Every now and then it’s fun to show some stuff from across the pond, and Cube’s top of the line 120mm travel Sting full suspension XC bikes really caught our eye.
The Sting HPC Teamline, shown above, uses Cube’s Dual Trail Control suspension design that places the shock within the rear triangle. They claim this provides neutral response to pedal input while remaining very active over the terrain. The frame is full carbon made with their Twin Mold Process to reduce resin. It has a Shimano XTR drivetrain with some seriously high zoot parts mix: Syntace seatpost, bar and stem, Magura Durin 120mm fork, Formula R1 hydraulic disc brakes, DT Swiss carbon wheelset and Schwalbe tires. Rear cush is provided by a custom tuned Fox Float RP23 shock with Boost Valve. Claimed weight is 10.4kg (22.9 lbs).
Hit more to see a few frame details and other color options…
The Sting Team Edition gets a carbon fiber rear mud guard to keep grit and crud from getting all over the shock. The front (main) pivot on the rocker arm is a hollow axle to further reduce weight.
Cube calls the bottom section of the rear end the 3D Box. It provides a wide base to improve stiffness while also serving as the front derailleur mount and shock mount. The bottom bracket is press-fit, which increases the contact area for joining the downtube, and you can just see that Cube uses virtually the full width of it.
Despite the red, white and blue color scheme of the Teamline at the top, Cube has no current distribution in the U.S. The Sting is also available in Greenline (above) and Blackline (below).
