Thinking about a new bike to replace the current steed and these look like great value.

Not having too much storage space at home then this will have to be my only bike so it really needs to do everything fairly well – from big mountain routes (e.g. Snowdon descents), cross country in the Peak District & the Lakes (including being okay for the climbing parts of these routes) and the odd trail centre thrown in for good measure.

Going to ride one next week but what does anyone else think? Is there a better all round bike out there I should be considering?

Have a word with the guys @ 1250

They are only in Frodsham and give good advice, they love the Stereo they do!

I however am the proud owner of a 2011 team, which is the first expensive bike I have ever had. i use it therefore for everything! because I have to, i regularly use it for 30 mile xc runs – not as quick as the xc wippets but hey, and also use it for jumps and drops at trail centres.

Some of the mickey mouse MTB mags swing with their reviews 3/5 one month and then 9/10 on the long term review.

Dirt however have had this bike in the Dirt 100 for 2 – 3 years.

If you want a capeable, slack fun bike – try it you might like it.

Lee

Spent a fair bit of time trying to keep up with the twelve50 boyos on their Stereo’s. They do pretty much everything on them. Trail centers, Snowdon/Lakes big stuff, Peaks & Cheshire XC and racing (and winning) DH and Enduro races. I would give them a call if you are based in the North West, I think they have a demo day coming up soon aswell?

The thing that would worry me about them there Cubes is the Seat Tube angle. As with Lappierres and the like, if you’re tall with long legs you’ll never get the saddle in the correct position.

If you’re short to medium you’ll be fine.

Had my stereo nearly 12 months now and can’t fault it. I’ve changed the stem to a 70mm which i found to be a vital upgrade and a longer handle bar. it takes a while for the pivots to loosen up and it takes a while to get the shock pressure on its sweet spot. i had a 2005 orange 5 previously and wanted a new bike, nearly paid the extra to upgrade to a new 5 but took a gamble on the cube and glad i did.

Its worth getting the shock guard aswell its kept the cannock grinding paste away front the shaft of the shock so its worth every penny even if it does cost 40quid

Btw im 6ft 1″ and i would say my cube fits me better than the orange 5 at 18″ i had. I’ve got my stereo in large. i always found the 5 to be a little bit short on the top tube and my new cube to be longer which suits me better

jambon- Member
The thing that would worry me about them there Cubes is the Seat Tube angle. As with Lappierres and the like, if you’re tall with long legs you’ll never get the saddle in the correct position.

That’s daft. Even if you had 400mm of seatpost showing, a three and a half degree change in seat angle will still only move the saddle an inch.

I did have this issue though with the rear axle see here
x12 axle

But its all sorted now

jamesy, I presume you bought a DT or Syntace???

Cheers all, some good info here. Jamesy – so you’d rate the Stereo above the Orange 5? That’s the other bike I was considering.

Interesting that some of the magazine reviews give the Stereo 3/5 (pretty poor) and others give it 9/10 (darn good).

I still haven’t brought a new axle lol. the red loctite has held and I’ve been keeping the quick release in my bag for when i need to get the wheel off. ill get a new one at some point.

Don’t get me wrong the 5 is a great bike but it came to a point where i either needed to spend a fair bit of cash on it or buy a new bike. The cubes are great value and the new 5 i was looking at was £600 more and not as good spec as the cube. Ride wise i can’t fault the cube it flies down hills is more stable down hills than the 5 and just loves to be ridden hard. its not a bad climber either and can easily be ridden all day. The 5 was a little more playful than the cube but then again not so stable when things get tricky. The cube climbs better than the 5 aswell. save the cash and get the cube use the change for a nice holiday 🙂

The only issue I’ve found with mine is the suspension seems a bit too active sometimes for my liking. So, I struggle a bit when trying to use the terrain for pumping and popping, it just seems to soak my input up. A more skilled rider probably wouldn’t have any issues on that score. Also I haven’t played much with the settings on the shock beyond setting the psi.

I had to adapt my style of riding as you say it can soak a lot of your input up which is unlike my old orange 5
. once use to it just choose your line and let the bike do the work .

Have you still got yours B.Anaa ?

Have you still got yours B.Anaa ?

Yes, but the last time it was used was in the Pyrenees in Sept. Any riding I’ve done this winter has been a blast around the local moors, so not bothered with the big bouncy bike. I also struggle to keep up, so me lightweight carbon 456 has been used mostly.

Been curious to know exactly what the suspension action on these bikes are like. On paper they look like they will suit the “over biked”, “plush” seeking rider very well. By this type of of rider, I mean the ones that just ride XC/trail centre terrain, wheels never leave the ground, seated 99% of the time, seeking for more confidence on the rougher stuff, a rough terrain enabler as it were. I’m not trolling or trying to be offensive or derogatory, just using the terms that crop here that are most fitting to describe what i’m trying to describe.

On paper, the leverage rate is regressive, meaning the rear wheel gains mechanical advantage over the shock as the rear wheel moves through its travel. This will give the suspension an active feel that attains full travel easily. This allows all 140mm of travel to be used without too much thrashing. i would say it would use its travel inefficiently.

The suspension action won’t be good for thrashing IMO. The bike is also comparatively heavy too, no doubt strong, but the strength won’t be taken advantage of. Considering the market for this bike will be efficiency biased, i don’t think it’s a good bike for the buying market.

I don’t see this bike in the same market as a five/zesty/stumpy/many other good 140mm bikes, it is more likely to better for the buyer that should be looking/riding cambers/ST4/fuel ex/many more good 120mm bikes, but is too heavy and inefficient compared to these bikes. I just see them as odd bikes that aren’t really good for any particular purpose. The same goes as a fritzz too.

B.A.Nana – looks like what you experienced confirms slightly what i have been suspecting.

However, you do get a lot of bike for your money.

Disagree there deabfbm what you describe does not relate to my experience in the real world and not what it looks like on paper… the bike can take a thrasing just like my old 5 could but it just rides differently but My cube weight is roughly the same as the 5 i had, sure important sure some are lighter but the stereo isn’t a light weight machine in the first place.

Just because its cheaper doesn’t mean it’s not as good cube have been around for years. all imo of course but if my stereo broke i would have another one in a snap

deanfbm:

I’m not trolling or trying to be offensive or derogatory

You sure? 😀

Have you tried one? because it does not sound like it.

Interestingly, two of the fastest riders I know ride Stereos, so y’know…