https://www.cube.eu/de-en/cube-editor-slx-nightsky-n-ink/855400
Before 2025, this bike was named Cube Travel SLX (https://archiv.cube.eu/en/2024/750600) or Cube Editor (https://archiv.cube.eu/en/2024/747400)
| Frame | ||
| Frame | Aluminium Superlite, Urban, Double Butted | |
| Size | Classic: XS / 46cm, S / 50cm, M / 54cm, L / 58cm, XL / 62cm | |
| Rigid Fork | Aluminium Rigid Fork | |
| Drivetrain & Brakes | ||
| Brake System | Shimano BR-MT410, Hydr. Disc Brake (160/160) | |
| Shifters | Shimano Alfine SL-S700 | |
| Bottom Bracket | Gates BSA | |
| Crankset | Gates S301 CDC, 45.5mm Beltline | |
| Sprocket | Gates CDX, 45.5mm Beltline, 22T | |
| Drive Belt | Gates CDX, 113T | |
| Cockpit | ||
| Headset | VP Semi-Integrated, Top 1 1/8", Bottom 1 1/8", Sealed Bearing | |
| Stem | CUBE Performance Stem Pro, 31.8mm | |
| Handlebar | CUBE Flat Race Bar, 660mm | |
| Grips | ACID Travel | |
| Wheels | ||
| Rims | CUBE EX25, 32H, Disc, Tubeless Ready | |
| Front Hub | Shimano XT HB-M8000, QR, Centerlock | |
| Rear Hub | Shimano Alfine SG-S7001, 11-Speed | |
| Tyres | Schwalbe G-One Allround, Kevlar, 40-622 | |
| Finishing Kit | ||
| Saddle | Natural Fit Sequence | |
| Seat Post | CUBE Performance Post, 27.2mm | |
| Pedals | CUBE PP MTB | |
| Bell | Knog Oi | |
| Product Information | ||
| Color | nightsky´n´ink | |
| Weight | 12.4 kg | |
| Art. No | 855400 | |
| SRP* | 1499 EUR | |
| More Information | ||
| Bike Category of Use | 2 ("Leisure riding and trekking under moderate effort" - Typical speed range: 15 to 25 km/h) | |
| Maximum System Weight | 140 kg |
| 46 cm | 50 cm | 54 cm | 58 cm | 62 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Seat tube | 440 | 480 | 520 | 560 | 600 |
| Top Tube Horizontal | 560 | 570 | 586 | 596 | 607 |
| Seat angle | 73° | 73° | 73° | 73° | 73° |
| Head tube angle | 70° | 71° | 72° | 72° | 72° |
| Chainstays | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 | 430 |
| Head tube | 135 | 150 | 170 | 190 | 210 |
| Wheelbase | 1048 | 1049 | 1055 | 1066 | 1077 |
| BB-Height to Hub | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 | 50 |
| Protrusion height - 80mm | 797 | 829 | 862 | 893 | 924 |
| Reach | 396 | 400 | 410 | 414 | 419 |
| Stack | 537 | 555 | 577 | 597 | 616 |
| 46 cm | 50 cm | 54 cm | 58 cm | 62 cm | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Stem length | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 | 90 |
| Angle stem | 6° | 6° | 6° | 6° | 6° |
| Handlebar width | 660 | 660 | 660 | 660 | 660 |
| Crank length | 175 | 175 | 175 | 175 | 175 |
| Length seat post | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 | 350 |
| Diameter seatpost | 27.2 | 27.2 | 27.2 | 27.2 | 27.2 |
| Diameter tire maximum | 713 | 713 | 713 | 713 | 713 |
| Width tire maximum | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 | 42 |
All values are given in millimetres or degrees
Cube has another interesting bike: https://www.cube.eu/de-en/cube-hyde-pro-dustyolive-n-gold/855200
- Frame with less agressive position
- Wider tire clearance: 58 mm instead of 42 mm (better suited for gravel/touring)
- Carbon fork with thru-axle instead of quick-release
But the other components are lower level: Alfine 8 instead of 11, Shimano BR-MT200 disc brake instead of BR-MT410, Gates CDN & CDC instead of CDX...
The Cube Editor is a very nice bike, unfortunately the Alfine 11 lower gear is not low enough for touring.
This road.cc article explains it well:
The Alfine 11 is the most expensive and sophisticated hub gear Shimano makes and offers a total gear range of 408%. Of widely-available hub gear systems only Rohloff gives you more range, with 14 gears over a 526% range in a hub that costs around £1,000. For comparison, a typical 50/34 chainset with an 11-32 cassette, as you might find on a modern hybrid, has a 426% range.
With a 46-tooth chainring and 22-tooth sprocket, the Editor has a high gear of 122 inches and a low of 30. Frankly, that's a bit silly. Nobody needs a 122-inch gear on a round-town bike, but if you were to venture out of town at the weekend you'd likely be grateful for something lower than that 30-inch bottom gear. One of the disadvantages of a belt drive is that changing gear range is expensive as you'll need new sprockets and a new belt, so it's important for the manufacturer to get it right in the first place.
