Cube Reaction Hybrid One 500

An adventurous hybrid or an easy-to-pedal mountain bike. The Cube is capable in either role

No one seems quite sure how to define the ‘hybrid’ bike. Is it a road bike with flat handlebars or a mountain bike with less knobbly tyres? As far as Cube is concerned, it’s the latter.

Clearly the manufacturer wasn’t going to be constrained by traditional design ideas and predefined use categories in creating the Reaction Hybrid One 500 – it may be called a hybrid, but it definitely looks like a mountain bike. Yet there’s also the option of an easyentry step-through frame, which is not what you’d typically expect of a mountain bike. Then again, you can argue that bikes are made to be ridden, and if they can be ridden on all sorts of terrain then they’re genuinely hybrid. That’s certainly the case with this model.

Whatever you use it for, you’ll be assisted by a fourth-generation Bosch Performance CX motor that’s tucked away at the base of the frame. It combines with the Shimano Deore ten-speed gearset to let you conquer the steepest of hills or cruise along the high street with little effort.

Like many of today’s e-bikes, the Cube’s frame is made from heavily shaped aluminium tubing that conceals the 500Wh battery inside the down tube. Those same shapely tubes also carry all the control lines internally, while cables are also hidden away from view to create a clean aesthetic.

The bike gives a nod to its mountain bike heritage by featuring an SR Suntour NVX30 suspension fork, which offers 100mm of front wheel travel. It also sports largevolume Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres that provide comfort and grip off-road or on.

If you plan on using the Reaction Hybrid One 500 on the road, you’ll appreciate how Cube has incorporated mounting points for a side stand, mudguards and a rear rack to let you commute in comfort. Still, even with all these extras and the motor taking the strain, this bike probably enjoys trails more than tarmac.

▶ £2,599 ▶ cube.eu

Pros

▶ An all-rounder with frame options to suit a wide range of riders and riding styles

Cons

▶ The hybrid name belies a bike more suited to off-road riding than regular road use

Specs

Stated weight 22.7kg Frame material Aluminium

Motor Bosch Performance CX Generation 4 mid Battery Bosch Powertube 500 Stated range N/A Gearing Shimano Deore ten-speed

Saddle Natural Fit Sequence

Brakes Shimano BR-MT200

Wheels Cube EX23 Tyres Schwalbe Smart Sam, Active, 29 x 2.35in