This is the first time a shock with a piggyback reservoir has been fitted into the Cube Hybrid frame set and it’s likely that it’ll need it. The hammering that the bike is likely to endure given its attacking geometry means no holding back. The unstoppable Fox 36 Factory takes care of matters up front with a Float X with Evol chamber and Kashima coating out back. We were interested to see how the standard width fork shapes up to other Boost built e-mtb’s and the performance of the rear damper. It’s true we do prefer the Boost sizing on forks but the 36 was nevertheless hard to fault with its supportive damping and control. The rear damper was not a match for the fork, something we have experienced with Cube bikes in the past and it really needs a more substantial tune here. An improvement on the 2017 model?

‘The Cube can be worked hard into tough terrain, the bike driving confidence up with every turn’

Rolling on a 148x12mm Boost rear wheel, Super Gravity Hans Dampf tyres from Schwalbe, the Cube uses a DT CSW EM wheelset with 28 spokes which raised an eyebrow or two, weighing in at the lighter end of the scale. We’re real fans of the Magura MT7 brakes and the bike comes with a 200/180mm disc set up. Gearing is 15T up front with 11-42T at the rear. Overall it’s all about lightweight, fast speed.

The super grippy Schwalbe tyres offer an instant advantage over the weak rubber fitted to some e-mtb’s. The Cube can be worked hard into tough terrain, the bike driving confidence up with every turn. You soon recognise that the weight and grip combination gives bucket loads of traction and support. The geometry makes for excellent handling and steering characteristics too.