Cube Litening Aero: New generation with greater tyre clearance and improved aerodynamics

Cube unveiled the first generation in 2019; Biniam Girmay went on to win the Green Jersey at the Tour de France in 2024 riding it. The new version is aimed at riders who cycle on flat or undulating terrain and prioritise speed.

In the video: TOUR reviews the Cube Litening Aero

Focus on aerodynamics

During development, Cube focused primarily on aerodynamics. In particular, the handlebars, head tube and fork have been redesigned for this purpose: the handlebars are completely new, whilst the head tube and down tube now form a single aerodynamic unit. The head tube is now slightly longer and the hourglass shape of the previous model is a thing of the past, whilst the riding position remains unchanged.

Another key factor in aerodynamics is the sail effect – the additional thrust that can be generated by a crosswind striking the wing at an angle. According to Cube, the angle range within which this effect occurs has been significantly widened compared with the previous model: it now starts earlier and ends later.

All in all, this means the new Litening Aero is 6.2 watts faster than its predecessor, which was in the TOUR wind tunnel test at 208 watts of aerodynamic drag. Should Cubes’ findings in the TOUR wind tunnel test be confirmed, the new Litening Aero could be included in the Ranking of the world’s fastest road bikes which currently comprises twelve wheels ranging from 195 to 204 watts.

More tyre clearance

The frames can now accommodate tyres up to 34 millimetres wide – the previous model was limited to 28 mm. Depending on the model, the bikes are supplied with 28 or 30 mm wide tyres from Continental, Schwalbe or Pirelli.

Comfort and cable routing

To ensure that the aerodynamically optimised bike does not compromise on comfort, Cube has also fine-tuned the comfort features. The seatpost clamp – or rather, the area where the seatpost enters the seat tube – immediately catches the eye. The upper end of the seat tube now slopes diagonally downwards towards the rear, which is designed to give the seatpost greater flex.

The cable routing has also been modified. On the previous model, the cables were routed via separate inlets behind the upper headset bearing. The cables could not follow the steering movement properly, and a stop limiter was required. Now the cables run in the traditional manner through the upper 1.5-inch head tube bearing; there is no longer a stop limiter pin as on the previous model. This is less relevant for everyday riding but is important when packing the bike, for example for air travel, for very tight corners, and in the event of a crash, where the pin would occasionally break.

Geometry and frame sizes

The geometry remains virtually unchanged from the previous model – the sporty riding position and direct steering response are set to be retained. New to the range is a frame size 62, which is designed to suit riders around 2 metres tall, depending on their build. The smallest size, 50, is aimed at riders from around 1.60 metres tall. Crank length, handlebar width and stem length vary across the different sizes.

Models and prices

The Litening Aero is available in five spec variants, all in frame sizes ranging from 50 to 62. Compared to its predecessor, the range now includes the Pro and the Orbit, which has been fully optimised for aerodynamics, partly through the use of a single-speed drivetrain. Depending on the model, SRAM or Shimano groupset is used; the weight ranges from 6.9 kilograms for the Orbit – which has been consistently trimmed down to a minimum weight – to 7.6 kilograms for the Pro. The top-spec version of the previous model weighed 7.3 kilograms. The bikes are fitted with Newmen Streem wheelsets with rim heights of 49/54 or 60/66 millimetres, as well as a handlebar-stem unit, available either as the IC Aero Cockpit or the wider, even more aerodynamic IC Aero Max Cockpit.

​Litening Aero C:68X Pro

• Group: SRAM Force AXS
• Crankset / Cassette: 50x37 t / 10–36 t
• Power meter: Spider Power Meter
• Wheel set: Newmen Streem A.49/54
• Tyres: Continental Grand Prix 5000, 30 mm
• Colours: chalky and black, beamfibre and black
• Sizes: 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62
• Weight: 7.6 (white), 7.5 (pink)
• Price: 4,999 euros

​Litening Aero C:68X Race

• Group: Shimano Ultegra
• ​Crankset / Cassette: 52x36T / 11-34T
• Power meter: 4iiii Precision 3+ dual-side power metre
• ​Wheel set: Newmen Streem A.49/54
• Tyres: Schwalbe Pro One Aero, 28 mm
• Colours: carbon'n'chrome, Teamline
• Sizes: 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62
• Weight: 7.4 kg (black), 7.5 kg (Teamline)
• Price: 4,999 euros​

Litening Aero C:68X Orbit

• ​Group: SRAM Red E1
• ​​Crankset / Cassette: 50T / 10–46T
• Power meter: Power meter spider
• ​Wheel set: Newmen Streem A.60/66
• Tyres: Pirelli P Zero Race SL-R 28 mm
• Colours: digitalcarbon’n’prizm
• Sizes: 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62
• Weight: 6.9 kg
• Price: 6,999 euros​

​Litening Aero C:68X SLX

• ​Group: SRAM Red AXS
• ​​​Crankset / Cassette: 50-37T / 10-36T
• Power meter: Power meter spider
• ​Wheel set: Newmen Streem A.49/54
• Tyres: Continental Grand Prix 5000 S-TR 28 mm
• Colours: oceanfibre'n'prizm
• Sizes: 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62
• Weight: 7.1 kg
• Price: 7,299 euros​

​Litening Aero C:68X SLT

• ​​Group: Shimano Dura-Ace
• ​​​Crankset / Cassette: 52x36 / 11–33T
• Power meter: 4iiii Precision 3+ dual-side power metre
• ​Wheel set: Newmen Streem A.60/66
• Tyres: Schwalbe Pro One Aero 28 mm
• Colours: teamline, slategrey'n'prizm
• Sizes: 50, 52, 54, 56, 58, 60, 62
• Weight: 7.1 kg
• Price: 7,299 euros​

This means that, as with its predecessor, the Cube is priced below many of its competitors in the aero segment.