GrantCube
Member
I bought my 2019/20 Cube Stereo Hybrid 140 SL in December 2019 and I bought it second hand with very low Km's. The bike had been used for a commute only and had not off road Km's on it at all. The original tyres were still in good condition. My only issue was that the original owner fitted a derestrictor from new and I didn't want to use it.....it fell off my bike early in it's trail riding career with me so I thought, no harm no foul.
I used the bike regularly, two to three times per week and sometimes, up to 7 days a week, and not only did I lose 13kg and fix a long standing knee problem by building muscle around the joint that I never was able to do thru a steady regime of couch training, but I found that after a series of reasonably damaging falls, lots of skin missing, dislocated wrists and shoulders, bruises and thousands of dollars of broken and damaged parts........I slowly regained the moto skills of my youth. I entered a high profile race and finished 5th outright and 2nd e-bike home after 44km's and I have had various KOM's and lots of 2nd and 3rd fastest times on Strava over the year. That all happened in 2020 and I credit the bike for changing my life forever in a really good way! My wife loves the bike for the health benefits it has brought to me and the fact that I use it and use it and use it, so it was money well spent in her eyes! So, a really great story and no downside? Well, the motor lunched itself in July 2020, I do not know the cause but Bosch refused to assist with a warranty claim as they could tell the first owner had fitted the Badass Box and they said that this had placed extreme wear & tear on the motor. Bugger! But! The local bike shop who are also the Australian agents for Cube....99 Bikes, came to my rescue and carried 60% of the cost to repair, and they didnt have to do that! I tell everyone who will listen, and some who wont, what a great crowd 99 Bikes are and I hope they sell every bike they can get forever........they did more for me a little later in the story too!
I am very lucky that I can afford the bike and the maintenance and I think if I compared it to gym membership and medical costs that I have not incurred, I am at worst level pegging or at best, in front!
That was 2020 and my 59th year!
2021 carried on much like 2020 and my only real reason to moan was the amount I was spending on chains, cassettes and rear tyres, but that was due to the amount of riding I was getting thru......my skills had returned, injuries were less common and then September happened! I was riding faster and faster and things started to break again.......I was over-riding the bike......I could get the rear shock to work in a fashion but no matter what I did to the Fox 34 front end, it wasn't up to what I was doing to it but when the major problem happened, it turned out that I had broken the rear suspension linkage bearings. Again, 99 Bikes to the rescue and we worked out a "beef up" package that would get me back on the trails and limit the damage! Whilst this was going on, I was looking at how to upgrade the suspension so that I would stop breaking it and so I could improve my times over the tracks I ride. After 5 weeks without the bike, because 99 Bikes were waiting for parts from overseas, I finally went to collect my refreshed 140 SL and ride it home.......Phew! The bike had a complete refresh, new chain, brake pads, tyres, cassette and all new suspension bearings and it felt great! I got two weeks of riding in, but I started slowly as I needed to get used to it again after such a long time and was just starting to get back into the groove and then the fateful call came.......
I had placed an order for a 2022 Stereo 160 SL which I wasn't likely to see until at least the middle of they year and whilst 99 Bikes had a shipment of 2021 bikes arriving, it was all sold out months in advance and so the 140 had to get me thru until the new bike arrived! But, and there is always a BUT, someone who had an order placed for 2021 Stereo Hybrid 160 SL had changed their mind and bought a Norco and their Cube bike was not only ready for pick up in the shop, but it was in MY local shop, (99 Bikes is a chain of shops), and if I wanted it they would transfer my deposit to this bike and I could pick it up that afternoon, although they did want me to pay the balance of the price! But, and yes another BUT, they gave me a bust on the price, which given that they can sell every bike they get right now, again they didnt have to do this......the choice was buy the 2021 bike and have it now or wait until my 2022 bike would arrive sometime in the second half of 2022.......guess what I did?
So, after 5 weeks of ownership, how do I now feel? Well, I don't like the Magura brakes in comparison to the Shimano XT's on the 140 so will most likely swap them over and I am not really sold on the Sram NX gearset vs the XT 11 speed on the 140 and I am still arguing with myself about swapping that out but everything else is better and by a long way......the suspension, while not being the most expensive components on the market, is light years ahead of the 140 and I know I will change the damper in the Zeb over to the higher spec one and most likely trial a coil shock next year, I am still delighted in my new bike......I'll keep you all posted on how it turns out over the coming year!