Article from Alee Denham to understand what is gear range: https://www.cyclingabout.com/gear-ratios-how-to-select-touring-bike-gearing/
It really depends on where you're riding, the terrain, your experience and how strong you are. Here's a guide I've put together for an "average" rider who is looking for enough gears to get up hills on their tour.
- No panniers: 33 to 110"
- Panniers with 5kg: 29 to 110"
- Panniers with 10kg: 25 to 110"
- Panniers with 20kg or more: 20 to 100"
- Off-Road Touring: 18 to 100"
I've modified the gear range following the principles described in this very nice article: https://handsonbike.blogspot.com/2014/01/avanti-inc-3-modifying-gear-range.html
Below are the results using Sheldon Brown's gear calculator for the Alfine 11: https://www.sheldonbrown.com/gear-calc.html
Gear chart using Gear Inches for 700C x 38 mm / 38-622 tire and 170 mm crank length:
| Chainring / Sprocket | Low | High | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 46 / 22 | 30.1" | 38.9" | 44.0" | 50.2" | 56.8" | 64.8" | 73.8" | 83.5" | 95.2" | 107.8" | 123.0" |
| 46 / 24 | 27.6" | 35.7" | 40.3" | 46.0" | 52.1" | 59.4" | 67.7" | 76.6" | 87.3" | 98.9" | 112.7" |
| 46 / 26 | 25.5" | 32.9" | 37.2" | 42.4" | 48.1" | 54.8" | 62.4" | 70.7" | 80.6" | 91.3" | 104.1" |
| 23.7" | 30.6" | 34.6" | 39.4" | 44.7" | 50.9" | 58.0" | 65.6" | 74.8" | 84.7" | 96.6" | |
| 42 / 22 | 27.5" | 35.5" | 40.2" | 45.8" | 51.9" | 59.1" | 67.4" | 76.3" | 86.9" | 98.5" | 112.3" |
| 25.2" | 32.6" | 36.8" | 42.0" | 47.6" | 54.2" | 61.8" | 69.9" | 79.7" | 90.3" | 102.9" | |
| 42 / 26 | 23.3" | 30.1" | 34.0" | 38.7" | 43.9" | 50.0" | 57.0" | 64.5" | 73.6" | 83.3" | 95.0" |
| 42 / 28 | 21.6" | 27.9" | 31.6" | 36.0" | 40.8" | 46.5" | 52.9" | 59.9" | 68.3" | 77.4" | 88.2" |
| 25.5" | 33.0" | 37.3" | 42.5" | 48.2" | 54.9" | 62.6" | 70.8" | 80.7" | 91.4" | 104.3" | |
| 39 / 24 | 23.4" | 30.2" | 34.2" | 38.4" | 44.2" | 50.3" | 57.4" | 64.9" | 74.0" | 83.8" | 95.6" |
| 39 / 26 | 21.6" | 27.9" | 31.6" | 36.0" | 40.8" | 46.5" | 52.9" | 59.9" | 68.3" | 77.4" | 88.2" |
| 39 / 28 | 20.1" | 25.9" | 29.3" | 33.4" | 37.9" | 43.2" | 49.2" | 55.6" | 63.4" | 71.8" | 81.9" |
23.4" => 95.6" matches my needs better than 30.1" => 123.0"
For comparison, here some gear ranges from other bikes:
Shimano recommends a minimum gear ratio of 1.8: https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/dm/SG0004/DM-SG0004-10-ENG.pdf
However, considering I'm 85kg, I could go as low as 1.5 according to https://www.cyclingabout.com/shimano-alfine-explained-internal-gear-bicycle-hub/
To keep torque under 100 N⋅m, 700C x 40mm tire size
| Rider weight | External gear ratio | Lowest climbing gear | Input torque (standstill) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 1.2 | 17.6" | 72 N⋅m |
| 60 kg | 1.2 | 17.6" | 86 N⋅m |
| 70 kg | 1.2 | 17.6" | 100 N⋅m |
| 80 kg | 1.4 | 20.5" | 99 N⋅m |
| 90 kg | 1.6 | 23.5" | 97 N⋅m |
| 100 kg | 1.8 | 26.4" | 96 N⋅m |
| 110 kg | 1.9 | 27.9" | 99 N⋅m |
| 120 kg | 2.0 | 29.3" | 103 N⋅m |
With a chainring of 39T and a sprocket of 24T, the gear ratio is 1.625
| Chainring / Sprocket | Gear ratio | |
|---|---|---|
| 46 / 22 | 2.090 | Cube Editor stock setup |
| 46 / 24 | 1.916 | |
| 46 / 26 | 1.769 | |
| 1.642 | ||
| 42 / 22 | 1.909 | |
| 1.750 | ||
| 42 / 26 | 1.615 | |
| 42 / 28 | 1.500 | |
| 1.772 | ||
| 39 / 24 | 1.625 | <=== What I want |
| 39 / 26 | 1.500 | |
| 39 / 28 | 1.392 | |
| 32 / 21 | 1.520 | https://pignonsvoyageurs.wordpress.com/2014/09/17/matos-16-mois-et-22-000-kms-plus-tard-pour-geek/ |
| 32 / 22 | 1.454 | https://www.bikeforums.net/bicycle-mechanics/1008417-alfine-8-torque-limit.html |
| 32 / 23 | 1.391 | https://www.mtbr.com/posts/6019258/ |
https://www.gatescarbondrive.com/products/cdx
- Gates CDX front sprockets 4-bolt 104 mm BCD: 39, 42, 46, 50, 55
- Gates CDX front sprockets 5-bolt 130 mm BCD: 46 (Cube Editor stock setup), 50, 55, 60, 63, 70
