My wife fancies a Cube 140 are they good bikes?

[Andy A]

Hi guys

My wife Linda has a 2016 Haibike it has the Bosch motor I think it has 70nm power but she really fancies an update now as she wants the battery in the down tube as she much prefers the look of them.

She likes the Levo but they are so expensive and on checking our bike carrier it says don't use it on a carbon frame so the Levo is out (phew) Am I right in thinking Cube are German and are these a quality well built bike as there aren't many around are there.

One concern is I watched that video Rob did on it and that motor was really noisy is that how they are!

We do a lot of moorland and bridleways so nothing too demanding although we do some rocky descents so I am thinking the 140 will be the right travel for her, on the Cube site they do a 140 in a pro, race, SL and TM what is the difference and how is the range on these.

Any help/advice much appreciated as I think it would be nice to have something a bit different

Thanks

Andy

 

[bikerider007]

Hello there Mr A. i have the stereo 160 race .. the race is the base the sl next up and the tm or Team model..
I didnt even test ride mine or any ebike for that fact.. as for noise my bosch motor just has a small wine.. as for range that will depend a lot on the rider... if your wife is a small slip of a thing she will go miles .. i however get about 25-28 miles out of mine .. oh and it depends on the weather ... the colder the shorter range i have noticed.. ie out in 1deg my range dropped by 5-8 miles.. roughly... so range is a very subjective thing on ebikes..
My 160 is bomb proof so far.. it can handle anything i am likely to throw at it. all loaded up i would be about 110 kg wet......
so the 140 wont be any different ...just less travel i'm guessing..

also just seen this a 120 a ladies
if you need any more help dont hesitate to ask..

 

[Wiltshire Warrior]

Also the cubes TT come up very short compared to others - so they are almost Women Specific Geometry

IE the XL JAM is 64.7mm thats 1cm shorter than an XL Moterra and the seat tube is 2cm shorter

 

[R120]

Interestingly I ride a bit with Simon who owns Nirvana Bikes is the Surrey hills - it’s a hardcore MTB shop selling the likes of Evil, Pivot etc, and he has a Cube 140 - what struck me was that it is pretty much silent, none of the noisy motor you often hear about with Bosch’s, and he swears by the Bosch motor ( thebybised to sell a focus emtb,s bit have now switched to cube)

 

[Gofurtherfaster]

The only people who say the motor is loud are people who've spent 10k on a levo and are desperately trying to find a way to justify spending 6k more.

 

[Mad Mark]

All the cubes are GREAT QUALITY & GREAT SPEC
The more you pay, the more you get
The Bosch motor has got a bit of noise, but most people don't mind that....only spesh owners.

Which ever cube you buy, you will get good value for money.

Now your thinking of going for a cube MR A why don't you treat yourself to the "action team"
You know you want too

 

[Mad Mark]

Of course the Levo motor is silent, they have packed it with mud & leaves......that stops any noise getting out ?

 

[Andy A]

Of course the Levo motor is silent, they have packed it with mud & leaves......that stops any noise getting out ?

Haha that made me laugh BUT the Levo is still a great bike and they have sorted out that problem now, the thing is Linda really likes and wants a Levo as that 700wh battery is a massive selling point to her as she often has range anxiety, and as you know they are so expensive!!!!

 

[MattyB]

Haha that made me laugh BUT the Levo is still a great bike and they have sorted out that problem now, the thing is Linda really likes and wants a Levo as that 700wh battery is a massive selling point to her as she often has range anxiety, and as you know they are so expensive!!!!

Ramming the hole with foam is not “sorting out the problem”, it’s applying a gash sticking plaster to a fundamental design flaw that should have been picked up in alpha testing. That problem is not going to be addressed conpletely as it should have been until the 2020 models hit.

 

[Andy A]

Ramming the hole with foam is not “sorting out the problem”, it’s applying a gash sticking plaster to a fundamental design flaw that should have been picked up in alpha testing. That problem is not going to be addressed conpletely as it should have been originally until the 2020 models hit.

well they have sorted out a new four bolt cover and yes they fit a moulded foam in there, not perfect but I agree it will be fixed on the 2020 bikes

 

[bikerider007]

So is this cube thread now a Levo thread...

