Cube Kathmandu

Cube Kathmandu Review

The Kathmandu is a part of Cube’s increasing involvement in the market for hybrid bikes. The primary appeal of a hybrid bike is that it can be used regularly and over an extensive range of different terrain from city to mountain trails and be able to manage them all equally well. So let’s see how well this one does. The Kathmandu can be had as a city bike and also a sports bike.

First off, the construction. The frame of the Kathmandu is an aluminum Superlite Trekking that is double butted and oriented on comfort. Comfort is an important part of the Kathmandu’s ride especially over long distances and in city traffic. Both rides will have you spending a rather long time on it. The fork is a Suntour NCX S RLD on the city bike and a Rock Shox Paragon Gold with 63mm of travel on the sportier version. The drivetrain is a classically efficient Shimano system and the tyres are trusty variants of Schwalbe. The city versions of the Kathmandu use traditional caliper brakes while the sportier versions use hydraulic discs.

The Kathmandu is also a very practical bike to have. It has a rack that can be expanded to carry a variety of different loads like bags, boxes etc. The cabling system is routed internally so it will last longer with reduced wear and tear. The whole bike weighs just over 15 kilograms which is not brilliant but ok. You do not want to test it on terrain that is extreme but the Kathmandu is still quite tough and durable and can be relied upon to deliver in most situations.

The Verdict

The Cube Kathmandu is based on a versatile design concept and it certainly delivers on all the promises of a good hybrid bike.