Your opinion on this Cube touring please

[Lemans Party]

http://www.tredz.co.uk/.Cube-Delhi-Disc-2011-Hybri...




Specification:

Frame: HPA Trekking Double Butted
Fork: Suntour NCX-D RL Lite
Headset: FSA NO. 10 semi-integrated
Stem: Easton EA30, 25.4mm
Handlebar: Easton EA30 Riser
Grips: CUBE Ergo Lock-On
Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT RD-M771 Top Normal
Front derailleur: Shimano Deore XT FD-M770 Top Swing, 34.9mm
Shifters: Shimano Deore SLX SL-M660 Rapidfire-Plus, 9-Speed
Brakes: Formula RX hydr. Disc Brake (160/160)
Cranks: Shimano SLX FC-M660 Hollowtech II 48x36x26T., 175mm, integrated BB, Chainguard
Cassette: Shimano CS-HG50 11-32T., 9-Speed
Chain: Shimano CN-HG53
Tires: Schwalbe Marathon Supreme Performance
Rims: Alex EN24 Disc
Front hub: Shimano XT FH-M756
Rear hub: Shimano DH-3D72-QR Hub Dynamo
Spokes: DT Swiss Champion 2.0 black
Inner Tube: Schwalbe 22-622
Pedals: Fasten Butterfly Sealed Bearing
Seat: Selle Royal Viper Comfort
Seatpost: RFR Complight 31.6mm
Seatclamp: Scape Varioclose 34.9mm
Front Lamp: Lumotec IQ Cyo T R Senso Plus
Rear Lamp: Busch&Müller Toplicht Linetec Integrated
Mud guard: SKS Bluemels Black Pro
Bell: Humpert
Rear Rack: Racktime TourIt Toplight Linetec Integrated
Weight: 14.5kg

[neilski]

Looks good. Where are you off to?

[yellowjack]

HHHMMMMMMMMM. Not for me chef, I don't know why but it just doesn't appeal.

[Lemans Party]

neilski said:

Looks good. Where are you off to?

Just localish....... but I like the idea of having a practical bike. I don't really want to have a backpack and I would like to combine my photography hobby with cycling, so I thought this would be ideal.
I would probably end up putting mudguards on any hybrid anyway, so I figured i might as well get them with the bike.
I can always remove them in dry periods. I would not want to cycle without mudguards in the wet.
The weight concerns me though, but others have said "don't get hung up on the weight"?
Thanks for the feedback.

The alternative is something like the Cube Tonopah Race as below, and add plastic guards.



Specification:
• Frame: HPA Trekking Double Butted
• Fork: Suntour NCX-E RL Lite
• Headset: FSA Orbit Z semi-integrated
• Stem: Syntace F149 Oversized
• Handlebar: Syntace Duraflite 2014
• Grips: CUBE Ultralight Screw-On-Race-Grip
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT RD-M772 Shadow
• Front Derailleur: Shimano Deore XT FD-M770 Top Swing, 34.9mm
• Shifters: Shimano Deore XT SL-M770 Rapidfire-Plus, 9-Speed
• Brakes: Shimano Deore XT KM7752 hydr. Disc Brake (160/160)
• Cranks: Shimano Deore XT FC-M771 Hollowtech II 48x36x26T., 175mm, integrated BB, Chainguard
• Cassette: Shimano CS-HG50 11-32T., 9-Speed
• Chain: Shimano CN-HG53
• Tires: Schwalbe Racing Ralph Evolution
• Rims: Alex EN24 Disc
• Front hub: Shimano XT HB-M775
• Rear hub: Shimano XT FH-M775
• Spokes: DT Swiss Competition 2.0-1.8-2.0 black
• Inner Tube: Schwalbe Impac AV17
• Rim Tape: Schwalbe 22-622
• Pedals: Fasten Cross UltraLight Sealed Bearing
• Seat: RFR Natural Shape 0.2 M
• Seatpost: RFR Prolight 31.6mm Setback
• Seatclamp: Scape Varioclose 34.9mm
• Weight: 11.2kg

[Jimbo.]

Don't bother with front suspension: 99.9% of the time anything attached to such bikes will be ineffective, heavy tat, so any desires for "comfort" will not be met. Look at any decent touring/road/utility bike, and you'll see none of them have suspension.

[Lemans Party]

Jimbo. said:

Don't bother with front suspension: 99.9% of the time anything attached to such bikes will be ineffective, heavy tat, so any desires for "comfort" will not be met. Look at any decent touring/road/utility bike, and you'll see none of them have suspension.

I went to halfords again today and looked at the Boardman hybrid pro, it looks great, weighs 9.3kg, carbon fork, I am very tempted.

[Parrot of Doom]

I wouldn't bother with flat bars, get something like this instead:

http://www.dawescycles.com/p-20-galaxy.aspx

That's from a manufacturer that has long been in the business of building touring bikes.

[Lemans Party]

Parrot of Doom said:

I wouldn't bother with flat bars, get something like this instead:

http://www.dawescycles.com/p-20-galaxy.aspx

That's from a manufacturer that has long been in the business of building touring bikes.

I prefer a more upright riding position though. I'm not interested in speed, I'd rather see the countryside!

[Jimbo.]

Drop bars can be as upright as flat bars: ride along on the tops, or when you think you'll need the brakes, the hoods.

[Parrot of Doom]

Lemans Party said:

I prefer a more upright riding position though. I'm not interested in speed, I'd rather see the countryside!

There's no difference - on the drop bars you ride with your hands either side of the stem, or on the brakes. They're still the same height.

I'd bet money that the Dawes will be significantly more comfortable for touring.

[neilski]

Lemans Party said:

I prefer a more upright riding position though. I'm not interested in speed, I'd rather see the countryside!