Merry Xmas and a happy EMTB New Year!
Grant
I used the bike regularly, two to three times per week and sometimes, up to 7 days a week, and not only did I lose 13kg and fix a long standing knee problem by building muscle around the joint that I never was able to do thru a steady regime of couch training, but I found that after a series of reasonably damaging falls, lots of skin missing, dislocated wrists and shoulders, bruises and thousands of dollars of broken and damaged parts........I slowly regained the moto skills of my youth. I entered a high profile race and finished 5th outright and 2nd e-bike home after 44km's and I have had various KOM's and lots of 2nd and 3rd fastest times on Strava over the year. That all happened in 2020 and I credit the bike for changing my life forever in a really good way! My wife loves the bike for the health benefits it has brought to me and the fact that I use it and use it and use it, so it was money well spent in her eyes! So, a really great story and no downside? Well, the motor lunched itself in July 2020, I do not know the cause but Bosch refused to assist with a warranty claim as they could tell the first owner had fitted the Badass Box and they said that this had placed extreme wear & tear on the motor. Bugger! But! The local bike shop who are also the Australian agents for Cube....99 Bikes, came to my rescue and carried 60% of the cost to repair, and they didnt have to do that! I tell everyone who will listen, and some who wont, what a great crowd 99 Bikes are and I hope they sell every bike they can get forever........they did more for me a little later in the story too!
I am very lucky that I can afford the bike and the maintenance and I think if I compared it to gym membership and medical costs that I have not incurred, I am at worst level pegging or at best, in front!
That was 2020 and my 59th year!
2021 carried on much like 2020 and my only real reason to moan was the amount I was spending on chains, cassettes and rear tyres, but that was due to the amount of riding I was getting thru......my skills had returned, injuries were less common and then September happened! I was riding faster and faster and things started to break again.......I was over-riding the bike......I could get the rear shock to work in a fashion but no matter what I did to the Fox 34 front end, it wasn't up to what I was doing to it but when the major problem happened, it turned out that I had broken the rear suspension linkage bearings. Again, 99 Bikes to the rescue and we worked out a "beef up" package that would get me back on the trails and limit the damage! Whilst this was going on, I was looking at how to upgrade the suspension so that I would stop breaking it and so I could improve my times over the tracks I ride. After 5 weeks without the bike, because 99 Bikes were waiting for parts from overseas, I finally went to collect my refreshed 140 SL and ride it home.......Phew! The bike had a complete refresh, new chain, brake pads, tyres, cassette and all new suspension bearings and it felt great! I got two weeks of riding in, but I started slowly as I needed to get used to it again after such a long time and was just starting to get back into the groove and then the fateful call came.......
I had placed an order for a 2022 Stereo 160 SL which I wasn't likely to see until at least the middle of they year and whilst 99 Bikes had a shipment of 2021 bikes arriving, it was all sold out months in advance and so the 140 had to get me thru until the new bike arrived! But, and there is always a BUT, someone who had an order placed for 2021 Stereo Hybrid 160 SL had changed their mind and bought a Norco and their Cube bike was not only ready for pick up in the shop, but it was in MY local shop, (99 Bikes is a chain of shops), and if I wanted it they would transfer my deposit to this bike and I could pick it up that afternoon, although they did want me to pay the balance of the price! But, and yes another BUT, they gave me a bust on the price, which given that they can sell every bike they get right now, again they didnt have to do this......the choice was buy the 2021 bike and have it now or wait until my 2022 bike would arrive sometime in the second half of 2022.......guess what I did?
So, after 5 weeks of ownership, how do I now feel? Well, I don't like the Magura brakes in comparison to the Shimano XT's on the 140 so will most likely swap them over and I am not really sold on the Sram NX gearset vs the XT 11 speed on the 140 and I am still arguing with myself about swapping that out but everything else is better and by a long way......the suspension, while not being the most expensive components on the market, is light years ahead of the 140 and I know I will change the damper in the Zeb over to the higher spec one and most likely trial a coil shock next year, I am still delighted in my new bike......I'll keep you all posted on how it turns out over the coming year!
Merry Xmas and a happy EMTB New Year!
Grant
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