That should change next season with the entry-level GX Eagle groupset. However, Cube has already managed to develop its Carbon hardtail Reaction with X01 Eagle at a fair price. As on the Rose, you sit relatively stretched out on the Cube 29er and the saddle rise is limited. Thanks to the longer head tube and the tapered end spacer, the wide cockpit is not too low. The light wheels, the fast Schwalbe tyre combination and the low overall weight ensure fast progress when pedalling hard and on climbs. Only on high-percentage ramps does the Reaction weaken a little: the seat angle should be a little steeper and the 34 mm crankset should have two teeth less. The Cube classic is good-natured and unagitated when it comes to destroying the metres of elevation gained on forest trails and gravel motorways. The Reba fork does a solid and precise job as a softener, but is not as sensitive as a SID or Pike. In the lab, the Cube frame delivers convincing arguments with 1417 grams and a central frame stiffness of 66 N/mm. The carbon chassis is penalised for the wafer-thin foil on the chainstay and the small chainsuck plate. Because when things get really bumpy downhill, the carbon fibre frame quickly develops unsightly flaws. Be careful when choosing the size: The 18-inch frame height of the Reaction GTC Eagle is only available with 27.5-inch wheels.
Stefan Loibl, BIKE test editor: Single drive, tidy cockpit, stiff carbon frame and a total weight of 10.2 kilos: the Waldershof-based company has succeeded with the Cube Reaction GTC Eaglethat marathon riders can also enjoy the benefits of an ambitious race bike without wanting to break into a savings account for new equipment. Small things we would change: shorter stem and 32 mm chainring.
You can read this article or the entire issue of BIKE 9/2017 in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or buy the issue in the DK shop reorder:
