The ‘Action Team’ label that CUBE grant certain models in their portfolio doesn’t just go hand in hand with the striking red and blue colourway, but stands for a first-rate spec and the ultimate riding performance. For 2016 CUBE haven’t just revised their Hybrid HPA frame series, but also expanded the palette to include a now motorised Team version of the 160 mm long-travel of this previously exclusively unmotorised bike intended for hardcore riding.

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CUBE Hybrid Stereo goes enduro – the HPA Action Team with 160 mm travel.

Alongside newly designed tubing and elements, 2016’s Stereo Hybrid range now exclusively features the Boost standard and a Bosch Performance CX motor with 500 Wh battery. Thanks to the redesigned frame and the more compact motor, CUBE have been able to alter the angle of the motor by several degrees, which – along with the motor case, designed and produced by CUBE – has resulted in saving significant space. The chainstays and rocker arm have been shortened, rendering the Stereo Hybrid series more agile and responsive, with a more progressive rear. The new design also allows you to mount a rear shock with piggyback, and almost all of the cables are internally routed.

The range’s highlight is the all-new HPA Action Team, which is specced to give all-out enduro performance. With the supreme FOX Factory suspension with colour-coordinated 36 forks as well as the FLOAT X rear shock, there’s a plush 160 mm of travel up for grabs. The top of the range ride also features a SRAM 1×11 X01 drivetrain, a wide and rigid Race Face Carbon cockpit as well as powerful MAGURA MT7 brakes and wide DT Swiss wheels – all channeling the Action Team look.

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Unlike the previous year, the redesigned HPA frame has a significantly shorter chainstay thanks to the re-positioning of the new motor …

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… as well as a shorter rocker arm, rendering the Stereo Hybrid range more agile and progressive than its predecessor.

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The Performance CX motor has received CUBE’s own casing.

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Nice: the majority of the cables disappear into the frame …

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… cleanly bridging any joints …

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… before reaching where they’re destined for. On the production model the Shimano cassette will be replaced with a cassette to match the SRAM X01 derailleur.

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CUBE are known for their eye for design, and the Stereo Hybrid 160 is no exception: the FOX 36 forks, MAGURA MT7 brakes and …

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… and the DT Swiss wheels come with the stylish red and blue colourway …

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… of the Action Team.

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The Race Face Carbon cockpit is more than a match for the rest of the spec …

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… with its uncluttered bars.

The CUBE Stereo Hybrid 160 HPA Action Team is a definite case of ‘one of a kind’, as this 160 mm long-travel spec will only be available in this model – which will retail for € 5.600. When it comes to weight and availability, patience is called for.

Text: Andreas Maschke Photo: Sebastian Hermann


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