Cube Nuroad Race

Thick Cube, zero regrets, bang!

Let's face it: if you are 194 cm tall, most bikes make you look like you stole a child's bike. Before I tied the knot, I spent hours online consulting various AI chatbots for size advice. But yes, ask three different AIs and you get four conflicting answers: one said XL for sportiness, another XXL for the back, and the third started talking about a custom-made frame made of titanium. Being done with the digital confusion and knowing as a Belgian that our northern neighbours can not only make cheese but also have competitive prices, I crossed the border for some real "real life" testing at the Den Bosch branch. So I was still hesitating between the XL and the XXL. In the shop, I could test to my heart's content on the indoor test track. Incidentally, I was very close to pulling a wheely there out of sheer enthusiasm (much to the relief of the customers present and the shop furniture, I didn't do it). The XXL turned out to be the absolute winner, finally a geometry where I don't sit double-folded like an ill-fitting pocket-tool. As I made my way towards the coffee machine, the technicians dove in on my new acquisition like a Formula 1 pit crew. By the time I had downed my first sip of black gold, the bike was fully roadworthy, polished and adjusted. I barely had time to eat my biscuit when I could already load the Cube into the car. Now that's service and much faster than an average Belgian government formation! The bike itself then: The Looks: The matt green/blue colour is beautiful. It camouflages excellently when I misjudge another corner at the weekend and park in the ditch somewhere in the Flemish fields. The finish is so bizarrely tight that you can barely see the welds. My bike mates still swear it's carbon. The internal cables make the whole thing wonderfully 'clean'. The Parts: The Shimano group shifts smoother than a slick seller and the good brakes... well, you need those too with my bulk. By the way, the 45mm Schwalbe tyres are a breath of fresh air on our Belgian roads (which we sometimes refer to as 'gravel' for convenience, although that was not the road builders' intention). You float over the potholes in the road surface. The Weight: Is the aluminium frame featherweight? No. But then again, neither am I with my 194 cm and penchant for a good Belgian abbey beer. Together, we form an impressive chunk of kinetic energy. Once we roll, we don't stop. The Verdict After a little fine-tuning to the sitting position, it rides great. It's the perfect hybrid between a fast race and a mud-eating weekend monster. Looking for a reliable gravel bike that you don't have to sell both your kidneys for immediately? This is it. Thanks to the crew in Den Bosch for the service and the opportunity to physically test ride. I rode back south with a broad smile!