Cube has a big reputation for value and quality so I wanted to see what the Cube Agree C:62 SL, the German brand's race-inspired endurance bike, would be like.
Its geometry places it at the more aggressive end of bikes designed for big days out and, being Cube, the kit line-up looks impressive with Shimano’s electronic gearing and Cube’s component partners Newmen providing the wing-profile carbon bar and carbon seatpost.
The modest Fulcrum wheels seem to be the one exception to this.
Cube opting for Di2 has certainly upped the ante, and the 50/34 chainset and 11-32 cassette is endurance-bike gold, especially when you add Di2’s shift accuracy into the mix.
The Di2 spec is the same as the Felt VR Advanced Ultegra Di2, also on test, and the Agree’s stem-mounted control/junction box has a similar slightly untidy look, though it’s still better balanced than the Felt’s set-up.
The Cube comes in at the same price as Giant's Defy Advanced Pro 2 and, if you were choosing between the two, it’s essentially down to you whether you prefer Di2’s slick, maintenance-free accuracy paired with lower-spec wheels or Shimano’s excellent mechanical Ultegra – with its maintenance needs – that allows for fast, lightweight carbon wheels.
I’d probably lean towards the latter, but Di2 is a very understandable draw.
How we tested
With the best aero road bikes getting lighter, race bikes getting more comfortable and the best gravel bikes becoming so road capable, the endurance bike category is often overlooked. But we think endurance bikes offer some of the best all-round rides.
So we put four of the best endurance bikes for around £4,000 to the test to find out which offers the total package.
Also on test
Cube Agree C:62 SL geometry
The Agree’s race influence is evident at the front in its straight fork and racy 72.5-degree head angle. It’s a more relaxed rear end that shows its endurance-riding influences.
The 72.5-degree seat angle is slightly shallow and the Agree’s dropped seatstays and kinked-up chainstays are designed to flex to reduce vibration.
Its 592mm stack height and 394mm reach put the geometry at the racier end of things, making for a more aggressive ride position.
| | 50cm | 53cm | 56cm | 58cm | 60cm | 62cm |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat angle (degrees) | 74.6 | 74 | 73.5 | 73 | 72.5 | 72.5 |
| Head angle (degrees) | 71.5 | 72 | 72.5 | 72.5 | 72.5 | 72.5 |
| Chainstay (mm) | 412 | 412 | 412 | 412 | 412 | 412 |
| Seat tube (mm) | 440 | 470 | 500 | 520 | 540 | 560 |
| Top tube (mm) | 522 | 539 | 560 | 575 | 590 | 600 |
| Head tube (mm) | 120 | 140 | 170 | 190 | 208 | 231 |
| Bottom bracket drop (mm) | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 | 73 |
| Wheelbase (mm) | 984 | 992 | 1006 | 1014 | 1025 | 1036 |
| Standover (mm) | 732 | 758 | 788 | 807 | 826 | 846 |
| Stack (mm) | 523 | 544 | 573 | 592 | 607 | 629 |
| Reach (mm) | 378 | 383 | 390 | 394 | 399 | 402 |
Cube Agree C:62 SL ride impressions
With that low stack height, the Agree's bar height is also low compared to most endurance bikes, but the reach is shorter than on the Giant and Kinesis GTD V2.
The result is handling that is lively and agile, making it easy to make sharp corrections to swish around potholes and confidently thread your way through traffic.
The Agree is also rapid to accelerate and balanced through corners. Fulcrum’s Racing 77 DB wheels are typical of its mid-level alloy wheels.
Their hubs spin smoothly, the freehub picks up quickly and they have Fulcrum’s typical build quality too, and in my experience they have proved hardwearing.
But at 1,750g a pair they’re not the lightest option you can find, and they’re also fitted with mid-range Continental Grand Sport tyres.
The combination soaks up the bumps and grips well enough, but the Contis never felt as sparky to pick up speed as the Kinesis’ Challenge tyres or the Giant’s, even though the Grand Sports are slimmer.
For the rest of the build, Cube hits a very high mark. Newmen’s squared-off stem is paired with its carbon bar, which features excellent flattened tops, a compact drop and some fetching two-tone bar tape.
However, the Cube’s ride is much firmer at the front than the rear. Where the Agree’s back end soaks up vibrations and road buzz with ease, the front definitely feels harsher than its three rivals also on test.
A lot of the slender carbon seatpost is exposed because of the Agree’s low-slung compact frame shape, which all adds to its comfort-giving flex.
The short Nuance saddle has a lower pressure-relieving central channel and I found its shape very agreeable, but the padding is very firm and the saddle has a slippery surface. On a particularly wet test ride, I regularly had to correct my sitting position and I never felt at home with it.
Cube Agree C:62 SL bottom line
The Agree is exactly what Cube claims it to be – a race-orientated bike but with a more endurance-friendly riding position.
It’s not the smoothest of the quartet I tested head-to-head, but it’s comfortable enough, it handles with assured stability and responds well to acceleration. It also has one of the most dependable road bike groupsets you can buy.
With a few choice upgrades down the line, Cube’s Agree C:62 would be a real contender as a long-distance machine.
Product
| Brand | cube_bikes |
| Price | 3999.00 GBP |
| Weight | 8.5500, KILOGRAM (58cm) - |
Features
| Fork | CSL Evo Aero carbon |
| br_stem | Newmen Evolution 318.4 |
| br_chain | Shimano HG700-11 |
| br_frame | C:62 Advanced twin mold technology carbon |
| Tyres | Continental Gran Sport Sl 28mm |
| br_brakes | Shimano Ultegra hydraulic disc |
| br_cranks | Shimano Ultegra 50/34 |
| br_saddle | Natural Fit Nuance Lite |
| br_wheels | Fulcrum Racing 77 DB |
| br_headset | VP Top integrated 1.125 x 1.25in |
| br_shifter | Shimano Ultegra Di2 ST-R8070 |
| br_cassette | Shimano Ultegra 11-32 |
| br_seatpost | Newmen Advanced carbon |
| br_handlebar | Newmen Advanced Wing bar carbon |
| br_bottomBracket | Shimano press-fit |
| br_availableSizes | 50, 53, 56, 58, 60, 62cm |
| br_rearDerailleur | Shimano Ultegra Di2 RD-8050 |
| br_frontDerailleur | Shimano Ultegra Di2 RD-8050 |
