Cube electric bikes: Brand guide

Key takeaways

• German brand Cube has an enormous range of electric bikes covering all the key categories.

• In the UK, prices for Cube electric bikes range from £2,199 to £8,999, placing it firmly in the middle ground.

• All Cube bikes use Bosch motors, with a good reputation for performance and reliability.

Table of contents

Cube's electric bikes

Cube uses the term "Hybrid" to describe its electric bikes, because they're powered by a combination of human and electric power. This is slightly confusing in the UK market, where "hybrid" is a term that's been used to mean a bike that sits between a mountain bike and a road bike. In Europe such bikes are commonly called trekking bikes, so Cube's light off-road, flat bar e-bikes are know as Trekking Hybrid.

If you want a bike for carrying stuff (or small people) then Cube has three offerings, all using Bosch motors.

The Cargo Hybrid is a modern take on the traditional Dutch "bakfiets" long cargo bike, with a load bay in front of the rider and a small front wheel in front of that. Steering is via a linkage under the load bay to the handlebars. This design can take a lot of weight while keeping the centre of gravity low - Cube's Carbo Hybrids have a load capacity of 220kg. 60kg of that can go in the cargo box, with internal dimensions of 660x415mm at the base and 1020x740mm at the top - big enough for two optional child seats while leaving space for shopping.

All of the Cargo Hybrids are powered by a Bosch Cargo Line motor with 85N of torque. The top models come with two batteries for a total capacity of 1000Wh. The cheaper ones are supplied with a single battery but they have the mount for a second one if you decide to add it later (although it'll work out cheaper in the long run to get a double battery from the start).

The range starts with the £4,599 Cargo Sport Hybrid, which has a single battery, Magura hydraulic disc brakes and a Shimano Deore 10 speed transmission. The same bike with twin batteries is £5,299. The £4,999 Cargo Hybrid swaps the transmission for an Enviolo stepless hub gear, with a dual battery option for £5,499.

All the Cargo Hybrids come with mudguards, integrated front and rear lights and a heavy-duty kickstand. There are lots of optional extras including a cargo lid, rain cover, child seats and extra rear rack.

Trekking

Cube's Trekking e-bike range is further split into four categories, although the S-Pedelec bikes aren't really relevant to the UK market as they have a maximum speed of 45km/h (28mph) - outside the UK's e-bike regulations. They're designed to fit into a particular EU category ("speed pedelecs") that the UK doesn't have, so they'd be classed as motorbikes in Britain.

There are three tiers to Cube's Tour bikes. The Touring Hybrid bikes use Bosch's entry-level Performance Line motor, while the Nuride and Kathmandu use either the Performance Line SX or Performance Line CX depending on price. The frames are very similar, but the Kathmandu features an integrated rack and is also available with a belt drive/hub gear transmission combo. All the bikes come with mudguards and lights, but the Nurides have more off-road friendly slightly knobbly tyres and no rack, while the Touring has smooth tyres and a rack.

Cube has 109 bikes in the Tour category alone, which is faintly bewildering. Part of the reason for this proliferation of models is that everything is availabe with either a traditional diamond frame, an "easy entry" frame with a dropped top tube or a fully step-through "trapeze" frame. Throw in integrated batteries with either 400, 500, 600, 625 or 800Wh capacities, plus dfferent transmission specifications and choices of colours and it's not hard to see where all the models come from.

The Kathmandu Hybrid C:62 SLT 400X is particularly interesting, with a full carbon fibre frame (including the integrated rack) and fork, Bosch's lightweight SX motor and a compact 400Wh battery bringing the bike in at an impressive 16.3kg with a kickstand, mudguards and lights. The motor offers quite low torque and the battery capacity will limit assisted range, but if you're looking for a helping hand rather than the motor doing all the work this could be just the ticket.

