Cube continue the trend for German companies to make very competitively priced road bikes, and the Attempt has a lot of features – like internal cable routing – that you’d expect on much more expensive bikes. For a start it has a nearly complete Shimano 105 groupset, exactly as you’d find on most bikes costing up to £2000.
But perhaps more significantly – and one of the reasons it edges it as our top bike in this category – is the wheel and tyre combo. It’s good to have the best groupset you can afford, but after the frame it’s the wheels and tyres that have the greatest effect on how a bike rides. So finding Fulcrum Racing 7 wheels and Schwalbe Ultremo tyres on a £999 bike is an unexpected treat. Both products wouldn’t look out of place on a bike at twice the price.
The Attempt’s handling is impeccable: fast, true and direct, exactly what you want from your first serious road bike. The ride is a little firmer than you might get with a carbon frame, but it’s still pretty comfortable. The slimline Aero Flex seatstays, which change profile along their length, contribute to that, with the light, supple tyres also helping. FSA’s wing-profile bar is also extremely comfortable when you’re riding on the tops.
The pretty stiff, compact frame accelerates well, and thanks to the wheels it’s great when the roads get steeper, the triple chainset and 27t sprocket allowing less experienced climbers – or those who just want to take it easy – to cope with just about everything. There are no hassles after you reach the summit either, the frame, wheels, tyres and brakes keeping it all in check as you descend.
It’s hard to fault much about the Attempt – the name is pretty much all we’re not sure about. The ride doesn’t have quite the plushness of a carbon bike, but it’s not uncomfortable, the handling is reassuring and it absolutely flies when you put the hammer down. ultimately this would make a great first road bike, for training, long distance riding or just having fun. An Attempt? More like a resounding success.