Seems the recent approval of 29er bikes for Germany’s races has spurred more and more European brands into action.
The latest is Cube, a German brand, which is rolling out ten new 29″ wheeled mountain bikes now with more in the plans. What’s special about them? Here’s the official blurb:
The Agile Ride Geometry has been developed for CUBE 29. CUBE wanted to solve the problem of longer chainstays, higher center of gravity and longer wheelbase influencing the handling of a 29er in a negative way. It`s been found three solutions:
- The bottom bracket height of a CUBE 29 is the same as on a 26” bike
- The special (patent pending) positioning of the front derailleur delivers 100% performance and gives more tyre clearance. So we could shorten the chainstays for quicker handling. The derailleur mount also means that the seat tube doesn’t need to be bent or offset from the bottom bracket shell, so every frame size shows the identical seat angle.
- We install suspension forks with a custom offset. Using identical head angles to the 26” bike the custom offset gives us the identical trail figure too, delivering great agile steering and handling features. Plus there is more clearance between the rider’s feet and the front wheel compared to competing 29ers.
To make a long story short: The CUBE Agile Ride Geometry combines all the advantages of 29” wheels with the advantages of the smaller 26” wheels. You will feel totally at home on our 29ers.
Click on through to see the bikes…
All text below from Cube:
ELITE SUPER HPC 29 “REACTION GTC 29”
The ELITE SUPER HPC 29 and REACTION GTC 29 enter the market of upper level 29” hardtails. Both offer sporty handling thanks to Agile Ride Geometry. Both frames come with a tapered steerer tube, press-fit BB, simplified internal cable routing and post mount brake, all the specs a modern bike should have. The carbon frame is made in just three parts, the front triangle and left and right rear triangles. This minimises the number of bonded joints in the frame. The bonding itself is a special Cube procedure. We also reduced the use of aluminium in the head tube and dropouts to again avoid bonded joints as far as possible. The further improved manufacturing process and the Advanced Twin Mould procedure used on the lighter and stiffer ELITE SUPER HPC 29 reduces weight compared to the REACTION GTC 29 and saves energy while sprinting or climbing. But the REACTION GTC 29 is still unique in its class and benefits from the success of its 26” sibling.
AMS 120 29 (shown in action at top of post)
The AMS 120 29 is our entry to the all mountain full-suspension segment. We worked to the same criteria as for our 26” models: Climbing neutrally and being confident on the downhills. The use of STK and ERC made this possible. We used special suspension forks, short chainstays, short head tube and a low bottom bracket – all features of the Cube Agile Ride Geometry – to give a riding feel similar to our 26” models. All in all it is the perfect combination of the positive characteristics of big wheels with the agility and easy handling of a 26” bike. So you can enjoy every ride, from a quick trail ride uphill or downhill to an epic adventure crossing the Alps.
LTD and Competition Series 29
Rounding off the full suspension and carbon fibre party are the popular Limited and Competition series. You will see the same features like short chainstays, low bottom bracket, low centre of gravity and special front derailleur positioning. All Cube 29ers show the advantages of 29” wheels combined with the geometry tested and proven for years in their 26” brothers.
In the Competition series (built with Aluminum Lite) you will find the ATTENTION and ACID models, while the Limited series comprises the LTD PRO and SL , built with Aluminum Superlite. These models differ in weight because of the different tube sets and their components specified for the target use.
The CUBE downhill bike “TWO 15”
In 2012 CUBE will add a new model offering even more travel than the successful Hanzz, a downhill bike called two15. There was a tight cooperation with Fox Racing Shox’s Eamonn Cleere and downhiller André Wagenknecht from the beginning of the project work in autumn 2008.
Everybody wanted to find the optimum of interaction between the frame and the damping system to build a new kind of kinematics which should become be the benchmark. Wagenknecht gave the input for geometry and handling while Cleere delivered the necessary technical details to design the kinematics within the limits and possibilities of the chosen damper, the Fox DHX-RC4.
This led to CUBE’s new Triple Linkage Kinematics with a nearly constant curve of the linkage over the whole shock travel. Only this curve can guarantee that compression and rebound (both high and low speed) work in a linear way over the complete travel.
What’s more, the weight was reduced by another 500g. Final testing from André and Eamonn from Fox Racing Shox led to a specific setup of the Fox DHX-RC4 adjusted to the frame and the downhill demands that the two15 will face.
29 “E-MTB” – CUBE Epo 29
Following the successful introduction of the EPO series last year, it will be expanded this year by a 29er mountain bike. More information will follow shortly. (Editor’s note: the EPO is a pedal-electric bicycle touring series of bikes, so this is a pretty interesting move from 26″ touring to 29er MTB with a pedal-assist motor.)
