good day, but the 56cm is 385/591mm and I have a long torso.

0 degree stem is a surprise, my Cube Attain came with +/-6, which allows some bar height play. A few years ago I replaced the default stem with a Deda adjustable, so when my back was good, I could lower the bars by ~4.5cm and not be such an aero brick.

Personally, I wouldn't play with saddle fire/aft outside your optimum position, to get more reach.

Hopefully it feels fine to ride as is, my gravel ebike is ~390mm reach with a 90mm stem and it doesn't feel too bad at all.

Thanks for the info. I used a 90mm stem with my current bike and it made the front end very twitchy when descending over 24mph - after swapping it for a 100mm stem - no front end issues when descending. So with this experience am concerned about the 90mm on the Attain but we shall see...

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Thanks for the info. I used a 90mm stem with my current bike and it made the front end very twitchy when descending over 24mph - after swapping it for a 100mm stem - no front end issues when descending. So with this experience am concerned about the 90mm on the Attain but we shall see...

All very dependent on fork trail, frame geometry, width of bars, how noodley a frame is. Best go ride first before any changes. It may be perfect as supplied.

 

[Drago]

no front end issues when descending.

There won't be. The bike will behave identically - for every degree of movement around the steering axis the front wheel will turn exactly the same as it did before.

What can sometimes change is the feel, and some riders may then over-compensate their steering inputs as a result, but the bike itself will behave exactly as before. An oft misunderstood effect, efen by some of those who should know better.

Yeah - I made a mistake - the stem on the bike is actually by Cube and it is available from Certini but the 100mm option is currently out of stock in the store I looked at. Either way, whatever stem I get has to be like for like or similar so you get an attractive 'flat' finish with the head cap - these ones are priced at the £50 - £75 mark. I just know from my own experience that riding a bike with a 90mm stem made the bike's front end very twitchy when decending - i.e. anything over 24 mph. When I swapped it for 100mm stem - no issues with the front end...

Shop around. The style is not unique to the brand and youll easily find one for much less folding.