Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc 2017

The Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc is an endurance road bike that offers an excellent Shimano 105 groupset, powerful hydraulic disc brakes and a smooth ride, all at an attractive price.

The Attain GTC Pro Disc isn't a lightweight, aggressive race bike, it's a bike for getting in the big miles in comfort. It's certainly up for riding fast, but smoothness is more this bike's thing. That's the most obvious characteristic of the ride.

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The Cube feels quite rangy when you climb aboard. I've been riding the 58cm model with a 540mm seat tube, 575mm top tube and 202mm head tube. Along with a 15mm tall headset bearing cap, this gives you a pretty high front end even if you remove all the headset spacers and position the stem as low as possible. You're not going to get into an ultra-low, grit-your-teeth-and-attack position here, but that might not be what you're after. Don't get me wrong, it's not a sedate position either, but Cube's equivalently sized Litening C:68 SLT Disc race bike has a head tube that's 22mm shorter and a stack height that's 30mm lower.

The Fulcrum Racing 77 Disc wheels are fitted with supple and grippy Continental Grand Sport Race SLs in a 25mm width, and there's plenty of space for switching to 28mm tyres, or even wider, should you want to put more air between you and the road surface (and, of course, the need to use tyres that fit inside rim brake callipers isn't an issue here).

Smoothly does it

As it is, the Attain GTC Pro Disc already offers a smooth ride. The sloping top tube means you'll likely have plenty of slim (27.2mm diameter) seatpost extending out of the frame, and the shell of Cube's own Road Performance 1.0 saddle provides a load more give. I found the padding of the saddle a little too squishy and squirmy for my taste, but it'll suit those who like more cushioning.

The Attain GTC Pro Disc isn't a lightweight, weighing in on the road.cc Scales of Truth at 9.1kg (20.1lb), and it doesn't lurch forward like some race bikes on climbs. The gearing, well chosen for an endurance bike, helps out there. You get a compact Shimano 105 chainset (50/34-tooth chainrings) matched up to a wide-ranging 11-32t cassette, so there's not much chance of you running out of gears on the hills. You're not going to go anywhere fast in the largest sprocket (6.7mph at a cadence of 80rpm, if you really want to know), but it might just get you out of trouble when the terrain is doing its best to ruin your day.

The Shimano BR-RS505 hydraulic disc brakes (flat mount, acting on 160mm rotors front and rear) provide plenty of power in a predictable and consistent manner. I'll not go into the whole disc brakes versus rim brakes thing, but you'll certainly notice that there's not much of a drop off in performance in wet conditions here.

I find the look of the dual control levers to be – what's the word? – challenging, thanks to the long body and the bulbous front end. They're just not stylish, to my mind, although you might think differently (in which case, you're wrong). On the plus side, they work well and offer free stroke (the amount of lever movement before the brakes engage) and reach adjustment.

The BR-RS505 brakes' capabilities give you plenty of confidence when descending, and the Attain GTC Pro Disc feels stable and solid at speed, with bumps and holes in the road doing little to knock it off track. It doesn't have quite the manoeuvrability of some other bikes out there – you can't flick it about when riding in a bunch, for example – but that's not what the Attain is about.

Frame & fork details

The frame is built with a tapered head tube (it takes a 1 1/8in bearing at the top and a 1 1/4in bearing at the bottom) that keeps the front end straight when you're cornering hard, and the bottom bracket is held in place by a broad down tube and meaty chainstays. There are certainly stiffer bottom brackets out there but you're unlikely to spend a lot of time sprinting out of the saddle on a bike like this.

The frame and fork both take 12mm thru-axles (Syntace X-12) for rigidity. With no quick-release lever, you'll need to remember to take a multi-tool with you on every ride or you won't be able to change a punctured inner tube. You probably do that anyway, right?

Cube has specced mudguard mounts front and rear which will be welcomed by many riders, especially in Britain where cycling on wet roads is pretty much part of the deal. Covered by little plastic grommets, the mounts positioned at the back of the frame and fork dropouts are hardly noticeable when not in use.

Gears, wheels & cockpit

I've already mentioned the Shimano 105 chainset and cassette, and the 105-level BR-RS505 hydraulic disc brakes. The derailleurs are from this mid-level groupset too, and they worked superbly throughout testing with just a light action required at the lever; 105 is solid, dependable stuff and excellent value.

The Fulcrum Racing 77 Disc wheels are more sturdy than lightweight. The front wheel is built with 14 spokes on the rotor side and seven on the opposite side in order to put strength where it's most needed to handle the forces of the disc brake. It's the opposite way around on the rear wheel, where drivetrain forces are thrown into the mix. I've found the wheels stiff enough and they've remained true throughout testing.

The only components I've not yet referred to are Cube's Performance Pro stem and Wing Race Bar, each made from 6061 alloy. I doubt the fact that the top section of the bar is ovalised makes a whole lot of difference to the aerodynamics but it does mean you get a comfortable handhold up there, the pressure getting distributed right across your palm.

Overall

The Cube Attain GTC Pro Disc is a smooth-riding endurance bike that's stable and well capable of handling speed. With a very good carbon fibre frame, Shimano 105 groupset and hydraulic disc brakes, it offers a lot for the money.

> Buyer's Guide: Road bikes from £1,500-£2,000

Verdict

Endurance road bike that offers a smooth ride, stable handling and the all-weather reliability of Shimano's hydro disc brakes