I suppose it's down to each individual manufacturer but a lot of drop bar bikes have a slightly shorter top tube than flat bar bikes to allow you to reach the drops so you'll still have the upright riding position you're after but with the added benefit of the extra hand positions you get from the drops.

For the price of the first bike you posted above, I'd consider getting something built up to your own spec from the likes of Thorn, Hewitt, Mercian, Condor etc. rather than sticking to an off the peg model. I had this Heritage built up by Condor in 2009 and so far it's taken me on two two week tours through France including some high passes in the Pyrenees on one trip and carrying camping kit on another without skipping a beat.

[HundredthIdiot]

There's some quality kit on that Cube Delhi. I like the dynamo hub and lights, have just ordered some for my new build.

I would prefer mechanical discs to hydraulic for road use, and the front suspension is pointless.

OTOH, I like drop bar tourers, but they are heavy and expensive. If you don't need to be carrying big loads then I'm not sure the expense and lazy handling is worth it. Lots of people do light touring on normal road bikes.

[anonymous-user]

Lemans Party said:

I went to halfords again today and looked at the Boardman hybrid pro, it looks great, weighs 9.3kg, carbon fork, I am very tempted.

I've got one of those, It's a great bike. I wasn't sure about getting rigid forks for light off road stuff but I don't miss the front suspension on bridle paths and tracks at all. x 28 tyres are fine for roughish surfaces and great on road.

[Mars]

I have been in two minds about front sus. I have come around to the idea that given the nature of my cycling, which is generally slow and "savoured", a front sus would suit me better. When I bought my bike last year I chose a rigid frame/fork because it is undoubtedly more efficient for covering ground, and at that time I was so unfit I needed all the help I could get. But since then I've had a growing appreciation for front sus. If I could find someone to sell a suitable air-sprung fork for 700c wheels and disc-only brakes, I would probably go for it. I would retain my thinnish wheels and tyres too. It's not always about the road-buzz but the poor surfaces that I occasionally crash over that makes front sus so appealing.

The thing with wanting a bike "for all seasons/for all reasons" is that such a thing doesn't exist. The whole PH ethos of having N+1 bikes resonates with me. I'd love to keep my hybrid but add a number of other bikes to my stable too. Finances and storage space conspire against me on that though.

[Mars]

HundredthIdiot said:

I would prefer mechanical discs to hydraulic for road use

Ooh, that piqued my interest. Why would you?

[HundredthIdiot]

Mars said:

oh, that piqued my interest. Why would you?

Firstly, because I prefer drop bars, and there are not really any good solutions for running integrated shifters with hydraulic discs (although there are several bodge solutions nearly production-ready).

Secondly, because mechanical discs are simpler to set up and (apparently) good enough.

I'm currently building a drop-bar bike with disc brakes, Alfine hub with 11sp Versa shifters, dynamo front hub, 29er rims, mudguards, 40mm slicks. Will be interesting to see how it turns out.

More on-topic I saw a Cube Hyde in a shop last weekend. Very nice piece of kit: hub gears, EBB, internal cable routing.

[louiebaby]

Mars said:

HundredthIdiot said:

I would prefer mechanical discs to hydraulic for road use

Ooh, that piqued my interest. Why would you?

Indeed. I'm not saying you're wrong, I'm just interested why...

[Mars]

HundredthIdiot said:

Secondly, because mechanical discs are simpler to set up and (apparently) good enough.

Everything you say about using them with dropped bars makes sense but setting up hydraulics with flat bars is no more complex than mechanicals... it does require a different set of tools but once you're familiar with them, they're easy.

On a road-biased machine, they also need next to no servicing. I say "next to" because I'm sure someone believes they will need servicing but mine haven't needed looking at once in the past year/1500 miles (although in common with mechanical discs I ought to have a look at the pads to see how they're wearing I suppose).

Lastly, I know it's silly but the feeling you get when using hydraulic discs is one of those little guilty pleasures. A good brake lever with bronze bushes has absolutely no resistance when you pull on them and this is the feeling you get with hydraulics, right up until the pad touches the disc, at which point the lever just stops moving. After that it's all about pressure modulation rather than any more movement (as such). As I write this, I acknowledge how ridiculous this may read but I get such great pleasure out of them.

There - my soul bared for all to see.

[HundredthIdiot]

You're probably right, I just don't trust stuff that I don't understand.

FWIW, I was warned off discs for proper round-the-world touring as parts can be very difficult to get in places like India. The same experienced tourer was against 700c wheels on the same basis.

[Mars]

HundredthIdiot said:

You're probably right, I just don't trust stuff that I don't understand.

I love this. It's one of those Discworld comments.

HundredthIdiot said:

FWIW, I was warned off discs for proper round-the-world touring as parts can be very difficult to get in places like India. The same experienced tourer was against 700c wheels on the same basis.

It's all about balancing risk against your preparations I suppose. Ultimately, if you're bike is stolen your touring is over. Every other "loss" should be able to be mitigated by carrying spares, noting where spares might be obtained en route, etc...

I have toured all over Europe and Scandinavia in a car (Caterham) whose parts would have been impossible to obtain anywhere outside of the UK, and then many would have carried a lead-time. We took spares that were known to be easily replaceable and carry, and ramped up our support over the course of a few years to include a reasonably-well-stocked truck. In the end we managed to attend to "head off" incidences during the tour, something that as a group of mates and amateurs (none of whom work with cars normally - most are in IT) we were quite proud of.

Cycling alone presents different challenges though. On one hand you have a simpler machine but on the other you are less able to carry spares and... you are alone. Challenges seem much bigger to me when I'm the only one sitting by my broken machine wondering what to do next. Having a partner on tour helps you, even if it is to only bounce ideas off and for general "there there" reassurance.