First ride review of the all-new CUBE stereo ONE55 C:62 TM 29 – The value king?

The 2023 CUBE stereo ONE55 C:62 TM 29 replaces the Stereo 150 and has been completely redesigned. With 160/150 mm travel and priced at € 5,499, you get a high-end build that promises to deliver razor-sharp handling on the trails. We put it to the test to find out more!

The German brand are known for offering high-quality builds at a fair price, and while they haven’t had the coolest image, that’s set to change with their latest bikes. Their previous trail bike, the Stereo 150, is being replaced by the all-new Stereo ONE55. It slots in between the newly introduced 140 mm travel Stereo ONE44, and their new 170 mm travel Stereo ONE77 enduro bike.

The 2023 CUBE Stereo ONE55 C:62 TM 29 in detail

At first glance, the CUBE Stereo ONE55 C:62 TM 29 looks rather minimalistic: the full carbon frame features clear lines, painted in a nice green and adorned with silver lettering and logos. There’s no mistaking it for anything other than a CUBE and, like its predecessor, it relies on the proven horst-link rear suspension. Many bikes now come with added storage options like an integrated compartment in the frame or a tool mount – the Stereo ONE55 has both. Opening the storage compartment is easy thanks to the button on the bottom of the down tube, though it doesn’t have a floor, which is why we recommend putting small, loose items in the included bag. On the underside of the storage lid, you’ll find the included ACID Multi Tool HUSK 24 attached by two rubber tabs. The multi tool consists of two metal tubes containing an 8-piece bit set, a chain breaker, a tubeless repair kit, a spoke wrench, and tire levers.

The generously sized down tube protector fends off flying debris and a small bit of rubber on the seat stay prevents the brake line from scuffing the paint. The seat and chainstay protectors keep the chain from chipping the paint on the rear end. The few cables leading from the cockpit are fed into the frame via the headset and only reappear shortly before their end point.

The build specs of the 2023 CUBE stereo ONE55 C:62 TM 29 on test

We tested the CUBE Stereo ONE55 C:62 TM, which priced at € 5,499 and weighs just 13.9 kg in size L. The 160 mm travel up front is provided by a RockShox Lyrik Ultimate fork. The high-quality Charger 3.0 damper allows you to adjust both the high and low speed rebound and compression. At the rear, you’ve got a RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate air shock managing 150 mm travel. It doesn’t come with the new Hydraulic Bottom Out function, though it will let you set the low-speed rebound and compression, and it can be locked out for the climbs.

Shifting is taken care of by the wireless SRAM X01 AXS 12-speed derailleur, combined with a SRAM X01 Eagle Carbon crankset, and a SRAM X01 cassette providing a 10–52 t range. The chain is kept in check by a chain guide and a factory-fitted bash guard prevents the chain ring from losing any teeth – excellent! A pair of powerful MAGURA MT-7 four piston brakes will let you keep your speed in check, offering tool-free lever reach adjustment. Unfortunately, the MAGURA brake lever clamps can’t be combined with those of the dropper remote and AXS shifter. The brakes are paired with a 203 mm rotor up front and a somewhat undersized 180 mm version at the rear. For heavier riders and long descents, we’d recommend upgrading to a large diameter brake rotor at the rear, too.

The SDG TELLIS dropper post offers just 170 mm travel. Although you can insert it all the way into the seat tube, it’s somewhat short for a modern size L trail bike. The carbon CUBE Stereo cockpit is supplied in-house. Made of one-piece, it features a clean look, comes in a width of 800 mm, has 40 mm rise, and is combined with a 50 mm stem. Due to the one-piece design, however, it doesn’t give you much adjustability.

The CUBE rolls on NEWMEN Evolution SL A.30 aluminium wheels, which are combined with MAXXIS tires. Up front, you get a 2.5″ ASSEGAI featuring the soft MaxxGrip rubber compound, paired with a 2.4″ Minion DHRII relying on the harder MaxxTerrra compound on the rear. Both tires come with the EXO+ casing – heavy riders or those with a heavy-hitting riding style should consider upgrading to the more robust Doubledown casing. Thicker casings don’t just provide more puncture protection, but also more grip and better damping since you can run them at lower pressures. Overall, the CUBE ONE55 C:62 TM 29 is very well specced and we don’t know when last we saw such high-quality components at this price. Hats off to CUBE!

