Cube Touring Pro

It's called 'touring', yet it looks like a shopper. Expect performance somewhere in between and you'll find the Cube Touring Pro is stable, surefooted and has a surprising turn of speed. Probably most important of all, it's very, very comfortable. In fact, with its rear rack, dynamo lights, kickstand, mudguards and chain case, it's a lifestyle bike that's truly easy to live with. The only slight downside comes in terms of cost: unusually for Cube, the Touring Pro is a fair deal but not a bargain.

• Pros: Very relaxed and comfy ride; surprisingly impressive under power; fulsome spec
• Cons: Fairly heavy, not particularly cheap, short front mudguard

Because of the nature of the Touring Pro's geometry, the front end feels tall, which provides a high riding position that is good for a commanding view of the way ahead and gives you an enhanced road presence. The slight downside is that communication between the wide handlebar and front wheel feels a little long-distance at first, and initially you may find the Touring Pro just a little unresponsive. This calms down with use and actually improves with speed.

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And speed isn't out of the question. This may look like a relaxed cruiser but it boasts great balance, so out-of-the-saddle efforts aren't impossible. When it comes to climbing, you'd have to be built like Roger Ramjet to get any kind of weight down over the front, but power transfer is good and on descents there's a surprising element of playfulness.

Despite our summer of sun, I was lucky enough – if that's the right phrase – to test this bike in typical British commuting weather and can report that the Touring Pro's surefootedness extends to wet roads. While the high position does mean your centre of gravity is equally lofty, the wide tyres and benign nature of the frame makes for stable cycling.

How does that 'Touring Pro' label work out? Well this is far more of a trekker than a tourer, so it will happily cope with a spot of towpath or credit card touring. But the position is just a little too upright to handle crossing continents at any kind of consistent pace.

Frame and fork

In truth, our test bike looked nothing like the kind of bike British riders would call a tourer. Cube makes two other versions of the Touring Pro – one with a level top tube, one with a more modern 'trapeze' step-through model – which get much nearer the traditional touring mark. This version is built around more of a 'shopper' or 'Dutch bike' design (Cube actually calls it 'Easy Entry').

The great Mike Burrows once told me that the best way to design a shopper bike is to use just a large single down tube with a bit of a bend in it. Cube hasn't strayed far from that ideal here. There is a bit of buttressing at the head tube and seat tube junctions, but essentially it's a beautifully simple, swooping, double-butted aluminium single tube.

Equally elegant are the seatstays and chainstays, where svelte tubing is used throughout. Considering the type of bike, the rear triangle is actually quite compact, which is probably why power delivery is so unexpectedly impressive. Power transfer might not be top of a typical shopper bike rider's concerns, but this Touring Pro is only aesthetically a shopper – its ride quality and specification provide a far wider range of talents. Internal cable routing for the gear cables is a suitably refined touch, too.

Finishing off the frame and fork package is an SR Suntour NEX suspension fork with 50mm of travel (the other two Touring Pro versions come with 63mm-travel forks). In conjunction with the other measures designed to promote comfort, the fork certainly does a decent job of keeping the front end untroubled by irregular road surfaces. Rough roads are easily smoothed out and the Touring Pro can also handle moderate off-road routes, such as parkland paths and gravel tracks.

Gearset and brakeset

The 2018 Touring Pro on test features Shimano Altus shifters and derailleurs, teamed with a Shimano Tourney triple chainset (the 2019 model has an Acera rear derailleur). Everything works fairly securely, although gear changes can be a little clunky at times. The 48x36x26T triple is combined with a 12-32T 8-speed cassette, meaning there are plenty of options and a gearing range that goes low enough to tackle hills, even with some weight attached to the rear rack.

Proof that disc brakes are now ubiquitous comes in the fact that it's no longer surprising to see them even on a looping down tube leisure machine. Assuming you use the Touring Pro to its full potential as a daily workhorse and carry a bit of weight all year round, the Tektro M285 hydraulic discs will serve you right, especially in poor weather. They're not perfect, though, and a heavily laden Touring Pro on a damp descent should still be ridden with caution – these Tektros will scrub off speed surely enough, but there's not a lot of outright power.

Wheels and finishing kit

On models lower down the pecking order, Cube has long fitted its bikes with own-brand (really Alex-rimmed) wheels, and often they're quite a nice surprise. These are no exception, rolling smoothly and – combined with the whopping 40mm Schwalbe Spicer Active tyres – they provide a fair bit of cushioning, too. There's also a Shimano dynamo front hub, which powers nice 'n' bright Trelock lights front and back.

More comfort comes in the well-padded Selle Royal Nuvola saddle – not by any means a perch for speed demons but for urban spins, it's an armchair ride. This approach is reflected in the shape of the handlebar, which is nicely swept back with a bit of rise and further promotes that relaxed, upright riding position (the other two Touring Pro models come with a Cube 680mm Ride Trial bar).

The grips are a good shape and made of rubber that is sturdy yet forgiving enough, and the handlebar position can be tweaked to some extent with the adjustable stem. This was a bit stiff to change initially but it does offer the opportunity to get your position just right without any further purchases.

In fact, Touring Pro owners won't be returning to their local bike dealers for much, as this model comes complete with the kind of accessories you'd probably want to fit. I've already mentioned the dynamo lights, but you can add to the list SKS mudguards, a clear chain case, a Racktime AddIt rear rack and a kickstand.

Combined, it's a fairly fulsome package with only the lack of a frame lock marking it out from fully accessorised rivals. Consequently, the all-up weight of slightly more than 17kg seems justified. It's certainly not light, but not entirely unwieldy, either.

Value and conclusion

So the Touring Pro is a very good bike to ride, with a lot of useful extras and a decent enough selection of components. What's not to like? For me, as a tester, not much. But what if I actually wanted to buy this bike? Then I'd have to pay £649 for the pleasure, and that's quite a lot of money. So my one gripe with the Touring Pro is that it seems just a little expensive, which is not a criticism normally levelled at Cube.

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In terms of rivals, the Scott Sub Cross 40 has a very similar basic spec, albeit without the rack, kickstand, mudguard and lights, and retails for £100 less. Or there's the Ridgeback Avenida 21 at £549.99, which is a very similar looking bike with all the same accessories, yet features a Tourney gearset and V-brakes. Is the Cube package worth the extra? That's for buyers to decide. All I can say for sure is, there's certainly a lot to like about the way it rides.

Verdict

With performance somewhere between 'tourer' and 'shopper', the Cube Touring Pro is a fine leisure and commuting bike