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Cube Nuroad Race FE

8
£1,499.00

VERDICT:

8
10
Solid all-rounder for road and off-road excursions that offers a fun yet stable ride
Weight: 
11,680g
Contact: 

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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It's a bit of a weighty beast, but with sensible gearing and sorted geometry the Cube Nuroad Race FE is a much more fun bike to ride than you might expect. It's comfortable, offers a smooth ride and delivers an all-round decent package for the money. Don't expect the mudguards to keep your feet dry, though.

  • Pros: Low gears help you spin and offset the overall weight; positive handling
  • Cons: Mudguards are too short; dynamo light not powerful enough for fast road riding

>Buy now: Cube Nuroad Race FE from Damain Harris Cycles for £1499.00

Ride

Using the sizing from its cyclo-cross bikes and the geometry from the endurance-based Attain range, Cube has come up with a quality bike that works across a real mix of terrains without really feeling as though it is sacrificing performance or ride quality on any of them.

Cube Nuroad Race FE - riding 4.jpg

The main thing I liked about the Nuroad is that it is so easy to ride. On this 53cm model the head angle is a pretty slack 71 degrees which, when paired to everything else that is going on with the geometry, gives some very balanced steering; you always feel in control.

On the road, while not the fastest handling machine out there, the whole bike feels beautifully weighted and seems to offer plenty of feedback throughout so you can still push on into the bends knowing exactly what the tyres are up to.

Even on steep descents the Nuroad carved a beautiful line between the apexes, and while I wasn't carrying the same amount of speed through the corners as I would be on a race bike, I wasn't far off and it was still fun to push it a bit.

Cube Nuroad Race FE - riding 3.jpg

Leaving the tarmac and heading out into the wilderness, that balanced handling remains, and even though the gravel or dirt may be sliding around beneath you, that feeling of composure is still there to boost your confidence.

The 537mm top tube length found on this model is a touch shorter than I would normally ride, but I never felt cramped. Thanks to the relatively short 140mm head tube I could get a decent stretched position, and reasonably racy when I removed the spacers from under the stem to get a lower centre of gravity for stability in the bends.

Cube Nuroad FE - head tube.jpg

For longer treks with my hands on the tops or hoods, the shorter reach meant I could sit a little more upright than normal, easing my lower back; that's a particularly good thing here because the lower gearing than you'd normally find on a road bike means you probably won't be getting out of the saddle much.

Those low gears offset the 11.68kg (25.75lb) weight pretty well too, as the Nuroad is actually quite a quick bike to cruise around on. I noticed I was about 1.5-2mph average slower on my usual roads than something like my Kinesis T2, but the Cube doesn't feel sluggish so unless you're chasing personal bests it isn't an issue. If speed is more of a concern you might be better off with the Nuroad Race, which doesn't have the added accessories of the FE and weighs about 10.2kg.

If you do need to get out of the saddle for a steep climb, you won't be disappointed when it comes to stiffness. Attacking short, sharp climbs actually found the Cube to be pretty nippy and responsive – until gravity reminds your legs that they are pushing a 12kg bike skyward.

Cube Nuroad Race FE - riding 2.jpg

Comfort is impressive as well. The Nuroad has quite a chunky, box-like frame and it would be easy to jump to the conclusion that the ride will be harsh, but that is far from the truth. It is actually quite refined, and even with the tyres pumped up purely for road use there is little vibration or buzz common through the contact points.

Overall, when it comes to riding around the Cube is loads more fun than I originally envisaged, and it is pretty much the ideal winter commuter or trainer – especially if you want a bit of variety in your riding. I loved the ability to just dart off down a rough track to see where it goes, or being able to string different routes together by linking them with the various byways that criss-cross the Wiltshire, Somerset and Dorset landscapes to create some properly epic rides.

Accessories

There are five Nuroad models in the range, but only two – the Race FE and the Pro FE – come with a few extras to make the Cube even more versatile as a year-round workhorse.

This Race FE comes with a Supernova E3 Pure 3 dynamo headlight powered by the front hub and paired to an E3 Tail Light 2 to complete the package.

Cube Nuroad FE - front light.jpg

At 205 lumens the front light is bright enough to be used as a daytime running light and the beauty is that it is always on, so you never need to worry about charging batteries for the commute or if you get caught out in the dark.

Supernova lights are made to German STVZO lighting standards, so they have a cut-off to the top of the beam to stop you dazzling oncomers. It is certainly noticeable on this one, but it still offers a decent spread of light out in front of you and to the sides.

