The Gear: CUBE Nuroad C:62 Race
Posted By Gravel Union
On 28 November 2020
Product Title:
CUBE Nuroad C:62 Race
Cost:
£2499/€2599
Brand:
CUBE Bikes
Website Link:
https://www.cube.eu/uk/2021/bikes/road/offroad/nuroad/cube-nuroad-c62-race-greennlime/
Please introduce yourself to the Gravel Union readers
My name is Frank Greifzu and I am part of the product management team at CUBE Bikes.
Tell us about the bike and any unique features that it has?
After three years with our Nuroad Series in aluminium there was a strong request for an additional platform in carbon. C:62 is a proven composite technology that we have been using in other categories for a while. From road, cyclo-cross or mountain bikes we know that it offers great overall performance at a remarkable frame weight of only 1.1 kg.
But as we experienced gravel riders as a very diverse community we wanted to keep the door open for different applications. The Nuroad C:62 frames are prepared to be rigged with fenders [mudguards], a carrier and even a kickstand from our inhouse brand ACID. All the interfaces are almost invisible and do not disrupt the sleek looks of the carbon frame. The new C:62 fork does not only take fenders, but also another 10 kg of luggage due to the lowrider rack mounts. There is even an internal routing option for light cables.
Who do you think is the target audience for your bike?
Basically, there are no restrictions for any gravel bike which itself represents a kind of Swiss army knife within the world of cycling. But with its qualities and low weight (a feathery 7.8 kg) a Nuroad C:62 will attract riders who look for speed, agility and low weight. Maybe even in long-distance events and competitions that become more popular. We also gave the carbon bikes slightly shorter head tubes and longer reach measurements than their aluminium brothers. Migration effects to gravel riding might occur more from the CX and road side or from original mountain bikers complementing their inventory.
What were the design objectives behind this bike?
The Nuroad C:62 should fit into the whole CUBE family and carry some of our general design features. Dynamic shapes around the head tube can be seen as well on our aero-performance Litening C:68X series. Other details like the semi-integrated seat clamp come from CX or endurance road bikes. Nevertheless, a gravel bike has additional requirements in its design. The lower connection between seat stays and seat tube offers increased stiffness of the rear triangle. A thing the rider will notice when things should get rougher! We lowered the chain stays right behind the bottom bracket in order to create more clearance to the wheel and the chainring. Riders should benefit from 45mm tyres. Even the possibility to run 40mm tyres remains when fenders are installed. That was the second specific challenge in the design process: Hiding the rivets, mounting holes etc. for our ACID accessories. We knew this added value would mean minimal extra weight, but the rider should not have to sacrifice any of the elegant, clean looks of the Nuroad.
What real-world testing did you do with the bike?
The good thing was that we simultaneously developed the second generation of our Nuroad aluminium bike. We could evaluate changes that we did compared to the first generation and that should find their way into the carbon platform as well. How nimble would the longer rear end feel that we need for wider tyres? How much longer and deeper should the reach and stack measurements be in order to find the right balance between long-distance comfort and agility? Would the new carbon fork with its slimmer 1 ¼” tapering behave exactly as we desired and expected from lab testing? It definitely helps to check this in an aluminium frame first. Carbon tooling means high invest and there one should be 100% sure.
Regarding the composite material C:62-real-world testing has literally taken place countless times out there. Besides all the full suspension Stereo C:62s, hardtail Reaction C:62s and road race Agree C:62s the closest relative might be the Cross Race C:62. Our partner team WANTY-Tormans is racing that bike in UCI CX world cup and we think this is a proper ordeal in addition to all the lab testing we do.
Have you done anything to minimise the environmental impact of producing this bike?
It is our claim to produce products of highest quality and long life in every area. From development and testing to disposal, sustainability is our approach wherever possible. It is an ongoing process and we aren’t at the end of it, but we have already achieved a lot and are on the right way.
How do you see gravel riding developing in the future?
I am afraid it sounds a bit like a repetition from what I said when we talked last time in March. New concepts pop up and there is no ban on thinking in the gravel world. Major suppliers offer gravel suspension forks, brands show up with full-suspension or soft-tail frames, tyres and handle bars sometimes exceed the widths of an average 1990s mountain bike. More people will take a fancy to bike packing which has its own specific requirements to the whole bike. It is great to see all these fancy subsegments thriving. We as CUBE will focus more on the moderate majority of gravel pilots. Riders who want to get away from traffic and appreciate the feeling of independence and freedom. A bike category that throws a bridge between commuting, training laps and trail riding. Switch from work to party mode wherever and whenever you want.