After looking through several websites, forums, and discussions here on ST, I’d really appreciate some honest feedback from people who actually own this bike.
Do you like / love the bike overall?
How is the build quality?
How easy is it to dial in the fit?
Does the hydration system work well in practice?
Any issues or things you wish you knew before buying?
I’m considering buying either the complete bike or the frameset, but I’ve never actually met anyone who owns one.
Any real-world feedback would really help me make a decision.
Are the spacers not required the mandatory bridge from profile design at that height?
The manual says yes, which also the biggest flaw of the bike since you are not able to use the bottle at the front due to that.
I had very disappointed customers when they found this after getting the bike.
The bar serves as a bridge connecting the two spacer stacks. It’s been designed to do so (by incorporating additional layers of carbon in the correct orientation) and it actually has just enough space to install the front hydration system. Note: This is NOT the bar, it’s an early prototype that’s 3D printed. The real bar is NOT 3d printed.
Having said that, I’m deviating from the standard spacers by using FastTT adjustable angled spacers rather than the extension bracket, so I’m actually under the 40mm spacer limit.
Agree with the bridge at 40mm from memory being one of this bikes nuances. What’s just as annoying as they all tend to ship with the low base bar option. Looks good, but misses out on a lot more stack that the other higher rise bar provides. And the latter is impossible to get anywhere.
I have seen many cube bikes who’s owners have said fk it, and run full stack no bridge so you can use the water up front. A note on that front hydration, my friend has one and it leaks like a sieve. As fo frame bladder, I know they use that as a one and done drink source and don’t bother refilling on the fly as it’s terrible at that she says. The only other minor annoyance is the wheels have internal valves and use a little tool to access them. So you need to take that little cylinder tool whenever u go in case of a flat.
Personally I Like the bike, I like the look. I find the profile design bars, the way in which the di2 cables thread through there can be pinched easily, so something to be mindful of. And there is a bazillion bolts but you do get a full stack of spacers and a cheat sheet for bolt sizing per spacer size. I like how they give you different bar ‘inserts’ for lack of a better word so you can have narrower pads or wider as well. Just make sure you fit the thing 100% on the low base bar setting with pad stack measurements because the high base bar option is basically extinct
And I hate that when you use the the bottom bracket hydration system there is no room to put your spare parts in it so you are forced to be using another solution on your expensive bike…..like a saddle bag.
All joking aside, i like the look of it as well but the lack of reach and stack make it less appealing these days.
I’ve noticed that the front hydration indeed splashes sticky goo all over the frame. However, I’ve never had a system that does not do that except for a normal bottle. If you want the straw and want to be able to refil the system, you’re stuck with it splashing. I’ve never used the frame bladder so I can’t say anything about that. I can imagine sucking liquid up over such a distance is quite a chore.