> Buyer's Guide: The best 2019/2020 front lights for cycling

There is a little bit of drag from the dynamo hub at very slow speeds, and if you have a lot of traffic lights on your ride you'll notice the extra effort for each standing start, but once up to speed it is barely noticeable.

Cube Nuroad FE - front dynamo hub.jpg

Riding on dark lanes at speeds above 15mph I didn't find the E3 to offer adequate illumination, either in depth up the road or clarity to pick out drains and potholes, so you'll definitely need to add another light to your bar.

The rear E3 is dinky but chucks out some impressive light, and again it's nice to know you don't need to keep checking your battery levels.

Cube Nuroad FE - rear light.jpg

Cube has kept the wiring neat and tidy throughout, so the setup looks part of the bike, too.

The Race FE also has a set of Cube's Acid 45 mudguards fitted. Ideally, they could do with being a little bit longer, especially the front. As you can see from some of the photos, they don't do a lot to protect your feet or the drivetrain area of the bike. You also get quite a bit of spray out of the sides which covers the fork legs and the guards themselves.

Cube Nuroad FE - front.jpg

At least they keep your backside dry, though, and there is no risk of catching the bottom of the guard on rocks when riding off-road.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best mudguards for any type of bike

Finally, there is also the Acid Nuroad Luggage Carrier rack, getting you ready for a bit of loaded travelling.

Cube Nuroad FE - rear guard and rack.jpg

Frame and fork

The frame is 6061-T6 Superlite aluminium alloy and it is a sturdy looking frameset with functional rather than pretty welds. It's well put together and took on plenty of abuse through the test period, on and off-road, especially the paintwork.

Cube Nuroad FE.jpg

Up front you are getting a tapered head tube for extra stiffness, which blends into the oversized down tube to create a firm front end.

Cube Nuroad FE - head tube badge.jpg

There is plenty of material around the bottom bracket area and the chainstays are on the beefy side to help transfer the power through the drivetrain.

Elsewhere, things are a little more slender for comfort, with the top tube tapering down as it heads towards the seat tube, and the seatstays are on the slender side for comfort without sacrificing strength on a bike designed to live a hard life and carry some load.

Cube Nuroad FE - seat tube junction.jpg

One thing that is a little bit odd is that Cube has gone for a press-fit bottom bracket, which many brands are moving away from on their frames. The main issues are getting the tolerances of the BB shell to match those of the bearing cups – it is the tiny slop between the two that allows water and grit in, which creates the creaking. So far, though, with about five weeks of testing on some really muddy gravel tracks, wet roads and canal paths, the BB is still running smoothly.

Cube Nuroad FE - bottom bracket.jpg

The front half of the frame has internal cable routing, keeping the look clean and uncluttered, before it exits just above the bottom bracket through a small port. 

Cube Nuroad FE - cable route.jpg

I've mentioned the mudguard and rear rack mount but the Nuroad also has a rack mount on the carbon fork (with alloy steerer) for extra load carrying capability, plus you get two bottle cage mounts.

Cube Nuroad FE - fork.jpg

As you might expect, the wheels are held in place with 12mm thru-axles front and rear, and the callipers are attached via flat mounts.

Tyre clearance isn't class-leading at 40mm, but it's not to be sniffed at either. There are plenty of decent tyres around in that size option, like the Schwalbe G-One Bites, which work really well on the road and hardpack surfaces.

Cube Nuroad FE - front guard 2.jpg

The Cube actually comes with a set of G-One Speeds but in a 35mm width, to provide clearance for the mudguards.

Cube Nuroad FE - seat stays.jpg

The Nuroad is available in five sizes, with an effective top tube length of 517mm on the smallest 50cm frame, rising to 591mm on the largest 60cm size.

Gravel groupset

For 2019 the Nuroad Race FE came with a Shimano 105 road setup, but for 2020 it is specced with the new gravel-specific GRX groupset which really suits its riding style.

Cube Nuroad FE - crank.jpg

GRX is available in three levels: 10-speed GRX400, this mid-range GRX600 found on the Nuroad, and 11-speed GRX800 available in mechanical and Di2 options.

The main benefits of it is the smaller chainring options over Shimano's road groupsets. The Cube has a 46/30 chainset which, paired with an 11-34 cassette, gives you those low gears I mentioned earlier that counteract the overall weight of the bike and benefit climbing.

Cube Nuroad FE - drivetrain.jpg

I also like the shape of the brake levers with their flattened fronts compared to, say, 105. The flat section gives you a better grip for holding onto the brakes when trying to stop on rough surfaces.