- Gates CDX rear sprockets SureFit 3-Lobe: 22 (Cube Editor stock setup), 24, 26, 28
Gates has a limited range of belt lengths available. Considering the Cube Editor has a chainstay of 430 mm, Gates gives the following belt tooth count:
| Chainring / Sprocket | Gear ratio | Belt tooth count |
|---|---|---|
| 46 / 22 | 2.090 | 113 |
| 46 / 24 | 1.916 | 115 |
| 46 / 26 | 1.769 | 115 |
| 1.642 | No match | |
| 42 / 22 | 1.909 | 111 |
| 1.750 | ||
| 42 / 26 | 1.615 | 113 |
| 42 / 28 | 1.500 | 113 |
| 1.772 | No match | |
| 39 / 24 | 1.625 | 111 |
| 39 / 26 | 1.500 | 111 |
| 39 / 28 | 1.392 | 113 |
Fortunately, the 39T/24T combination is possible
Gates belt requires proper alignment between the front sprocket and the rear sprocket.
According to Gates, the maximum offset for the CDN and CDX system must not be larger than +/-1.5mm.
Cube Editor has a 45.5mm Beltline while Shimano Zee FC-M640 crankset has a 50.4mm chain line. In theory (if I understand well) 4.9mm crankset bold spacers should be used to align the belt.
I've used a straightedge to check proper belt alignment: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fq1XebFeLgQ and found the Gates CDX 39T front sprocket with the Ⓑ face facing outwards and 5mm bolt spacers make the belt aligned. You can also measure the front belt line: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6T-SraWBQKU
I recommend to experiment with Ⓐ and Ⓑ faces of the Gates front sprocket and 3mm to 5mm spacers and see how it goes.
- Gates CDX 39T front sprocket 4-bolt 104mm BCD XF1139B4AA:
- Gates CDX 24T rear sprocket SureFit 3-Lobe CT1124XMN-U:
- Gates CDX 111T belt:
- Shimano Zee FC-M640 68/73mm bottom bracket 4-arm BCD 104mm, 170mm crank length:
- 4 x 5mm crankset bolt spacers from eBay or AliExpress (buy different spacer lengths to experiment)
- 4 x long (triple) M8 chainring bolts from eBay or AliExpress
Videos from Gates Carbon Drive: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uuuzkZ-8eLE&list=PLCCFBE93195B01006
-
Install the Gates 39T front sprocket with the bolt spacers on the Shimano Zee crankset
-
Remove the belt from the sprockets by loosening it using the eccentric bottom bracket
- Use a 5mm Allen key for the 2 screws at the bottom of the frame
- Use a 3mm Allen key in the hole of the eccentric bottom bracket to rotate it
-
Remove the rear wheel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxH1Pv-urjM
-
Change the original 22T rear sprocket with the 24T
- You don't need any special tool: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cgbH22pRAeI
-
Replace the original crankset with the Shimano Zee
- I didn't change the original bottom bracket with the one that comes with the Shimano Zee crankset (I keep it as a spare part when the original one is worn)
-
Replace the original belt with the Gates 111T belt
- The frame needs to be opened using the screw above the rear sprocket to install the new belt
-
Put back the rear wheel
-
Check the belt alignment using a straightedge
- If the sprockets are not aligned, play with front sprocket Ⓐ and Ⓑ faces and different crankset bolt spacers (2, 3, 4, 5mm) until the belt is aligned
-
Put the belt in place on the sprockets
-
Rotate the eccentric bottom bracket to tension the belt using the Gates Carbon Drive Mobile App: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QejZD_wT1Gc
- I don't find this very accurate, I mostly do it with my feeling
-
-
Gates Carbon Drive Technical Manual: https://www.gatescarbondrive.com/-/media/files/gcd/gates-tech-manual-en.pdf (source: https://www.gatescarbondrive.com/resources/manuals-and-tech)
-
ProWheel crankset instructions: http://www.pro-wheel.com/ins/20220801/mtb20220801INSTRUCTIONS.pdf (source: http://pro-wheel.com/ins/)
- Shimano Zee FC-M640 crankset schema: https://si.shimano.com/en/pdfs/ev/FC-M640-3433/EV-FC-M640-3433.pdf (source: https://si.shimano.com/en/manual/search?input_model=FC-M640)