 

[highpeakrider]

Ramming the hole with foam is not “sorting out the problem”, it’s applying a gash sticking plaster to a fundamental design flaw that should have been picked up in alpha testing. That problem is not going to be addressed conpletely as it should have been originally until the 2020 models hit.

And having the charging point at the bottom of the bike isn’t the best idea in the world........

 

[Andy A]

And having the charging point at the bottom of the bike isn’t the best idea in the world........

Oh is that where it is!

 

[Andy A]

So is this cube thread now a Levo thread...

Oops sorry about that I will not mention them again

 

[Andy A]

I remember looking at the Cube ebike in 2016 and we were going to get Linda one until we saw Haibike which we thoght were miles better looking and they were, but wow the Cube bikes look fantastic now she loves how they look

 

[Doomanic]

So is this cube thread now a Levo thread...

Aren't they all? #levoownersclub

 

[Doomanic]

700wh battery is a massive selling point

they are so expensive!!!!

A Cube and a second Bosch battery would give you 1000Wh and be cheaper than a Levo.

 

[bikerider007]

A Cube and a second Bosch battery would give you 1000Wh and be cheaper than a Levo.

And the bosch power tube battery is small enough to fit in my camelbak easily..

 

[Andy A]

A Cube and a second Bosch battery would give you 1000Wh and be cheaper than a Levo.

Wow I didn't think of that how much is a spare battery also which order do the models go in the 140 as in which order from base to top of the range.

 

[Andy A]

And the bosch power tube battery is small enough to fit in my camelbak easily..

Ahh is that battery different to her Haibike this is getting exciting, if I did that would the second battery need to be alternated in use so just swap them over each week so they are both being used? Which 140 Cube is the best one to get and what sort of discount is possible as I just got 12% off a Trance E + 2 which I thought was good.

 

[bikerider007]

Yes the power tube is sort of new some 2018 had it.. Seems to be pro is the base version the race is next then sl and tm top..
As for best... Think that's a money thing.. But I love my base 160 race and will only upgrade it when needed

 

[Doomanic]

Bosch PowerTube 500 Horizontal E-Bike Battery

 

[MattyB]

A Cube and a second Bosch battery would give you 1000Wh and be cheaper than a Levo.

...and almost certainly have a better component spec.

 

[Andy A]

Yes the power tube is sort of new some 2018 had it.. Seems to be pro is the base version the race is next then sl and tm top..
As for best... Think that's a money thing.. But I love my base 160 race and will only upgrade it when needed

Thanks that's great I reckon a 160 would be overkill for her wouldn't it as we do rides from home which are on and off road and also we do full days on the north york moors with some tricky terrain but Linda isn't great on technical so maybe a 140 might be better but honestly we have just been looking at them and we love the styling

The Levo she likes is around £6500 which is miles too much but a Cube will save us a shed load of money but how noisy is that motor as I saw the video Rob did and it was quite noisy! We have a dealer in town as well I love that 160 that's grey and orange

 

[bikerider007]

Bosch PowerTube 500 Horizontal E-Bike Battery

Doom.. I did find one for 568... New on the bay

 

[Doomanic]

I'm not looking too hard, it won't fit my bike and people need to learn how to google...

 

[bikerider007]

Thanks that's great I reckon a 160 would be overkill for her wouldn't it as we do rides from home which are on and off road and also we do full days on the north york moors with some tricky terrain but Linda isn't great on technical so maybe a 140 might be better but honestly we have just been looking at them and we love the styling

The Levo she likes is around £6500 which is miles too much but a Cube will save us a shed load of money but how noisy is that motor as I saw the video Rob did and it was quite noisy! We have a dealer in town as well I love that 160 that's grey and orange

You could look at even the 120 I reckon...
My motor does not make hardly any sound I manage to sneek up on most people out on the trails.. And I can be 2 ft from them
... Go for a test ride..

 

[MattyB]

If the noise of the Bosch on her current bike doesn’t bother her then the Performance CX in the Cube should be fine. They may not be best in class, but I don’t think the noise has got any worse with successive versions.

 

[Andy A]

You could look at even the 120 I reckon...
My motor does not make hardly any sound I manage to sneek up on most people out on the trails.. And I can be 2 ft from them
... Go for a test ride..

Ok I will go in this week thanks for your help.

 

[Andy A]

I'm not looking too hard, it won't fit my bike and people need to learn how to google...

Sorry!