Cube Nuroad FE - bar and shifter.jpg

The groupset as a whole works really well, offering the usual precise shifting found on Shimano's components, and the braking power and control from the BR-RX400 hydraulic callipers is absolutely spot on.

Cube Nuroad FE - front disc brake.jpg

Cube has gone for 160mm rotors front and rear, which I found to be ample in all conditions.

Cube Nuroad FE - rear disc brake.jpg

Finishing kit

The alloy stem, handlebar and seatpost are all Cube-branded items and exactly what I'd expect on a bike at this money.

Cube Nuroad FE - stem.jpg

The Gravel Race bar has flared drops, which increase the width from 44cm at the hoods to 49cm at the drops. This provides extra stability when travelling at speed off-road thanks to the wider stance, and it also works well on the road, I've found, especially in the wet.

Cube Nuroad FE - bars.jpg

The Natural Fit Venec Lite saddle has more padding and is slightly wider than I'd normally ride on the road, but I found it worked for me, especially considering how much time I was spending on it. It's firm enough that you aren't bouncing around on it, but still plush enough to take out the bumps.

Cube Nuroad FE - saddle.jpg

Wheels and tyres

Cube also supplies the wheels, its RA 0.8 CX models. They're a 28-spoke build front and rear and seem to be pretty tough – they certainly stood up well to all of the abuse I gave them without grumbling.

Cube Nuroad FE - rim.jpg

The hubs both ran smoothly throughout the test period and the wheels remained true and perfectly tensioned.

Tyre-wise, I've already mentioned that the Cube comes with a pair of 35mm Schwalbe G-One Speeds and they are very good indeed. Being the Performance model that we often see specced as original equipment they aren't tubeless-ready, which could be an issue for you for gravel riding, but they roll and grip on the tarmac very well. They feel almost like a set of road tyres but able to handle the rough stuff just as well. That's as long as it's dry... even the slightest layer of wet mud can see them become a bit skittish.

Cube Nuroad FE - rim and tyre.jpg

Value

Priced at £1,499, the Cube represents decent value for money for the package. The standard Nuroad Race costs £1,299, and on this FE model you are getting a near-£200 lightset, dynamo hub, rack and mudguards.

It's £100 more than the Shimano 105-equipped Ribble CGR AL do-it-all machine, which Jon over on off.road.cc found to be hugely versatile; that's also fitted with mudguards and able to take slightly larger tyres than the Cube.

> Buyer's Guide: 22 of the best gravel and adventure bikes

Another bike with similar capabilities to the Nuroad is the Kinesis G2, which has an alloy frame, carbon fork and plenty of mounts for attaching things to. It's pretty light at 10kg, but that is only 200g lighter than a 'naked' Nuroad Race, and costs £1,500 for a 1x SRAM Apex build.

Conclusion

Overall, I really like the Nuroad Race, especially in this FE build. Other than high speed road riding it has pretty much every discipline covered, and it is just so much fun to ride whatever the conditions.

The handling works whether you are an experienced rider or someone who is a little less confident in the bends, and having the extras like the dynamo lights and rack just adds to the year-round versatility.

And if you want a quicker bike for the summer, you could just strip all that stuff off and be left with a reasonably light gravel machine.

Verdict

Solid all-rounder for road and off-road excursions that offers a fun yet stable ride

If you're thinking of buying this product using a cashback deal why not use the road.cc Top Cashback page and get some top cashback while helping to support your favourite independent cycling website

road.cc test report

Make and model: Cube Nuroad Race FE

Size tested: 53cm

About the bike

List the components used to build up the bike.

Cube lists:

FRAME

Aluminium 6061 T6 Superlite, Gravel Comfort Geometry, Flat Mount Disc, Fender & Rack Option, 12x142mm, AXH

SIZE

50, 53, 56, 58, 61

FORK

CUBE Nuroad Disc, One Piece 3D-Forged Steerer/Crown, Carbon Blades, 1 1/8" - 1 1/2" Tapered, Flat Mount, 12x100mm

HEADSET

FSA Orbit Z-t ECO, Top Zero-Stack 1 1/8" (OD 44mm), Bottom Integrated 1 1/2"

STEM

CUBE Performance Stem Pro, 31.8mm

HANDLEBAR

CUBE Gravel Race Bar

REAR DERAILLEUR

Shimano GRX RD-RX810, Direct Mount, 11-Speed

FRONT DERAILLEUR

Shimano GRX FD-R810

BRAKE SYSTEM

Shimano BR-RX400, Hydr. Disc Brake, Flat Mount (160/160)

