Commute bike recommendation

Difficult maintenance? That’s a weird claim. Cube uses standard bike parts and AFAIK does not rely on any proprietary standards. They are no easier or more difficult to service than other bikes.

I have had three Cube bikes, two mountain bikes and a road bike. I was/am very happy with my mountain bikes, especially my first one (a hardtail). My road bike’s geometry is too mellow for my taste, and my next road bike will hopefully be the 3T Strada.

My mom’s commuter is also a Cube, which has been very dependable. (When I was still living in Munich, the closest good bike shop was mainly a selling Cube bikes. I am not a fanboy for the brand. My last Cube is a giant coincidence: I currently live in Japan, and Cube’s presence in Japan is tiny. Apart from my own bikes, I remember seeing only one other Cube bike on the road ever.)

In any case, I still suggest a bike like the Cube Hyde might be the right solution for you. If you find one, test ride it to see if you like that style of bike, no matter the brand. And test ride all the other cross-type bikes, e. g. road bike derived flat bar bikes, MTB-derived drop bar bikes, everything. You will find out quite quickly what you like and dislike.

For example, I have had the opportunity to try hub gears during a business trip to the Netherlands and I hated how it shifted. Personally, I’d rather go for a 1x gear train with a traditional rear derailleur. But if you get along great with hub gears, the combination with a carbon belt drive is quite the combination.

I always commuted with my racing bike but got a bit unsteady with the whole idea that it is parked outside the whole day, as well as the rainy days.

So I got myself a 2008 GT GTR Type CX on my local bike classified forum and I was sorted.

Now I can commute in peace, rain or shine. If it gets stolen, it is fine.

Yes, it does not ride as nice as my racing bike but it gets me from point A to B.

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Just for the record - I ended up buying a Cannondale Topstone 105 and I’m starting my bike commutes tomorrow !

Thanks everybody for advices.

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What about the Cube Nuroad Pro Fe? Any thoughts?

Post lockdown Covid-19 bump.

How do you like the Topstone for riding and commuting, @PawelKozela ?

It’s really fantastic ! I love every commute - the ability to go fast on the roads, but also on a more rugged terrain if necessary is just great. I highly recommend it. With a saddle pack (I took the medium one from Apidura), it’s just perfect for fast commuting.

I used it only once for a longer ride and it did feel great too - like my road bike, but more comfortable.

Too bad I don’t really get to use it since last October - work from home all the time. Beginning May I may start to go to the office a bit more.

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Thanks for answering. I always like to see aluminum bikes keep traditional rack and fender mounts, even if soft-mount bags are “cooler.” Versatility is what a gravel or aluminum CX bike should hang onto.

I used to commute circa 50km on a Decathlon Triban 500 road bike. It obviously wasn’t as good as my other road bikes but for the money wasn’t that much worse and I had the peace of mind that the bike locked up on the rack wasn’t too expensive to replace if the worst happened.

Edit you’ve bought your bike, I hope you are enjoying it :+1: