LUKE’S CUBE STEREO 170 29 RACE £3,499

After a year on the Stereo, did it crank up Luke’s fun-o-meter?

When the Stereo 170 arrived last year, I felt comfortable on it immediately. The geometry was sorted, and the spec was as impressive (for the price) as its ride character. During the year, the price rose by £500, which is frustrating, though understandable, and didn’t detract from the enjoyment I got from the Cube.

Most of my riding is around the UK’s South West, where, if I’m completely honest, I don’t need 170mm of travel. Still, personally, I feel that if the seated position promotes efficient pedalling, you can firm up the shock on the climbs and the weight isn’t too excessive compared to a trail bike, then why not enjoy the fun and additional confidence that extra travel delivers on the descents? While the Stereo 170 is a bit portly, it ticks those boxes. Plus, most of my rides are winch-andplummet affairs, where I’m chasing runs rather than kilometres – and that’s where the Cube shines.

This was most evident when

I took it to Morzine in the French Alps for two weeks this summer. Surprisingly, the closest I came to a bike park or flow trail for two weeks was the Le Pleney mainline. Other than that, every day, we were riding steep, technical off-piste trails, and the Cube handled it all brilliantly. It felt perfectly in its element, letting me finish every ride with a huge smile.

Still, it’s not perfect. I’d like to see it lose a little bottom bracket height to help it hunker down in the turns even more, and a bit more seatstay clearance would mean you could run a wider tyre than 2.4in. So, would I recommend this bike? Without a doubt. When it was summoned back to Cube HQ, I was pretty disappointed. It has been superseded by a new model, though – the 2022 Stereo One77, with small updates to the geometry and suspension. Given how good the 170 was, I’m dead keen to swing a leg over it! www.cube.eu