Still on the bikes for under £500 series, the Cube Analogue fits the bill perfectly and offers a great ride in the bargain thanks to Its high quality aluminium frame, balanced handling and reliable components. Value for money is assured with Cube who have spent a lot of time and money getting things right so that the rider benefits.
The Analogue is perfect for trail fun and comes in 27.5″ or 29er versions. you’re assured of a good fit thanks to the Cube Size Split System. (Size Split: 27.5″: Frame 14 “, 16″, 18 ” 29er: Frame 17″, 19 “, 21”, 23 “). This is a great system and offers riders of all sizes choice and handling suited to them. It weighs in at 14.1 KG or 31 lbs.
Each one is ergonomically tailored to offer a responsive, comfortable ride thanks to Cube’s Agile Ride Geometry. The complex-profile top and down tubes – shaped using their proprietary Mechanical Forming process – form a strong, light and safe backbone around which the engineering team has built a light, nimble frame that’ll stay the course. There’s a smooth RockShox suspension fork with 100mm of travel to keep the front wheel tracking straight and true even on rough trails. Shimano hydraulic disc brakes help keep you in control, and Sram’s wide-ranging and slick-shifting 1×12 gears help manage any climb. It’s a great starter to explore as far off-road as you choose.
Trail Test
You are not going to win any world championships on this MTB but it does offer a great ride.
If you don’t mind the slightly heavier handling and the extra rotating weight of the 29er, you will be rewarded with decent stability and, added to that, front fork suspension limitations are nicely masked. It has a remote lockout and external rebound control. It’s smooth and well damped. It helps to keep the front end under control on most bumps, although it struggles on long, rough sections of trail.
With its narrow bars, long stem and a short, upright riding position, handling can be a challenge on fast cornering or, if you need to make a quick change of direction. You can offset this with the decent set of Shimano brakes that reliably slow or stop you when necessary.
At 14.1 KG / 31 lbs, it’s not the lightest bike out there so feels a little weighty on steep climbs.
Frame Safe System
To protect CUBE’s high-end aluminium frames from damage, CUBE built them with their Frame Safe System replaceable derailleur hanger. The mounting thread is in the hanger, not the frame. Thanks to this system, the hanger can be easily and quickly replaced if necessary.
Integrated Cable Routing
Internally routed cables are protected from dirt for longer life, weight is saved thanks to the absence of external housing and the bike has a clean, sleek appearance.
Geometries
The diagram shows the 18″ frame geometries. If you would like to know other frame size geometries, visit the Cube Website and click the frame size below the image on the right of the page.
Verdict
you’re looking for an under 500 bike the CUBE Analogue is worth checking out. It’s well-designed and will provide great value for money. It’s loaded with great kit too (see the table below).
The Schwalbe Smart Sam tyres are reasonable all-round tires priced at the lower end of the market. You could accept these and give them a go or, talk nicely to the sales people and see if they will swap them for a set of your choosing.
You can check out prices and options by clicking on the image below. Please know that if you make any purchases I will receive a small commission but the price you see advertised will not be affected.
Questions and Comments
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Just Ride Hard, Ride Fair, Nobody Hurt
| Make | Model |
| CUBE | Analogue |
| Type of Bike | Price Range |
| Hardtail | Under 500 |
| Frame | Aluminium Lite, AMF, Internal Cable Routing, Easy Mount Kickstand Ready |
| Fork | RockShox XC 30 TK Coil, 100mm Travel, Remote Lockout |
| Stem | Cube Performance Stem, 31.8mm |
| Handlebars | Cube Rise Trail Bar, 680mm
Grips: Cube Performance Grip |
| Brakes | Shimano BR-MT200, Hydraulic. Disc Brake (160/160) |
| Gears | Front Derailleur: Shimano FD-M4000, Downswing, 31.8mm Clamp
Rear Derailleur: Shimano XT RD-M772, Shadow, 9-Speed Shifters: Shimano SL-M2000, Rapidfire-Plus |
| Crankset, Chain & Cassette | Crankset: Shimano FC-M2000, 40x30x22T, 175mm
Chain: Shimano CN-HG53 Cassette: Shimano CS-HG400, 12-36T |
| Wheels | Hubs: Shimano HB-TX505, Centerlock
Rims: Cube ZX20, 32H, Disc |
| Tires | Schwalbe Smart Sam, Active, 2.25 |
| Saddle | Saddle: Cube Active 1.1
Seat Post: Cube Performance Post, 27.2mm Seatclamp: Cube Varioclose, 31.8mm |