CRANKSET

Shimano GRX FC-RX600, 46x30T, 170mm (50/53cm), 172.5mm (56/58cm), 175mm (61cm)

CHAIN

Shimano CN-HG600-11

COLOUR

black'n'iridium

HANDLEBAR TAPE

CUBE Grip Control

SHIFT/ BRAKE LEVERS

Shimano GRX ST-RX600

CASSETTE

Shimano 105 CS-HG700, 11-34T

WHEELSET

CUBE RA 0.8 CX w/ hub dynamo

TYRES

Schwalbe G-One Speed, Perf. Kevlar, 35-622

SADDLE

Natural Fit Venec Lite

SEAT POST

CUBE Performance Post, 27.2mm

SEATCLAMP

CUBE Screwlock, 31.8mm

FRONT LIGHT

Supernova E3 Pure 3

REAR LIGHT

Supernova E3 Tail Light 2

MUDGUARDS

ACID 45

BELL

Knog Oi

CARRIER

ACID Nuroad Carrier

Tell us what the bike is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about the bike?

Cube says, "Fast, fun, versatile: an impossible combination? Not with the Nuroad Race FE. Featuring Shimano's new gravel-friendly GRX 2x11 transmission and hydraulic disc brakes, we combined all the best qualities of our Attain and Cross Race series, then threw in a dynamo-powered Supernova E3 lighting system and an Acid Nuroad luggage carrier, too. The 35mm Schwalbe tyres are fast, grippy and comfortable and leave plenty of room for the Acid Gravel mudguards, so you can stay cleaner and drier whatever the weather throws at you. And, as you'd expect, the Nuroad Race FE's lightweight aluminium frame is built for comfort, confidence-inspiring handling and all-round versatility. Internal cable routing keeps gear shifts clean even in gritty or muddy conditions, and a replaceable derailleur hanger means that an accident doesn't mean a written-off frame. The result of all this attention to detail? An adventurous, adaptable thoroughbred. Take the less obvious route to work or load up for a longer backcountry trip; either way, the Nuroad Race FE will get you there quickly, in comfort and wearing a big grin."

If you want to ride on various terrains on the same ride then the Nuroad range is a very good option. The added accessories of the Race FE makes it even more versatile.

Where does this model sit in the range? Tell us briefly about the cheaper options and the more expensive options

The Nuroad range is split into three models: SL, Race and Pro. The SL gets a Shimano GRX800 groupset and Mavic wheels for £1,599, the Race uses GRX600 for £1,299 and the Tiagra-equipped Pro costs £999.

Both the Race and Pro get FE options though, including dynamo lights, guards and rack for £1,399 and £1,099 respectively.

Frame and fork

Overall rating for frame and fork
 
8/10

Tell us about the build quality and finish of the frame and fork?

The welding isn't the prettiest I've seen but it is well finished and suits the style of the bike overall.

Tell us about the materials used in the frame and fork?

The frame uses 6061-T6 aluminium alloy tubing while the fork is a mixture of carbon fibre for the legs with an alloy steerer.

Tell us about the geometry of the frame and fork?

It is a mixture of a slack front end, which gives relaxed handling on the road, and a steep seat angle, which puts you in quite an aggressive position if you want to put the power down.

Overall it creates a very balanced bike to ride, offering plenty of stability but fun when you want it.

Full details are here. https://www.cube.eu/en/2020/bikes/road/cyclocross-gravel/nuroad/cube-nur...

How was the bike in terms of height and reach? How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size?

This 53cm has a stack of 557mm which is a little lower than most bikes like this because of a shorter head tube than the norm. The reach of 382mm is about right.

Riding the bike

Was the bike comfortable to ride? Tell us how you felt about the ride quality.

Yes, the Cube was comfortable to ride. Even with the tyres pumped up hard there was no harshness through the frame.

Did the bike feel stiff in the right places? Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible?

Stiffness is certainly at the level needed for the type of riding it'll see.

How did the bike transfer power? Did it feel efficient?

Considering the weight it feels pretty efficient, mostly down to those lower gears getting you off the line or up the hills quicker.

Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? If so was it a problem?

Yes, but not a huge problem unless you forget about it when track standing.

How would you describe the steering? Was it lively neutral or unresponsive? Neutral.

Tell us some more about the handling. How did the bike feel overall? Did it do particular things well or badly?

