ENDURO Long-term Test 2014: The Cube Fritzz 160 HPA Pro 27.5
Today we present you the lowest priced long-term test bike from this year’s test field – the Cube Fritzz 160 HPA Pro. The bike is the new ride of our permanent tester Flo. Together with Christoph and Vinzenz he is part of our testing team from Garmisch Partenkirchen / south bavaria and will test the bike on the countless alpine trails, located right outside the front door.
Just as the long name of the bike is already telling us, the bike comes with 27.5 inch wheels combined with 160mm of travel front and rear. As I am 174 centimeters tall, I chose the Fritzz in frame size 18 inch. With a steering angle of 66,5° and a reach of 420 Millimeters (Size 18″) the bike should be lots of fun in all type of terrain. It should cope with high-speed sections and on the other side, allow some agile playful maneuvers.
The Fritzz comes with consistently solid and functional parts. The only thing missing for tough enduro use is a variable seatpost which we have upgraded to right at the start.
The Schwalbe Hans Dampf tire with the trailstar compound take care of contact with the ground. With tubeless ready wheels and a thick rim strip setting up the tires as tubeless was very easy.
For me the cube made handlebar with 720mm width is to narrow, that’s why I will change it soon.
The 2×10 drivetrain underlines the good all round characteristics of the Fritzz. With a Shimano XT rear derailleur (with Shadow Plus technology) and Deore front derailleur in conjunction with the Deore shifters. In front a Shimano Deore crank with 175-millimeter-long arms and 24/38 tooth chainrings are fitted. Thus, the chain remains on the right spot even in rough sections I will retrofit a shiftable chain guide. To protect the chainstays against paint damage a neoprene protection sleeve is already installed.
In general, the Cube Fritzz 160 HPA PER 27.5 looks like a great deal for only 1,999 euros. With well-chosen parts for the low price, a clear statement of intent has been made to the competitors! The long-term test will show whether the favorable bike keeps what it promises and whether it can provide long-term fun too – we will report!
I was born in 1990 and ever since I can remember, I have been riding bikes, first I did long, long trips with my parents, where we rode some trails without any suspension and horrible V-brakes. Later I focused more towards freeriding and motocross and ended up some time ago in Enduro. It combines for me the best of both worlds, riding downhill on challenging trails without being dependent on a lift or shuttle.
With the Cube Fritzz I will ride a lot on my hometrails, but also I will do some nice short bike-vacations and maybe some races with the bike.
Born: 1990 | Biking since: ca. 2000 | Size: 174cm | Weight: 75kg | Job: Testrider at ENDURO | @Strava