Review: 2018 Cube Reaction TM – a ready to roll package

Cube has a reputation for well priced bikes – you get a decent amount of bike for your money.

It’s a brand you’ll find in many a local bike shop, and as a result you’ll probably see a decent number of them out on the trail. However, I can’t help but feel there’s a certain amount of bike snobbery going on – buying a Cube is often a head-led decision: good components for your money, it’s a rational choice. But you don’t see too many people listing a Cube on their fantasy bike lists – somehow the marketing of other brands sees people dreaming of bikes that often come at a higher price but with a lower spec.

Coming from the all bling Whyte 909 at the start of the year (and to my mind Whyte has just about crossed the marketing line onto dream lists, with its ‘British mud-friendly’ shtick) I confess I too was feeling just a little bit ho-hum about climbing aboard this hardtail from Cube. But marketing is just marketing, and the truth is in the ride, which it would turn out was…well…read on and find out.

The Bike

This Cube Reaction TM came with 27.5in wheels, plump 2.6in Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres and a 130mm Fox 34 Rhythm fork – setting it into the trail hardtail bracket, the kind of thing that suits a lot of us British riders. Magura MT Trail brakes keep things safe, and a Shimano XT 1×11 drivetrain keeps things moving.

The overall build speaks to a bike that will tackle some pretty chunky trails if the rider aboard is prepared to get a bit lively. For those whom a trail centre red line is about as much as they’ll ever want to tackle, it’s a forgiving option without going for the full send (and full maintenance, and full ker-ching) of a full suspension bike.

We’re reviewing the 2018 model here, and for 2019 there are some changes to the range which potential buyers should be alert to. The Reaction TM will be at the lower price point of £999, while the bike at the same price point as we’re reviewing here will be known as the Reaction TM Race and come with Kenda tyres, SRAM NX Eagle, and a KS Lev dropper.

Angles are not so radical as the Whyte 909 and other ‘hardcore hardtails’, but the frame is neat and tidy looking with internal routing, smooth lines and even a sensible grey finish – it looks like a fairly classy bike rather than one splashed with colour designed to draw the eye in a bike shop. 

The Ride

 

Since the Whyte 909 had left me feeling pretty god-like, I was prepared to have a crisis of confidence getting onto the Cube Reaction – especially as I uncharacteristically set off on a set of clip-in pedals having mislaid my flats.

Pedalling up hill, I quickly realised that the Reaction might just be better suited for big pedalling than the 909 – that slightly steeper 67° head angle is really noticeable as you winch upwards, with a much more direct feel to the steering and less of that slight wandery-ness that can require a bit more concentration on tricky climbs.

Having comfortably skipped to the top of the hill it was time to go down – perhaps here I’d find myself struggling more? In short, no.

In fact, I was sufficiently confident that I tackled some trails clipped in, at speed, that I’d definitely usually only aim to ride in flats. Perhaps the dry summer helped, but I didn’t just make it down these trails – I enjoyed them. Clipped in, hitting (yes, hitting – not just bimbling along) lines that I’ve previously thought twice about, it was a real confidence boost and gave me a definite moment of feeling ‘I’ve progressed!’

Now yes, my riding might have got better, but the bike was definitely helping. While seemingly not as forgiving as the Whyte 909 – I’d say you do need to pick a line a bit more – the decent spec and chunky proportions certainly took the chatter out of my ride, with no noodle-i-ness to provide disconcerting moments of ‘eek!’.

It does have a fairly planted feel, but that’s probably a trade off that potential buyers of this bike won’t mind – it doesn’t really have the angles for huge hucks and tricks, and those large tyres are perhaps a little disconcertingly flexible for hard landings. For more rolling along style riding though, you can roll pretty hard and be forgiven.

The exception to this is in the wet – especially on mud and natural trails. Then the tyres don’t offer much by way of grip and things start getting pretty slip-slidey – I’d be looking for something knobblier to keep riding away from the trail centre through winter.

As well as hoofing round local trails, I took the Reaction on a more sedate ride with some luggage through the rolling hills of the North Downs. Here I discovered that the frame is fairly compact – none of my frame packs would fit inside the main triangle – though I did manage to strap plenty of my belongings to the frame with various velcro straps, and accommodate a saddle bag (though it meant I couldn’t use the dropper) and bar bag.

