Test Cube Elite 240 C:62 SLX: The competition bike for young racers is uncompromisingly lightweight and correspondingly expensive. Components and performance are top, giving the bike a real advantage in racing. For kids who ride bikes just for fun, the brand has attractive models in stock at significantly lower prices.
Parents and the cycling industry have long since said goodbye to the fact that children's bicycles shouldn't cost anything. The technology has gotten better, the concepts more practical, the models sportier and blessed with more driving fun – in short, what mum and dad once dreamed of is now available to the offspring. And such a bike - for example a sporty bike with 24-inch wheels - doesn't even have to be expensive: At Cube you (or your son or daughter) can get it for 649 euros a solid aluminum bike with a rigid fork, equipped with 1×9 gears and rim brakes, attractively painted and with a child-friendly seating position, competent in everyday life and in leisure time.
Cube Elite 240 C:62 SLX: Super-light kids' MTB for racing
But what if said kid doesn't go to soccer or horseback riding, but rides a bike? Then other aspects come to the fore with the bike: the components not only have to work well, they have to work perfectly, and especially in off-road sports, where the bikes are climbed up steep inclines and sometimes pushed or even carried, weight is very important. “Vorsprung durch Technik”, something that you are happy to give your ambitious offspring.
This is where the Cube Elite 240 C:62 SLX comes into play. At exactly 6,93 kilos plus pedals, it weighs almost three kilos less than the aluminum model - a world of difference, especially when it comes to sporting use. The weight of the bike is a relevant factor, especially in relation to body weight, which is why children particularly benefit here. Anyone who has seen an MTB or cyclocross race for kids knows how some participants struggle on the stairs or steep slopes with their heavy bikes, while others have an easy time with their high-end bikes.
Carbon frame and lightweight wheelset
How does Cube achieve such a low weight? Even a carbon frame and fork should save almost 1.500 grams compared to aluminum - the manufacturer specifies a frame weight of less than 900 grams. 500 grams is usually between a heavy and a fairly light wheelset (2.000 to 1.500 grams), and then there are the components and attachments. It should be noted that disc brakes weigh around 400 grams more than rim brakes, which makes the almost seven kilograms of the carbon cube even more impressive. Disc brakes are of course indispensable in sports today, as they are unsurpassed in terms of controllability and braking behavior in the wet. With the Magura MT8 Pro, Cube has installed a brake developed for racing with a width-adjustable one-finger lever and a light, one-piece saddle.
In addition to the light "tubeless ready" wheelset, Cube relies on SRAM shifting components for the components, which use a super-light eleven-speed ring from e*thirteen. The sprocket set milled from the solid offers a wide range with 9-34 teeth, whereby in combination with a 30 chainring there is also a sufficiently long translated overdrive as well as a reduction for steep climbs. The add-on parts made of aluminum are more solid than super light - a carbon handlebar is perhaps "too much" for children's races.
Geometry optimized for sporting use
The geometry of the small racing machine also differs from the aluminum sports bike. You sit more stretched out on the Cube Elite 240 C:62 SLX and the handlebars are positioned lower; the steering angle is slacker for good straight-line stability at high speeds, and the bottom bracket is higher. Nevertheless, the handlebars are positioned higher than the saddle, so the sitting position on the Cube is fairly upright - even when the seat post is pulled out far.
The high front is also due to the long fork, which makes you wonder if a suspension fork could be mounted as well. But do you want that? Because light and handy as it is, the Cube inspires young riders, especially if they have previously ridden heavier equipment, and is ideal for off-road sport at the limit of cross-country and cyclocross. Kids who are more into downhill performance can get the Trail-Fully Stereo 240 Pro with 120 mm air suspension from Cube - for the same price, but a good five kilos heavier. Just a completely different MTB, with which kids can also have a lot of fun off-road.
Speaking of price: The carbon cube costs a whopping 2.199 euros, although there is also a 1×10 version that weighs 200 grams more and costs 500 euros less. The Elite 240 C:62 is definitely not comparable to normal children's bikes, but it's not even extremely expensive for a high-end competition bike. Who knows, maybe it will be the beginning of a great cycling career...
