Testing the Cube Stereo 170 TM 29: Race enduro with guaranteed fun

Test / MTB: In 2020, the German market giant Cube is launching the Stereo 170 TM 29, a completely redesigned super enduro, designed for racing - for an affordable 3.599 euros. Anyone who has been following the Enduro World Series closely lately should have already caught the eye of the Long Travel four-bar linkage. There the new bike was put through its paces by the Cube Action team led by manager Claus Wachsmann. The TM version we tested is the Baller Edition of the new Cube Stereo 170 - with steel spring dampers and the corresponding attachments. In the test, we will test the race track suitability of the super enduro on World Cup routes in Switzerland, among other places.

A look at the features of the Cube Stereo 170 TM 29 2020

At 170mm, the successor to the Cube Hanzz was given slightly less spring travel than its predecessor. However, the new Cube Stereo 170 TM 29 aluminum frame scores with a more modern, longer geometry and 29 inch wheels. A colorful mix of Sram, Shimano and e*thirteen components can be found on the completely redesigned Cube Stereo 170 TM aluminum frame. The tested variant with a frame size of 20″ weighed a proud 15,8 kg, among other things due to the steel spring damper. So if you are looking for a lightweight Superenduro, you should the other two trim levels with air suspension take a closer look.

With a flip chip on top and two damper mounts on the bottom, Cube offers the Stereo the choice between kinematics optimized for air or steel spring dampers. The tested TM variant is only available with a coil damper and thus only uses the rear damper mounting. A Rock Shox Super Deluxe Coil damper with a so-called twist-lock function on the handlebar grip was installed in the four-bar rear triangle, which some readers of Gripshift circuits should be familiar with. The twist-lock ensures that the rear triangle is stiff and that there is hardly any seesaw. This function is worth its weight in gold, especially on long climbs or spontaneous intermediate sprints.

Also from Sram comes the 180mm Rock Shox Lyrik with its distinctive glossy red colored immersion tubes, which absolutely convinced us in the test due to their sensitive response. With the Acros headset, the steering angle at which the fork operates can be changed by 0,6° from 64,4° to 65° or vice versa using an angle set. Despite its five different lines, the cockpit looked very neat and tidy. I personally liked the e*thirteen handlebar/stem combo very much because of the 800mm wide handlebars and the 40mm stem, as this conveys a very direct handling.

The geometry of the Cube Stereo 170

The brake levers allowed the enormous braking power of the XT BR-M8120 to be dosed perfectly and the ergonomics left nothing to be desired. The Shimano four-piston brakes were particularly impressive due to their snap and pinpoint accuracy. When choosing the brake discs, the Waldershofers hit the mark with 203mm at the front and 180mm at the rear. Even at 400 meters of descent in one go, there was little or no fading to be seen and the e*thirteen wheelset always came to a safe stop. The in-house dropper post worked perfectly and didn't let me down once, which can occasionally be a problem with other manufacturers. With the Shimano SLX trigger on the Deore XT groupset, the gears could be shifted precisely and thanks to the e*thirteen chain guide I had no problems with the gears.

First driving impression on the Cube Stereo 170 TM 29 2020

The test went to beautiful Graubünden, to the Lenzerheide Bike Park, which offered everything a MTB heart could wish for, from typical park routes to natural single trails and a World Cup downhill route. The Cube Stereo had to face every challenge it faced in this impressive setting. Arriving at the bike park, I immediately went to the lift on the Rothornbahn, which took me to the Scharmoin middle station, which offered me an indescribable view of Switzerland and its mountains.

On my first descent down the flow line, I felt at home on the Cube Stereo 170 TM 29 after a very short period of getting used to it. When entering the trail, I immediately felt how central and aggressive you are on the Cube. Already on the first flowy downhill meters, the Stereo could be circled extremely directly and precisely through the trail and showed directly how playful a modern Superenduro can feel. I didn't feel restricted in terms of maneuverability by the 29-inch tires either. The big wheels rolled happily over everything that got in their way and, in combination with the super creamy chassis, ironed out every obstacle without any problems. The Stereo 29 ​​TM only felt a little on slow, blocked sections of the trail unruly and lost some of its rolling ability.

Further down the valley, as the jumps got bigger and the drops got bigger, I was more than blown away by the stereo. Absolutely stable in the air and super easy to handle, even though the 20″ frame has a wheelbase of 1244mm. It's great that the engineers from the Upper Palatinate have managed to give a race bike a playful character and turn it into a fast fun machine. In order to test its suitability for racing, we went to the straightline downhill track, which also serves as a venue for world cups and world championships in downhill sports.

To get straight to the point: This highly demanding course, which was peppered with key points, really demanded everything from the Stereo 170. The shock bottomed out a few times here – but that was also due to the slightly too soft spring on our test bike; the 350lbs were simply not enough for my 80kg and a distance of this caliber. Nevertheless, the bike was able to convince here as well and brought me down quickly, safely and with a big grin on my face. I always had a lot of traction, even on loose ground or on sloping terrain, which definitely speaks for the chassis and tire choice.

In the Lenzerheide Bike Park, the Cube Stereo 170 TM 29 did great and there were hardly any weaknesses to be found on the "light freerider". But back in the Bavarian Forest, which has no bike lifts, the Cube also had to face a few climbs and prove that it can still be pedaled effectively despite its 15,8 kilos. This is an important factor, especially for enduro racing, because what use are the best downhill properties if you are already running low at the start of the trail.

However, it became apparent quite early on that the Cube cannot magic away the kilos, but can still be transported stoically and surprisingly quickly up the mountain. During extended after-work laps, I always found the seating position to be very comfortable and still quite efficient. Technical sections mastered the stereo in the usual 29-inch manner absolutely unimpressed. It climbed well on steep sections and the front wheel never lost contact with the ground.