Maik’s Cube Nuroad Pro: How the TOUR editorial team rides gravel in their spare time

Gravel biking means freedom. Above all, freedom when it comes to choosing where to ride. Whether it’s roads, dirt tracks or gravel – with my gravel bike, I can ride anywhere and I’m always lightning fast, safe and comfortable on the go. It’s great fun! My Cube Nuroad Pro I’ve had mine for about 2.5 years and am still fairly new to the gravel bike scene. At first, very few of my friends had a bike like this, but a few more have joined the ranks since then and we can go on rides together. You could say that many have jumped on the bandwagon. Or perhaps: what many would call a ‘quarter-life crisis’ is, for me, simply the joy of trying something new. When it comes to choosing which bike to take, I always refer to my ‘normal’ bike and my gravel bike. Because ‘normal’ cycling is rather boring in comparison. So I wanted a gravel bike too, one that would let me ride fast and sportily wherever I went. As a newcomer, I wanted a solid, low-maintenance bike. And that’s exactly what I found in the Cube Nuroad Pro. It was the clean design in particular that won me over; it makes going for a ride twice as much fun – you could say your eyes ride along with you. On top of that, the Nuroad offers a top-class all-round package combining solid technology and balanced handling at an affordable price of just over 1,000 euros.

​Conclusion

With my gravel bike, I can ride just about anywhere. I use my Cube Nuroad actively for sport and I really enjoy going on rides with it. Preferably at a good pace. - Maik Schröder, TOUR editor

Maik’s Cube Nuroad Pro in detail

• Area of application: Tarmac / Gravel
• Frame/fork material: Aluminium / Carbon
• Frame size: L
• Tyre width: 40 mm
• Weight: 10.4 kg (TOUR measurement)

Facilities

• Rear derailleur: Shimano GRX (2 x 10)
• Brakes: TRP Spyre MD-C610C
• Wheels: CUBE GR 2.3 Disc
• Tyres: Schwalbe G-One Allround 40-622
• Handlebars / Stem: CUBE Gravel Race Bar / CUBE Performance Stem SLX, 31.8 mm
• Saddle: SQlab 611 Infinergy Ergowave 2.1
• Seat post: CUBE Performance Seatpost, 27.2 mm

The driver

• Name / Age: Maik Schröder / 28
• Dimensions / Weight: 182 cm / 81 kg
• Occupation: TOUR Online Editor
• Place of residence: East Westphalia

How I use my gravel bike

Even though, in theory, I can ride my gravel bike on any terrain, here in the flat countryside of East Westphalia I mainly ride on roads – or rather, on tarmac roads. I love being able to cover proper distances and ride at speed. The advantage of the gravel bike is that if I come across a gravel section through the woods along the way, I’m prepared and don’t have to change my plans, as I would with a pure-bred road bike. Over the last two years, I’ve cycled from home to the BIKE Festival in Willingen on my gravel bike. There were some rougher gravel sections along the way too. Those are fun as well. Because, after all, you want to be out in nature on your bike, away from the roads. In future, I’d like to take my gravel bike on holiday with me and explore new areas – whatever the terrain.

The question of the correct tyre width

Does narrower necessarily mean faster? Not necessarily. When I bought the bike, I didn’t give much thought at first to which tyres came fitted as standard and what their pros and cons were. The 40 mm-wide Schwalbe G-One Allround proved right from the start to be a solid all-rounder, offering both speed and the necessary comfort on any surface. As I cycle on the road a lot, I did at some point consider trying out narrower tyres, but ultimately decided against it – because a gravel bike isn’t just meant for the racecourse, but also for gravel tracks off the beaten track.

​Although the G-One All-round Whilst it was developed specifically for gravel, the fine, even tread pattern of the narrow versions is more at home on tarmac and light gravel, and it offers a very smooth ride. So it’s just right for me.

​New parts on my gravel bike

I’ll admit that, compared to my colleague Jan Timmermann’s Falkenjagd Aristos Trail Gravel, my Cube Nuroad Pro still has quite a lot of off-the-shelf components. I have, however, already fitted or modified a few parts.

The standard saddle had to be SQlab 611 Infinergy Ergowave 2.1 give way. The saddle pad is designed for the SQlab ClipOn system (here in the TOUR test) has been introduced, which means that just one saddle shell is required for all sit bone widths and the saddle pad can be swapped depending on the intended use and the rider. After having my sit bone width measured by SQlab and testing the corresponding pad on my bike, I was immediately convinced. Even on short, impromptu rides without cycling shorts, the saddle is comfortable – neither too hard nor too soft.

After buying my Cube, I rode with flat pedals for quite a long time. For a shoe review of the Cube Peak Pro I then fitted Tatze hybrid pedals. Clip-in shoes are rather handy and really come into their own on long rides. However, they aren’t really necessary for short rides to the lake or through the villages, so I’m quite glad to be able to ride in ‘normal’ shoes as well. The Tatze Two Face TI hybrid pedal is actually a mountain bike pedal, but the large platform with its grippy pins on the flat side is simply handy for commuting or when riding without clipless pedals.

Personalised “design”

After going on holiday to the US two years ago, I started sticking stickers onto the top tube as a holiday souvenir. Over time, a few more were added, and now I can’t imagine my bike without them. A bit of personalisation is cool, but there shouldn’t be too many either.

It’s the little things...

The best – and also the smallest – bit of kit I’ve fitted to my gravel bike is the bell. It wasn’t at all easy to find a screw-on bell that would fit the road bike handlebars, which are thicker than those on a hybrid bike. But I’ve taken a real shine to the 7-euro solution from Amazon. It’s so loud that even from a long way off, people stop as a precaution at a junction with poor visibility, just as they would at a level crossing. But seriously: you can’t do without one. Firstly, because otherwise you’d have to keep pointing it out, and secondly, because my freewheel isn’t loud enough.

What do you think: what does your ideal gravel bike look like? And how and where do you most enjoy riding? Let us know in the comments!