CUBE STEREO 150 C:68 TM29
£3,999 Nimble-handling 29er with improved suspension
After Cube Action Team rider Greg Callaghan stormed to victory at the Irish round of the 2016 Enduro World Series on a Stereo 140 29er, the German brand decided they needed to add a more endurofocused big-wheeler to their line-up. The Stereo 150 29 is the result, and it’s already helped Greg bag a thirdplace overall finish last year. But is it just as potent an enduro weapon for us lesser mortals?
The frame
The ‘C:68’ frame of the flagship ‘TM’ model is built from high-grade carbon fibre, which has had its carbon-to-resin ratio boosted with some funky carbon thread weaving to give thinner (and therefore lighter) walls. There are also nano particles in the resin, which are said to reduce the risk of delamination. Cube o er two cheaper ‘C:62’ carbon models, but no alloy option.
There’s 150mm of travel out back, courtesy of Cube’s familiar ‘ETC 4-Link’ four-bar linkage. They’ve adjusted the kinematics for the Stereo 150 29, to give a much more progressive stroke, which improves confidence and control when the bike is pushed to the limits of its travel. The frame itself doesn’t have the stretched and lowered geometry one might expect of the latest generation of enduro bikes, though. Its reach – 457mm on the 20in size – is quite short by modern standards, and the 66-degree head angle isn’t super-slack. The 34mm of bottom bracket drop keeps your weight low, though, and the 75.5-degree seat angle puts you nicely over the pedals when seated.
The kit
This top-end build comes with a 2019 Fox 36 fork with the new ‘FIT GRIP2’ damper, plus a Float X2 piggyback shock. The price is kept in check by use of SRAM’s mid-range GX Eagle groupset and Code R brakes. Newmen wheels aren’t well known in the UK, but the 30mm internal width of the Evolution SLs specced here gives a good platform for the excellent Schwalbe Magic Mary and (updated) Hans Dampf tyre combo.
The ride
The extra progression through the stroke is the most noticeable change over Cubes of old. Late in the travel, there’s a very obvious ramp-up – it’s not quite ‘blows your feet o the pedals’ firm, but the bike certainly doesn’t feel sofa-like as it gets deep into its stroke. This may sound like a negative, but this is a machine built for the EWS race track, where an aggressive suspension tune is necessary to stop it repeatedly bottoming out over the big hits. The soft initial stroke gives plenty of grip, boosted by the low pressures you can run in the Schwalbe rubber, and that extra mid-stroke support and firmness at the deep end improve control.
Typically for Cube, the geometry isn’t radical. Compared to its EWS rivals, the Stereo 150 29 looks short. This means it doesn’t o er sled-like confidence on the steepest or loosest trails, although the low BB and ground-hugging suspension do keep things in control. It’s a bike that you’ll get on with better if you’re smart about line choice, rather than just slamming over the top of everything. The Cube is wellsuited to tight and twisty tracks, though, where its quick-turning nature won us over. TOM MARVIN www.cube.eu
Great value, agile enduro bike, but geometry tweaks would improve things further