The BIKE editorial team’s gravel bikes, Part 2: Maik’s Cube Nuroad Pro – ready for any adventure

Gravel biking is all about freedom. Above all, freedom when it comes to choosing where to ride. Whether it’s a road, a track or gravel – with a gravel bike, I can ride anywhere and am always lightning fast, safe and comfortable on the go. It’s great fun!

My Cube Nuroad Pro I’ve had it for about 2½ years and am still fairly new to the gravel bike scene. At first, very few of my friends had a bike like this, but a few more have joined the ranks since then and we can go on rides together. You could say that many have jumped on the bandwagon. Or perhaps: what many would call a ‘quarter-life crisis’ is, for me, simply the joy of trying something new.

When it comes to choosing which bike to ride, I always talk about my ‘normal’ bike and my gravel bike. That’s because ‘normal’ cycling is rather boring in comparison. So I wanted a gravel bike too, one that would let me ride fast and sportily wherever I go. As a beginner, I wanted a sturdy, low-maintenance bike. And that’s exactly what I’ve found in the Cube Nuroad Pro.

It was the clean design in particular that won me over; it makes a ride twice as much fun – you could say your eyes follow the bike as it goes. What’s more, the Nuroad offers a top-class all-round package combining solid technology and well-balanced handling at an affordable price of just over 1,000 euros.

​Conclusion

With my gravel bike, I can ride just about anywhere. I use my Cube Nuroad actively for sport and really enjoy going on rides with it. Preferably at a good pace. - Maik Schröder, BIKE editor

Maik’s Cube Nuroad Pro in detail

• Area of application: Tarmac / Gravel
• Frame/fork material: Aluminium / Carbon
• Frame size: L
• Tyre width: 40 mm
• Weight: 10.4 kg (BIKE measurement)

Facilities

• Rear derailleur: Shimano GRX (2 x 10)
• Brakes: TRP Spyre MD-C610C
• Wheels: CUBE GR 2.3 Disc
• Tyres: Schwalbe G-One Allround 40-622
• Handlebars / Stem: CUBE Gravel Race Bar / CUBE Performance Stem SLX, 31.8 mm
• Saddle: SQlab 611 Infinergy Ergowave 2.1
• Seat post: CUBE Performance Seatpost, 27.2 mm

The driver

• Name / Age: Maik Schröder / 28
• Dimensions / Weight: 182 cm / 81 kg
• Occupation: BIKE Online Editor
• Place of residence: East Westphalia

How I use my gravel bike

Even though, in theory, I can ride my gravel bike on any kind of terrain, here in the flat countryside of East Westphalia I mainly ride on roads – or rather, on tarmac roads. I love being able to cover proper distances and ride at speed. The advantage of the gravel bike is that if I happen to come across a gravel section through the woods, I’m prepared and don’t have to change my plans, as I would have to with a pure-bred road bike.

Over the past two years, I’ve been cycling from home on my gravel bike to the BIKE Festival in Willingen I went for a cycle. There were some rougher gravel sections too. Those are fun as well. Because, after all, you want to get out into nature on your bike, away from the roads. In future, I’d like to take my gravel bike on holiday with me and explore new areas – whatever the terrain.

The question of the correct tyre width

Does narrower mean faster? Not necessarily. When I bought the bike, I didn’t give much thought at first to which tyres came fitted as standard and what their pros and cons were. The 40 mm-wide Schwalbe G-One Allround proved right from the start to be a solid all-rounder, offering both speed and the necessary comfort on any surface.

As I spend a lot of time out on the road, I did at one point consider trying out narrower tyres, but then decided against it – because a gravel bike is meant to be suitable not only for the racecourse but also for gravel tracks off the beaten track.

​Although the G-One All-round Whilst it was developed specifically for gravel, the fine, even tread pattern of the narrow versions is more at home on roads and light gravel, and it offers a very smooth ride. So it’s just right for me.

​New parts on my gravel bike

Admittedly, compared to the Aristos Trail Gravel falconry ride by my colleague Jan Timmermann There’s still quite a lot of off-the-shelf kit on my Cube Nuroad Pro. I have, however, already fitted or modified a few parts.

The standard saddle had to be SQlab 611 Infinergy Ergowave 2.1 soft. The saddle pad is placed on the SQlab ClipOn system (reviewed here in BIKE magazine) designed in such a way that a single saddle shell can be used for all seat bone widths, and the saddle pad can be changed depending on the intended use and the rider.

Once SQlab had measured the width of my sit bones and I’d tested the corresponding pad on my bike, I was immediately convinced. Even on short, impromptu rides without cycling shorts, the saddle is comfortable – not too hard and not too soft.

After buying my Cube, I rode with flat pedals for quite a long time. For a shoe review of the Cube Peak Pro I then fitted Tatze clipless pedals. Clipless shoes are rather brilliant and really come into their own on long rides. However, they aren’t really necessary for short rides to the lake or through the villages, so I’m quite happy to be able to cycle in ‘normal’ shoes as well. The Tatze Two Face 2 Titanium Combination Pedal It’s actually a mountain bike pedal, but the large platform with its non-slip pins on the flat side is simply handy for commuting or when riding without clipless pedals.

A GPS bike computer is the perfect navigation aid for tours and rides into unfamiliar territory. Mine Wahoo Elemnt Bolt 3 I’ve fitted it to the handlebars using an out-front mount, which also has a GoPro mount. The front headlight can be fitted here. However, this only works with headlights that also have a GoPro mount. The result? A sleek solution and a tidy cockpit.

Personalised “design”

After I went on holiday to the US two years ago, I started sticking stickers onto the top tube as holiday souvenirs. Over time, a few more were added and now I can’t imagine my bike without them. A bit of personalisation is cool, but there shouldn’t be too many. The BIKE logo in green and some ‘Cube’ lettering still stand out on the front of the head tube.

It’s the little things...

The best – and also the smallest – bit of kit I’ve fitted to my gravel bike is the bell. It wasn’t at all easy to find a screw-on bell that would fit the road bike handlebars, which are thicker than those on a hybrid bike. But I’ve taken a real shine to the 7-euro solution from Amazon. It’s so loud that even from a long way off, people at a junction with poor visibility stop as a precaution, just as they would at a level crossing. But seriously: you can’t do without one. Firstly, because otherwise you’d have to keep pointing it out, and secondly, because my freewheel isn’t loud enough.

What do you think: what does your ideal gravel bike look like? And how and where do you most enjoy riding? Let us know in the comments!