Cube Litening Super HPC road bike

The Cube Litening Super HPC SLT Di2 is the German company’s road range topper and you really are getting a huge amount of bike for a huge amount of money. In fact Cube reckon it’s an “absolute top end road bike with nothing left to be desired or improved” bold claims indeed.

If you were playing road bike Top Trumps you’d want the Litening Super HPC SLT Di2 card in your hand, with stats like an overall weight of 6.32kg (a featherweight 13.93lb); frame weight of 860g; and claimed wheel weight of 1295g there isn’t going to be much to beat you. Just in case though, you could always chuck in the price, a cool £6,099.

Like most manufacturers Cube keep a lot of their techniques close to their chest but what we do know is all of the monocoque Super HPC (High Performance Composite) frames from 2014 onwards are created using what Cube call an Advanced Twin Mold process. This involves an internal form used to position each layer of carbon fibre exactly where it needs to be and keep it there during the layup and curing process, so there’s no bunching of fibres. The end result is less material can be used as there is no chance of fibres moving and leaving a weak point in the frame.

Extra material is added where it is needed in areas that are likely to see higher loads in various directions from sprinting, climbing and the like and the finished product flows rather nicely between the various profiles.

The beauty isn’t just skin deep though. Cube have created a frame thats just as easy to ride to the shops as it is flat out sprinting in a tight group. The key seems to be the geometry where a slightly slacker head tube angle  than normal   (72° on our 56cm) makes it easier to ride hard for more of the time due to a less twitchy front end. The steering is much more forgiving should you get things a little bit wrong. Don’t go crossing the Litening off of your wish list just yet though seasoned racers/bike handling gods, push the Cube hard into a bend and it’ll respond to your input and more.

While we are on the subject of geometry it’s worth double checking before you click on the ‘buy’ button. The sizing is a touch odd. Our 56cm doesn’t actually have a 56cm top or seat tube. In fact the horizontal top tube is just 54.5cm and the 58cm has a 56cm top tube. There is a decent range of seven sizes available from 50cm to 64cm.

The direct handling comes from the tapered head tube, something that is pretty much standard practice on performance bikes these days. There’s a 1 1/8in internal diameter upper bearing with a 1 1/2in lower, both integrated directly into the frame — no alloy cups here to add weight. It allows a good sized cross section of material to provide plenty of stiffness while the larger bottom diameter also means Cube’s own CSL EVO fork can begin with a larger crown before tapering right down to the carbon dropouts, bringing a little flex for comfort into the mix.

Getting the Cube up to speed is grin inducing. You’ll never tire of the way it surges forward from a standing start and you need the rapid shifting Di2  gears just to keep up as it gets up to its sweetspot of 20-27mph. It really seems to fly with what feels like minimal input.

Whether you’re sprinting away from the lights, climbing or just keeping the pace high the bottom bracket area does its job of turning your power into momentum. The Litening uses Shimano’s Press-fit cups whose 91mm shell means the down tube can be as wide as possible without resulting in a huge diameter while also meaning the chainstays can be a good solid size without affecting clearances. There is a knock on effect to the Q-factor but not so much you’d notice.

The pencil-thin chainstays mimic bikes like Cervelo’s R series for creating flex to stop road buzz travelling up through the seatpost to the rider, in turn reducing fatigue. I had to wait for the carbon railed Fi’zi:k Antares to break in though before it was noticeable but once that was done it highlighted how comfortable the Cube’s frame is.

The Di2 groupset used is the full Dura Ace 11 speed  that we have already reviewed elsewhere so I won’t go into too much detail. The quickness and smoothness of the shifting is a perfect match for the performance of the frame. All the cables run inside the frame, exiting at the exact point they’re needed. The rear mech sire comes out of the Multi Purpose Hanger, keeping the lines clean and minimalist.

I’m not a huge fan of the externally mounted battery but hiding it behind the chainset does work aesthetically compared to the down tube or chainstay. If I owned the Cube I’d never have ridden it through the conditions the test bike endured but if you must take it out when its freezing and through deep floodwater, the battery and mechs are unaffected by such abuse.

With a top end frame comes top end finishing kit. Syntace provides the carbon Racelite bars and seatpost with the stem being a more sensible alloy option. The Racelite bars have a subtle sweep back on the tops which in use is very comfortable, a feeling that’s enhanced by the subtle flex from the material. A neat touch is a cross hatched clamping section which provides plenty of grip for the stem , Garmin mounts and the like without the need for overtightening.

We’ve had a few bikes in with variations of the R-Sys Mavic wheels (Storck, Fondriest if I remember correctly) but these top end versions come with carbon spokes on the front wheel and the rear non drive with bladed Zircal on the drive side. The rear 25mm and front 22mm alloy rims have an Exalith coating which reinforces the alloy at application and for me it provides pretty much the best braking surface for rim brakes in all weathers. As is often the case with superlight wheels they aren’t the stiffest though. General riding or climbing in the saddle was fine but out of the saddle efforts caused the rear rim to rub the brake blocks even though they were backed off a couple of mm either side. Really push hard and you’ll feel some movement at the front as well.

The wheels come with dedicated tyres, Mavic’s Yksion Pro Griplink front and the Powerlink rear. These are pretty good in terms of performance and grip. There are others out which are better but they’ve a good compromise between rolling resistance and puncture proofing; I only suffered one flat in 700 miles of winter riding.

On the whole the Litening is a brilliant package with the frame and kit complementing each other. For a carbon frame the Cube offers a surprising amount of feedback with plenty of character, something that isn’t always the case as we found with Storck’s Fenomalist. It’s comfortable, handles well whether you are in traffic or descending switchbacks at full blast and above all, it’s exciting to ride.

There are a couple of little niggles, one of which all light bikes suffer from to a certain degree: rough surfaces can unsettle it and you need to show it a committed hand to keep it on your intended line. It’s not a huge issue but its something you need to be mindful of.

The other is the paint. It looks great out of the box, but once its dirty it’s an absolute pain to clean. Give me a glossy finish any day of the week.

Still, even with those couple of issues I’d still buy one. Everything works together to create a fast, lightweight, comfortable speed machine that’s just as happy racing as it is on the club run, sportive or summer commute.

There are other options in the Litening range using the same frame but cheaper finishing kit should the £6099 price tag be a bit rich but as a whole the Super HPC SLT Di2 is a complete package with no compromises.

Verdict

A high performance all-rounder that backs up its huge price tag.