The handling could be described as a little lazy on the road but it works. Loads of feedback from the frame lets you know what the front end is up to and it is easy to control when off-road on various surfaces.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's comfort? would you recommend any changes?

The saddle is a good balance of comfort and firmness for support.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's stiffness? would you recommend any changes?

The wheels are a strong build and felt stiff enough for climbing out of the saddle.

Which components had the most effect (good or bad) on the bike's efficiency? would you recommend any changes?

The 46/30T chainset helps acceleration and climbing.

Rate the bike for efficiency of power transfer:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for acceleration:
 
7/10
Rate the bike for sprinting:
 
7/10
Rate the bike for high speed stability:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for cruising speed stability:
 
9/10
Rate the bike for low speed stability:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for flat cornering:
 
8/10
Rate the bike for cornering on descents:
 
7/10
Rate the bike for climbing:
 
7/10

The drivetrain

Rate the drivetrain for performance:
 
9/10
Rate the drivetrain for durability:
 
9/10
Rate the drivetrain for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the drivetrain for value:
 
8/10

Tell us some more about the drivetrain. Anything you particularly did or didn't like? Any components which didn't work well together?

It's a great groupset that works on and off the road.

Wheels and tyres

Rate the wheels for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the wheels for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the wheels for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the wheels for comfort:
 
7/10
Rate the wheels for value:
 
7/10

Tell us some more about the wheels.Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the wheels? If so what for?

The front wheel has a bit of drag from the dynamo hub, but once on the move it's fine. Strong and stiff as well.

Rate the tyres for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the tyres for durability:
 
7/10
Rate the tyres for weight:
 
8/10
Rate the tyres for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the tyres for value:
 
7/10

Tell us some more about the tyres. Did they work well in the conditions you encountered? Would you change the tyres? If so what for?

One of the best tyres for performing on both road and gravel with little in the way of compromise.

Controls

Rate the controls for performance:
 
7/10
Rate the controls for durability:
 
8/10
Rate the controls for weight:
 
7/10
Rate the controls for comfort:
 
8/10
Rate the controls for value:
 
7/10

Tell us some more about the controls. Any particularly good or bad components? How would the controls work for larger or smaller riders?

Decent enough components and I was glad to see a flared handlebar, as it is a must for gravel riding.

Your summary

Did you enjoy riding the bike? Yes

Would you consider buying the bike? Yes, it would make a welcome addition to cover commuting, winter training and gravel excursions.

Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Yes

How does the price compare to that of similar bikes in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The Cube competes well on value when compared to other similarly capable bikes like the Kinesis and Ribble models I mention in the review. For similar money the Cube comes with extra goodies compared to the Kinesis.

Rate the bike overall for performance:
 
8/10
Rate the bike overall for value:
 
5/10

Use this box to explain your overall score

For the money this really is a good package: a decent frameset that is well specced, comes with plenty of accessories and is great to ride. The only downsides are the short mudguards and the potential for a creaky bottom bracket at some point.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 41  Height: 180cm  Weight: 76kg

I usually ride: This month's test bike  My best bike is: B'Twin Ultra CF draped in the latest bling test components

I've been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: time trialling, commuting, club rides, sportives, fixed/singlespeed

As part of the tech team here at F-At Digital, senior product reviewer Stu spends the majority of his time writing in-depth reviews for road.cc, off-road.cc and ebiketips using the knowledge gained from testing over 1,500 pieces of kit (plus 100's of bikes) since starting out as a freelancer back in 2009. After first throwing his leg over a race bike back in 2000, Stu's ridden more than 170,000 miles on road, time-trial, track, and gravel bikes, and while he's put his racing days behind him, he still likes to smash the pedals rather than take things easy. With a background in design and engineering, he has an obsession with how things are developed and manufactured, has a borderline fetish for handbuilt metal frames and finds a rim braked road bike very aesthetically pleasing!

Add new comment

9 comments

Avatar
matthewn5 | 4 years ago
0 likes

I'm with @armb. Dynamo lights with STVZO certification are perfectly adequate for riding in dark lanes, because the light is spread around evenly light car headlights. I did the whole Dunwich Dynamo last year with a 70 lux B&M luxos and it was the best light I've ever had.

This explains why the shaped beam is more important than the total output:

https://janheine.wordpress.com/2018/09/20/myth-14-more-lumens-make-a-bet...

