In the Cube catalogue, the Fritzz is only referred to as a long-travel all-mountain, although the solid aluminium frame from the oil crusher has plenty of suspension travel and a smooth 66.3 degree head angle. The wide 700 mm handlebars and the robust equipment also speak Enduro language. And how does it ride?
The riding position of the Fritzz is centred and upright, but not too squat thanks to the 90 mm stem. The bottom bracket sits very low for the suspension travel. Thanks to the reasonable weight of 14.35 kilos, nothing stands in the way of long tours. The drive-neutral rear triangle remains extremely smooth and guarantees good propulsion. However, the response behaviour could be better and even with the rebound fully open, the rear suspension rebounds too slowly for a 70-kilo rider setup. A much bigger shortcoming, especially on rougher terrain, is the overly flat characteristic curve with little bottoming out protection. Despite a shock with a smaller volume, which was replaced after consultation with Cube, the rear end bounces easily through the travel even at a low 20 per cent sag and binds.
Conclusionsolid equipment, good geometry and fully suitable for touring. However, the rear suspension is not fully convincing.
Web: www.cube.eu
*The BIKE judgement is independent of price. BIKE judgements: super, very good, good, satisfactory, with weaknesses, unsatisfactory
Photos: Stefan Hunziger, Daniel Simon