It’s not ideal, but it’s doable, and if you’re planning a short bike packing style adventure away from the trail centre, you could certainly manage that on this bike.

Aside from the saddle (too narrow for my tush) I found the bike really comfortable to pedal for plenty of miles. Even with my worldly belongings strapped to it and me, the bike still felt stable and I never felt precarious. I put that down to the fairly neutral ride position – it’s not modern-trend long and stretched out, but it’s also not Euro-style XC short – combined with the large surface area of those tyres and fairly low (on me anyway) standover.

Durability Notes

The only issue I have with the component spec is the dropper – a Cube branded component with collar that needed repeated tightening to stop the saddle waggling. The actuator is a nice thumb friendly shape, but it worked its way loose on the handlebars and the bolt to hold it in place seemed to be made of some sort of hand mouldable metal. Multitools were not its friend, and combined with a stiff cable I had a number of rides (including the final photoshoot) where I couldn’t use the dropper at all. In addition, the lever was too short to quite reach from the far side of the brake levers, but too long to be positioned inside – a matchmaker set up would sort this.

However, dropper issues may well be at least partially resolved in the 2019 update, where the dropper is being swapped to a KS dropper with Southpaw lever on the Race and Pro models. Maybe if it was my bike and I had a set of grips to hand I’d swap them too, but meh, they weren’t so bad – I’d probably wait for them to wear out before going to the bother of buying some new ones specially.

I’ve ridden this bike pretty hard from time to time, perhaps harder than the average customer buying this bike might be expected to  ride it. I’ve eventually had to put a tube in the front tyre, as – weirdly – the wheel stopped holding air, leaking sealant out through a single nipple. I can only assume some quirk of wear has caused the tubeless tape to fail in one small isolated spot, but it’s small enough that I haven’t been able to isolate and identify it. Re-taping the rim would likely seal everything back up again.

Three Things We’d Change

1. The saddle. I didn’t like its narrowness – you might.
2. The dropper  – especially the lever. Something a little sturdier would be great and more in keeping with the rest of the spec.
3. The tyres – but only if natural trails and mud were the order of the day.

Three Things We Liked

1. Understated looks. You can always add colour accents in grips, bolts, etc if you want.
2. Versatility – you can do a lot more on this bike than you might think.
3. It just works – for many riders, this bike will represent a complete package that is ready to roll without tweaks and upgrades.

Overall

In the wet on natural trails, the tyres become a bit less confidence inspiring, but I think that this bike is best suited to those who generally ride hard at a trail centre, or more long and slow in the countryside. It’ll do both quite happily, and if you push it and yourself it’ll take you through rougher stuff too. For the rider that is looking for a sound option to cover a wide range of riding, you could do a lot worse.

It might not make your dream bike list, but it also doesn’t come with such a hefty price tag – and for the difference in price you could buy yourself an awful lot of skills courses or weekends away. Buy with your head, ride with your heart?

2018 Cube Reaction TM Specifications

• Frame // Aluminium Lite
• Fork // Fox 34 Rhythm, 2-Position Sweep-Adjust GRIP Damper, 130mm
• Hubs // CUBE Alloy Light
• Rims // Rodi Blackjack Typ 35, 32H, Disc
• Tyres // Schwalbe Nobby Nic, Addix Speedgrip, Kevlar, Tubeless Easy, 2.6in
• Chainset // Race Face Aeffect SL 32T, 175mm
• Rear Mech // Shimano XT RD-M8000-DGS
• Shifters // Shimano SLX SL-M7000
• Cassette // Shimano SLX CS-M7000, 11-46T
• Brakes // Magura MT Trail Custom, Hydr. Disc Brake (180/180)
• Stem // Race Face Aeffect R 35
• Bars // Race Face Aeffect 35, 760mm
• Grips // CUBE Race Grip 31mm, 1-Clamp
• Seatpost // CUBE Dropper Post, Handlebar Lever, Internal Cable Routing, 27.2mm, 400x105mm
• Saddle // SDG Fly Mtn 2
• Size Tested // 18in
• Sizes available // 16in, 18in, 20in, 22in
• Actual Weight // 29lb 13oz, 13.4kg
• RRP // £1,599

Review Info

Brand:	Cube
Product:	Reaction TM
From:	Cube
Price:	£1599
Tested:	by Hannah for 5 months

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