Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 review

The Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 combines 26-inch wheels with a long wheelbase and a ride position inspired by mountain bikes.

This amounts to an enticing prospect: a bike that can haul loads or carry children, yet still be capable off the beaten track (at least, on more than paved city streets).

The motor is a powerful Bosch Cargo Line model with bags of torque. With the ability to add to the range thanks to its twin-battery ready design and priced at £3,999, the Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 looks like a value-packed machine with plenty of clever design touches.

Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 frame details

The Longtail Hybrid has a total load capacity of 200kg, with the ability to load 60kg onto the extended rear carrier alone.

Cube offers a plethora of accessories to tune the Longtail to your needs. At the rear, this includes running boards for passengers, shrouds for the rear wheel, a padded bench seat for older children and a safety cage to protect them.

Up front, you can add a sturdy front rack, basket and bikepacking-style fork carrier cages. Cube also offers a range of bags to suit both front and rear carriers.

The bike is designed around 26-inch wheels, which may have become all but a memory in the mountain bike world, but make a lot of sense here.

The diameter results in good speed on the road and can be built even tougher than larger wheels. There are still plenty of tyre options out there too.

The low-slung oversized aluminium frame is finished very nicely and while the step-over height is taller than both the Cannondale Cargowagen and Trek Fetch+ 2 I've also tested, it’s easy to hop on and off the Longtail.

The down tube has a long, voluminous lockable storage box that's ideal for housing a rain jacket, lock and plenty more. Should you opt for the 1750 version of this electric bike, the lockable storage box is where the second 725Wh battery is located.

On this 725 model, the Bosch battery mounts on the rear of the seat tube and locks into place, but can easily be removed for charging – it can also be charged in situ.

The rear carrier features a second horizontal bar of a slimmer diameter, which enables standard pannier bags to be attached. This a nice detail, meaning you aren’t wedded to proprietary bags.

Alternatively, the rack’s length allows for two child seats to be attached, or a frame that fits a standard Euro storage box (400x600mm).

The fork has mounts for extra storage (fork leg bags are available) and uses an Acros carrier mount headset, which has provision to attach a sturdy front rack via the headset’s bottom section.

The aluminium ladder piece on the down tube enables a pair of bottle cages to be mounted too.

Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 build

The Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 comes well-equipped, with the large rear rack, full mudguards, integrated lights and a flip-down kickstand all included.

Optional accessories are plentiful, with a front carrier bag (40l, €129.95), rear pannier packs (45l each, €199.95 a pair), front basket (15kg weight limit, €59.95), child's seat pad (€79.95), kids' guard top rail/Eurobox adaptor (€134.95), running boards (€174.95), front carrier fork cages (€16.95), front carrier (€129.95) and rear-wheel protectors (€9.95). The rear rack is compatible with child seats.

At the rear, a telescoping seatpost allows for quick height adjustment for multiple users. The saddle seems much sportier in design than saddles typically seen on urban ebikes, but I found it just as comfortable.

Up-front, the 680mm-wide MTB-style handlebar has a nicely backswept shape and plenty of rise for a more relaxed ride position.

It attaches to a By,schulz Speedlifter Classic stem, which offers tool-free height adjustment via a quick-release mechanism.

This means the Cube is easy to adjust quickly for different-sized riders, although it favours taller riders than rival ebikes with smaller wheels.

My 5ft (1.52m) partner fit the Cube, but when it was laden with cargo she didn’t feel as confident as on 20in-wheel bikes.

The Longtail Hybrid would also better suit smaller riders if it came with a dropper post, as the Cannondale and Momentum PakYak E+ do.

The Cube is fitted with excellent Schwalbe tyres and ergonomic grips, and includes a minimal ring-shaped bell.

The brakes are Magura’s MT5 hydraulic units with large 203mm rotors, providing ample power to stop a bike of this size confidently and quickly.

The drivetrain combines a 55-tooth crankset driving a Gates belt, meaning little-to-no maintenance and clean running (compared to a chain-based system), so you won't get oily marks on your trouser cuffs.

The rear hub features Enviolo’s stepless gear system. This hub effectively houses a constant variable transmission system, which means there are no defined ‘gears’ – just a wide selectable range, serving up light easy-climbing pedalling through to speedy, harder gearing at the other end.

This is operated via a twist shifter with a neat pictogram display to indicate the size of gear you’re turning.

In practice, you simply need to twist the shifter until the pedal resistance feels right – or you can set your preferred pedalling cadence on the Bosch Flow app, and it will notify you when to change gear resistance via the supplied Kiox head unit.

The Bosch Cargo Line motor delivers up to 85Nm of torque to help shift the bike when fully laden, providing you use the right mode(s).

The powertrain is the same setup as the pricier Trek Fetch+ 2 and Cannondale Cargowagen, although instead of including a dedicated Cargo mode, the Cube has a more standard setup.

Four settings are on offer: Eco, Auto, Sport and Turbo. Perhaps because of the larger wheel size, the system here works better in Eco mode, providing subtle assistance on flatter roads and small inclines.

The Auto mode is a clever setting that dynamically switches the bike (depending on motor load and your cadence) between Eco and Turbo without ever having to switch modes manually.

The Sport mode is great for more spirited riding, making it a good match for the Cube’s fun handling, while Turbo offers more assistance in response to the same pedal input.

Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 ride impressions

I’ve ridden the Cube on tarmac and bike paths, and explored a little on riverside paths, towpaths and even a small excursion onto woodland singletrack (in the name of exploring its limits).

I’ve also loaded it up with four standard panniers and done my household’s weekly shop, taken a trip to the DIY store to pick up paint, tiles, grout and more – adding up to excess of 40kg. I found the Longtail handled being loaded up well.

The weight is carried higher than on small-wheeled rivals, but this has other benefits.

The ride feels much more like a standard non-assisted bike with 29in / 700c wheels, compared to the Trek and Cannondale ebikes it was tested alongside.

The Cube delivers a certain zip in its handling – it’s easy to forget the Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 has a long tail.

The steering is spot-on between stable and reactive, meaning I often forgot about the 1.95m length (more than a metre of the bike is behind the riding position).

It’s fun to ride in a spirited fashion, and because of its larger wheels and higher bottom bracket I didn’t find it grounded out when leaning into corners.

Despite the frameset having no suspension, the 2.25in-wide tyres do a great job of keeping the ride comfortable and filtering out vibrations from the road.

I also found the Cube impressed with its range.

While determining an average is tough given the different demands of each ride, I saw 47.8 miles / 76.9km with 1,455.1ft / 443.5 metres of elevation, carrying 20kg of cargo. It managed 46.96 miles / 75.57km with 2,307.19ft / 703.23 metres of climbing, unloaded.

Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 bottom line

In all, the Cube Longtail Sport Hybrid 725 is an impressive electric cargo bike. It’s versatile enough to be a brilliant way to reduce car use to a minimum.

More than that, it’s a cargo bike that’s great fun to ride (especially if you’re already a cyclist) and is equipped decently. If you’re new to cycling, the clean and low-maintenance drivetrain should appeal.

It has enough spirit and charm in its handling to make for a really enjoyable ride – isn’t that something worth having when doing your chores?