Love it or hate it - Cube is laying it on thick with the extroverted design of the AMS HPC. Everyone can see that you are riding the top model and have paid around 5000 euros. Cube even matches the Formula brakes, the Fulcrum wheels, the Syntace parts and the Schwalbe tyres to its design. Magura supplies the fork with a 1.125/1.5-inch head tube and special fork crown, which also matches the look of the bike, resulting in a nice form-fit with the frame. The chassis weight is in the mid-range, the frame has nice details such as a closed cable routing under the top tube and a plate to prevent chain jamming; and the AMS is the only bike in this test group to have two bottle cage positions in the main frame - great for marathons. The bike scores a lot of points in the table: thanks to the stiff frame, the well thought-out spec and the optimal choice of tyres for the course. Both pros set a very good time on the circuit, the suspension is well suited for really sporty use. Karl Platt didn't find the AMS HPC agile enough, whereas Wolfram praised its smoothness and set his fastest time in the downhill and uphill sectors.
CONCLUSIONS: An all-round successful race bike, fast and perfectly equipped. In terms of the overall criteria, it only just missed out on the test victory.
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