Tuning tip: larger brake rotor at the rear | Upgrade the MAXXIS Minion DHRII EXO+ to the more robust Doubledown casing at the rear

The model variants of the 2023 CUBE stereo ONE55 29

The Cube Stereo ONE55 is available in 4 different builds and all models come with carbon frames. At the lower end you’ve got the CUBE Stereo C:62 Race 29, going for € 3,499. It comes equipped with RockShox suspension consisting of a Lyrik Select+ fork and a RockShox Deluxe Select+ air shock. The GX Eagle groupset provides reliable shifting and is supplied by SRAM. For € 500 more you get the stereo ONE55 C:62 SLX 29, priced at € 3,999. It comes solidly specced and relies on FOX components for the suspension. You get a FOX 36 FLOAT Performance Elite fork featuring the high-quality GRIP2 damper and a FLOAT X2 air shock. The drivetrain and four-piston brakes are part of the Shimano XT range. At the upper end, you’ve got the Stereo ONE55 C:62 SLT 29 for € 6,999. The FOX 36 FLOAT Factory GRIP2 fork provides 160 mm travel up front, and it’s paired with a FOX FLOAT X2 Factory air shock at the rear. Like our test bike, the flagship model boasts wireless shifting, though with SRAM’s slightly lighter, top end XX1 AXS groupset. The SRAM CODE Ultimate four-piston brakes will bring you safely to a halt. All models roll on NEWMEN SL A.30 alloy wheels, except the Stereo ONE55 C:62 SLT 29, which comes specced with a NEWMEN Advanced SL A. 30 carbon wheelset. However, the TM model on test is in no way inferior to the more expensive SLT model in terms of its performance on the trail, because the slightly fancier components offer no significant advantage.

The geometry of the 2023 CUBE Stereo ONE55 29

The Cube Stereo ONE55 29 is available in 4 sizes, ranging from S–XL. Our size L test bike has a reach of 475 mm. The seat tube is nice and short at 420 mm, providing ample freedom of movement when combined with the completely inserted dropper post. The chainstay length is static, measuring 438 mm across the board.

Size	S	M	L	XL
Seat tube	370 mm	405 mm	420 mm	470 mm
Head angle	64.8°	64.8°	64.8°	64.8°
Seat angle	76,5°	76,5°	76,5°	76,5°
Chainstay	438 mm	438 mm	438 mm	438 mm
Reach	425 mm	450 mm	475 mm	500 mm
Stack	625 mm	627 mm	636 mm	654 mm

First ride review of the all-new CUBE stereo ONE55 C:62 TM 29

Making your way to the trailhead, the CUBE ONE55 C:62 TM 29 places you in a sporty yet not overly stretched pedalling position. The plush rear end evens out any irregularities, though it tends to bob. On longer transfer sections on smooth service road climbs, you might want to flip the lockout lever on the shock to save your energy for the descents. When things get steeper or more technical, the front end tends to lift, and you must shift your weight forwards slightly to keep the front wheel planted and in control. This is partly due to the sag of the shock and by activating the lockout lever, you’ll automatically keep more weight on the front, though this comes at the cost of traction at the rear.

On the first metres aboard the bike, you’ll feel nicely integrated between the wheels with your weight centred low down. This results in spritely and agile handling, which is further underlined by the low weight. The bike can be ridden actively and aggressively, responding to rider input with precision: quick line choice corrections are no problem. The suspension is nicely balanced between the front and rear, offering a lot of mid-stroke support and pop. This allows you to generate a lot of speed on flow trails and through berms aboard the ONE55.

You can boost off of lips with the confidence that you’ve got enough support to cope with hard impacts in case you go a little too fast and send it a little too deep. The suspension offers sufficient traction through the corners and there’s no need to shift your weight. You’ll need strong hands on long and steep descents in order to generate enough braking power with the small 180 mm rotor on the rear – to counteract this and prevent the brakes from overheating, it’s worth upgrading to a 200 mm version.

Our conclusion on the 2023 CUBE stereo ONE55 C:62 TM 29

The CUBE ONE55 C:62 TM is a well-specced package considering the price, based on a clean carbon frame with some cool details, like the storage compartment in the down tube. The rear end is comfortable on the climbs, though it tends to bob and requires you to shift your weight forwards when things get steep. It’s on the descents that the CUBE shines, offering lively and agile handling, and well-performing suspension. It’s too bad about the small 180 mm brake rotor on the rear.

For more information visit cube.eu