Cube's City bikes are pitched at urban riding and once again it has more bikes in a single category than some manufacturer's entire ranges. The easiest subset of City bikes to get your head around is the Supreme Hybrid range, which all have step-through frames, mudguards, lights and a rear rack. You can choose from derailleur gears or hub gears, 500Wh or 625Wh batteries and various specification levels. Cube also offers the Ella Hybrid, which uses the same frame as the Supreme but with a retro style including a full chain case, spring saddle, white tyres and a choice of traditionally-inspired colours.

Based on the reasonable assumption that urban bikes don't need massive range, the Editor and Nulane bikes lean towards light weight, with Bosch SX motors and 400Wh batteries. The Editor is designed for Tarmac, while the Nulane is slightly more rugged with chunkier tyres to tackle less well-surfaced routes. Both styles have rigid forks and are available in either a minimalist spec without mudguards and a kickstand, or FE spec with both.

Compact & Folding

At first glance Cube's Compact and Fold bikes look very similar, with 20in wheels, one size fits all step-through frames and mid-mounted Bosch Performance motors (250W, 65Nm). Both bikes also have 500Wh Bosch batteries tucked down behind the seat tube. However, the Compact bikes are merely compact, while the Folds also... fold.

For more details on folding e-bikes, read our guide to electric folding bikes.

The Compact Hybrids all cost £2,299 but you can choose from the regular 500 with Shimano derailleur gears or the Comfort 500 with a Shimano Nexus rear hub gear. Both include mudguards, rack and lights and there's a choice of colours. They all weigh about 23kg.

The added complexity of the Fold adds weight (about 2kg) and cost, with the Fold Hybrid 500 coming in at £2,499. Again, there's a hub-geared Comfort 500 but on the Fold the conventional chain is replaced by a low-maintenance toothed belt, this time at £2,999. Cube's Fold frame design is particularly neat, especially the integrated carrying handle!

Cube may appear to only offer one hardtail eMTB, the Reaction Hybrid, but in typical Cube fashion it's available in over a hundred different variants with three frame styles as well as "Allroad" models with racks and mudguards included. They all use Bosch mid-drive motors but there are various battery options. On the full suspension side Cube has five platforms with suspension travel ranging from 120 to 170mm. Each has the usual choice of frame materials (aluminium or carbon fibre), component specs and batteries. Full suspension prices range from £3,199 to £8,999.

For more details on e-mountain bikes, read our guide to e-mountain bikes.

Rounding out the extensive Cube range are the electric gravel bikes. These are split into two categories, the drop-bar Nuroad and the flat-bar Nulane. Both have carbon fibre frames and Bosch drive systems and are available in a range of specifications as well as FE (Fully Equipped) variants with racks, mudguards and lights. You can get on a Nuroad for between £3,599 and £6,499.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where can I get a Cube electric bike?

Cube has a large number of dealers in the UK, including a small number of Cube-only specialists. As well as bikes, Cube has an extensive range of parts, clothing and accessories, so you could easily get fully kitted out from just one brand.

What's Cube's position in the market?

Cube is pretty much the definitive mainstream brand, and we don't mean that negatively. It doesn't specialise in any particular niche, aiming to deliver a good range of options across all categories. There's no shortage of innovation but Cube bikes are more about function than flash. In pricing terms Cube is smack in the middle. Entry level is a bit above £2,000 and the bikes top out at £8,999.

What are Cube's key strengths?

It has to be the sheer breadth of its range. Cube has every base covered, so no matter what style of e-bike you want Cube will have a range of options. Being able to choose standard diamond, dropped top tube or step-through frames for so many models is a boon, and the FE bikes save you the faff of getting and fitting lights, mudguards and racks.

Summary

Cube isn't among the very largest global bike manufacturers but it punches above its weight when it comes to the size of its range and the choices and options on offer. Whatever kind of electric bike you're looking for, there's a good chance that there'll be a Cube to suit. With a big dealer network, after-sales support shouldn't be a problem.