Avatar
destabilised | 4 years ago
1 like

I've been riding a 2019 version of the 'Pro' spec of this bike (Tiagra, mechanical Spyre Cs, rather than 105/GRX and hydraulic discs) for the last three months. I bought it as a winter bike and all-year commuter and have been pretty pleased with it. It does look like a bit of tank, but doesn't ride like it, and I think the review captures its suprisingly lively feel well. I got mine at just under the £1k cycle to work scheme ceiling and it ticked all the boxes in terms of mudguards, rack, dynamo lights for commuting. I agree a longer front mudguatrd would be good, so I'll rig up a flap of some sort. I wanted a threaded bottom bracket, so the press-fit was a compromise I thought hard about. So far, despite very wet weather, no problems here. My commute includes 7.5 miles of unlit, off-road trail, mostly  a disused railway line, and some of it well away from any lit roads and across country, so properly dark at night. Surface includes OK tarmac through to gravel/hardpack, with lots of tree cover so a rich coating of decaying leaf matter in the autumn. The 35mm G-One Speeds have been fine so far for grip. I'm backing off a bit in the corners on wet days, but have stayed upright all the time so far, so that seems wide enough to me for anything short of full off-road trails.  Mine came with a 30 lux rated AXA front light (the calculation from lux to lumens is too tricky for my feeble maths to be able to work out what that comes to). When the clocks went back that turned out to be just about enough for those unlit, tree-shaded railway tracks, but I upgraded with a good deal on a 70 lux unit, and that is as much as I can see myself ever needing, even in complete darkness and heavy cloud blocking any moonlight. A really practical bike that's much nicer and more rewarding to ride than I anticipated, making its role as winter trainer and fun bike just as fulfilling as it is effective at getting me to work. 

Avatar
the infamous grouse | 4 years ago
3 likes

.. of course, having a higher-output DYNAMO-powered light requires taking more energy from the front wheel. which would give everyone something else to complain about.

 

205 lumens is pretty good from 6V/3W input that is available from walking pace upwards, be realistic.

Avatar
FlyingPenguin replied to the infamous grouse | 4 years ago
0 likes
the infamous grouse wrote:

.. of course, having a higher-output DYNAMO-powered light requires taking more energy from the front wheel. which would give everyone something else to complain about.

 

205 lumens is pretty good from 6V/3W input that is available from walking pace upwards, be realistic.

The critisim leveled was that it was insufficient for riding in "proper" dark at any real speed,  not that it was bad for a dynamo light. 

Hence, per the review, "you'll definitely need to add another light to your bar" if you want to do that type of riding...

Avatar
armb replied to FlyingPenguin | 4 years ago
1 like
FlyingPenguin wrote:

The critisim leveled was that it was insufficient for riding in "proper" dark at any real speed,  not that it was bad for a dynamo light. 

Hence, per the review, "you'll definitely need to add another light to your bar" if you want to do that type of riding...

I wouldn't rely on my dynamo lights off road, but I don't have a problem with them on unlit roads. I might be slower than the reviewer, but I have used them at least a bit over 15mph. I haven't used a Supernova, but reviews seem to agree it's one of the better dynamo lights.

Avatar
Tinbob49 | 4 years ago
1 like

Agree with the lumens. I run 200 lumens plus a separate 110 lumen light on pulse in the city and around street lit areas. If I go into the countryside I bump the 200 up to 400 to see satisfactorily at speeds up to say 18mph.

funnily I don't see virtually any difference between the 800 and 400 setting so I keep it at 400 to double battery life.

200 lumens wouldn't be enough for unlit off-road where there is tree cover to block out ambient light from nearby cities.

Avatar
Langsam | 4 years ago
4 likes

I was surprised that the reviewer found a 205 lumen front dynamo light inadequate.

Avatar
FlyingPenguin replied to Langsam | 4 years ago
1 like
Langsam wrote:

I was surprised that the reviewer found a 205 lumen front dynamo light inadequate.

200 lumens is generally "be visible to traffic and useable on lit city streets" territory.  Double that (at least!) is where you need to be for use at anything approaching speed on unlit roads.

For a bike that purports to be useable on the rough stuff (which is almost certainly unlit), a 200 lumen light is at best a backup light of last resort...

 

Avatar
KiwiMike | 4 years ago
1 like

I was all for this stuff, right up to the spec'd 35mm tyres - with clearance maxing out at 40mm. That's just silly. Any bike purporting to take a sniff off tarmac should be easily capable of 40mm *minimum*. When 38 is the new 25mm, what are they thinking? how hard is it to make forks or stays 5-10mm wider? 

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