Cube Nuride Hybrid EXC 625 Allroad review

As much as I have distain for big, heavy SUVs, I can see why they dominate our city streets. They give a commanding view of the traffic ahead, have a bullet-proof persona around town, and shrug off our dilapidated road surfaces.

So, it’s no surprise that I’ve appreciated the performance Cube’s city-oriented Nuride Hybrid EXC 625 Allroad has provided during the past six months of testing.

The Nuride family is built for the urban environment, with a comfortable sit-up style frame, chunky pothole-proof tyres and components designed to make your life as easy as possible.

Oh, and there’s a Bosch Performance CX electric bike motor and generous 625Wh battery bolted in to boot, so there are no excuses when it comes to those cross-city chores.

Cube Nuride Hybrid EXC 625 Allroad frame and specification

The hydroformed alloy frame comes in three options. Mine has a traditional top tube, while there’s a dropped top tube option as well as an ‘Easy Access’ model with a stiff down tube and no top tube at all.

The down tube hides the large 625Wh battery neatly, and merges smoothly into the housing for the Bosch Performance CX motor around the bottom bracket.

At the front, there’s an air-sprung X-Fusion MIG32 fork. Its air spring enables easy tuning for differing rider weights, while the 100mm of travel is enough to deal comfortably with bumping off kerbs or plowing through potholes. A lockout lever on the top of the fork firms it up.

Rearward, there’s a thickly padded, wide Cube saddle that sits on top of a suspension seatpost, designed to absorb bumps in the road for a comfy ride.

The bike rolls on wide Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres. They have a large internal volume and a dimpled tread pattern, offering grip on cindered bike paths and occasional forays onto mud.

The bike has a full Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain. The wide-range cassette gives plenty of gear spread, while shifting under load is very good – far better than the mix-and-match drivetrain we sometimes see on electric bikes of this ilk.

Shimano’s non-series MT200 brakes aren’t fancy, but their long levers are comfortable and do a decent job of bringing you to a stop.

Cube Nuride Hybrid EXC 625 Allroad geometry

Cube Nuride Hybrid EXC 625 Allroad ride impressions

The overall impression of the bike is one of comfort and confidence when tackling mean city streets.

The upright seated position gives a commanding view of the traffic, while the wide tyres, comfortable cockpit and suspension fork mean you’re not continuously having to dodge road imperfections to go about your daily business.

Add in Bosch’s excellent motor and battery system, and you have a bike that’s capable of ferrying you to and fro on a regular basis.

Handling is calm thanks to a reasonably slack 67.5-degree head angle and an upright position, created via a high-rise stem and riser bars. This helps keep your head high and able to spot any trouble ahead.

Comfort is a clear consideration here. The frame might not have much ‘give’, but the suspension fork Cube has bolted to the front really takes the sting out of lumps and bumps.

Further back, the thick saddle is fine for the short city hops this bike is designed for, but I wouldn't want to spend all day pedalling around on it – it’s not quite supportive enough in the right ways.

While the suspension seatpost is there to add further comfort, mine seemed inert, and never offered any bounce.

Most of the rear’s comfort, as well as ample grip on looser cycle path surfaces and occasional trips onto wooded dirt tracks, comes from the broad Schwalbe G-One Allround tyres. Their 57c width is generous and enables you to run lower pressures with less puncture risk – I was running around 30psi quite happily.

The low-profile file tread still manages to roll fast, with only a little rumble on smooth surfaces.

The tyres are wrapped around Alex EX23 rims. They aren’t particularly wide and give the tyres a slightly pinched profile.

I found that instead of a nicely rounded profile, the tyres are more ‘pointed’ at the top. This means when the bars are turned, or you tip the bike into a corner, it can drop slightly faster than you’d expect into the turn, with a hint of front-wheel flop.

It was unnerving at first, but I soon got used to this handling quirk. Wider rims would smooth out the transition from central to edge treads a little.

The rims are drilled for Schrader valves, and these are fitted on the stock inner tubes. This is a normal spec detail on an urban commuter bike, but if you live in a particularly puncture-prone area and are looking to upgrade the bike to tubeless tyres, you’ll need to find some tubeless-ready Schrader valves (both rim and tyre are tubeless-compatible).

Bosch’s motor is ideal for city use. The four modes on offer give everything from gentle help when you need it through to full assistance if you’re carrying a heavy load, or simply want to get across town without putting effort in.

The central display shows ample information, including your battery level, speed and assistance mode, while further data can be accessed via the control unit mounted close to the left-hand grip.

Cube has done a good job with the bike’s finishing touches, too.

The grips have a broad palm pad, which is comfortable as you weave through traffic, while full mudguards come fitted as standard. Despite regular inner-city bike stand parking, they’ve remained rub and rattle-free.

The rear has an integrated light, controlled by the on-bar Bosch head unit, which though small, is bright. Up front, there’s a proper headlamp too, which lights the way more than adequately. Further back, there’s a kickstand – it’s stable on most surfaces.

A full belt-and-braces approach from Cube would see a rear rack included with the bike, but at least the frame has all the right bolt holes so your own can be attached.

If I had to pick a fault with the bike's shape, it would be that the top tube is rather high. For getting on and off a loaded bike, I'd like this tube to be lower, making it easier to swing a leg over.

Cube Nuride Hybrid EXC 625 Allroad bottom line

For the more genteel approach to getting around town, an upright electric hybrid bike with chunky tyres ticks many boxes.

The commanding position aids confidence, while the motor's drive makes every-day tasks much easier and lugging shopping loads becomes a breeze.

The Schwalbe tyres offer ample grip, but wider rims would remove a slight handling quirk.