Cube Agree C:62 Pro 2022

For 2022 Cube's Agree C:62 Pro has had a few aero tweaks, although the ride quality and way it behaves in the bends thankfully hasn't changed. It's still an easy bike to ride fast, flattering all but the most hamfisted of riders, and with the wide-ranging ratios of its electronic SRAM Rival groupset you'll always have plenty of gears whether you are ascending or coming down the other side.

Back in October last year I rode the 2021 version of the Agree C:62, and overall I was impressed. For 2022 that hasn't changed, despite tweaks to the frame and fork. The extra 1.5kg of this Pro model over the 7.7kg of that SLT is the only sacrifice, though the extra £1,300 in your pocket softens the blow.

> Buy Now: Cube Agree C:62 from Leisure Lakes Bikes for £3,399

Before we look at the modifications for this year's model, let me give you my opinion on what the C:62 is like to live with.

Ride

The Agree is Cube's endurance model, which means it's ever so slightly relaxed when it comes to the speed of the handling and your overall position on the bike.

It's still a quick bike to ride, though. It feels relatively nimble in the corners, and even with that 9.26kg all-up weight it feels responsive to accelerations and when climbing in the hills.

You are basically getting a full-on road racer without the associated twitchy handling and stretched out position, which makes it an easy bike to live with, one that flatters you as a rider as you can get away with not quite nailing the quickest line through the corner or going in a bit too fast, for instance.

The chilled nature of the handling allows you to make changes at the front without upsetting the overall confident feeling provided by the slightly extended (compared with a race machine) wheelbase.

That doesn't mean that the Agree isn't a bike you can have some fun on. String together the racing line through some of your favourite corners and the C:62 feels great. It's very composed, and at times the extra weight can actually be a bonus, making the Cube feel planted at speed, especially on rough road surfaces.

My favourite downhill for testing bikes has a tricky off-camber chicane at the start, and it's one of the most technical bends I use because of the speed I'm carrying as I enter it. This was the only place I found I had to work the Cube, as the slightly relaxed endurance style handling left the front end feeling a tiny bit vague as I banked the bike over from left to right. It coped admirably with the rest of the descent.

Unless you like to descend like a complete hooligan all of the time, though, that's all immaterial really. The Agree is great as a fast distance machine, with the ability to have a go for a little sprint or dig on a climb when the mood takes you.

The C:62 has quite a firm ride – not harsh or teeth rattling, but definitely less forgiving than many other carbon machines on the market. The standard 28mm tyres can be run at pressures that'll take the edge off if needs be, but I really wouldn't change a thing. I like the ride feel, and the frame and fork definitely provide you with plenty of information from the interaction of tyre and road. The high-frequency buzz is muted enough that you can really feel exactly what the Cube is doing beneath you.

Its firmness also translates into plenty of stiffness when you really want to stamp on the pedals, which makes the Agree a competent climber.

Frame and fork

The C:62 is so named because of the make up of Cube's carbon fibre composition being 62% carbon fibre and 38% resin; this gives a higher carbon fibre content than many others on the market according to the German brand and allows for a lighter yet stronger frame.

As I've mentioned above, the Agree has an impressively stiff frame with a fork to match.

The biggest changes for 2022 are predominantly aerodynamics focused, most notably at the front end.

The previous model ran the cables/hoses/wires internally, entering via the down tube and fork leg, but for this year Cube has followed many other brands by directing everything in through the stem and head tube for a clean front end.

The change of headset and spacers used for this means the head tube length has been shortened by 13mm to 157mm, meaning it finishes lower than the upper face of the top tube. With the headset installed, though, the true stack height is just a few millimetres off what it was on the 2021 model.

Last year's version of the C:62 rocked a round seatpost, but for 2022 it has an aero profile design with a fully integrated clamp giving a much smoother look to the frame and goes some way to soften the square edges of the seat tube, head tube and seatstay junction, which in my eyes can look a little at odds with the smoothness of the rest of the frame.

Also new for this year are mounting points underneath the top tube for Cube's own storage box, which is big enough to carry some tools, snacks and so on.

Everything else is as you'd expect on a modern road bike: flat mounts for the brake callipers, 12mm thru-axles, and twin mounting points for water bottle cages (with three bolts, so you can reposition the cage to fit other accessories).

Cube has opted for a press-fit bottom bracket.

The overall quality of the frame and fork looks and feels to be very good indeed, and I am a fan of the dark grey paintjob.

Sizing takes in a decent range, with a 50cm frame being the smallest option up to a 62cm, with four more in between. The smallest has a top tube length of 522mm, the largest has one of 600mm.

This 56cm model on test has a 56cm top tube, 500mm seat tube and 157mm head tube. The seat angle is 73.5 degrees while the head angle is 72.5 degrees. Stack and reach figures are 571.7mm and 390.6mm respectively.

The chainstays are 412mm long, which helps create a wheelbase of 1,006.8mm, all very much in the 'endurance' camp of geometry figures.

Groupset

SRAM's decision to release an AXS eTap version of its Rival groupset has seen lower priced bikes benefiting from electronic shifting and wide-ranging gear ratios.

Mat reviewed the full groupset here, which is worth a read if you want the full details on how the whole setup works, and how well it performs.

In a nutshell, it's awesome.

First of all, I love the simplicity of it. eTap shifters use a single button sitting behind the brake lever where you would normally find the DoubleTap paddle on SRAM's mechanical shifters.

Press the button on the right shifter and it drops from big sprocket to the smallest on the cassette; push the left shifter and it'll climb back up.

Want to change between chainrings? Push both buttons together and it'll shift the chain to whichever ring isn't being used.

Like everything else in life at the moment, there is an app that allows you to tweak your setup and keep an eye on battery life.

This is a fully wireless system, so each mech has its own battery, and the shifters use CR2032 batteries, which are easily replaced at home.

There are various Rival gear ratio options available, and Cube has gone for the 48/35-tooth 12-speed chainset paired with a 10-36T cassette.

For me, this gives a great spread of gears. The 35x36 smallest chainring and biggest sprocket combination allowed me to climb pretty much anything in the saddle, while the 48x10 gives a tall enough gear for you to pedal down a cliff face.

SRAM has managed to keep the fast end of the cassette relatively close, with small jumps between the sprockets. This does mean the gaps are bigger at the top of the cassette, but as they are mostly climbing gears, the change to your cadence isn't quite as critical.

SRAM's hydraulic braking doesn't let the side down either, offering loads of power and great modulation, which helps in the wet. The C:62 Pro comes with 160mm rotors front and rear.

Finishing kit

When it comes to contact points and finishing components, it's a decent mix for the money.

Up front is a Newman Evolution Wing handlebar with a flat top, which gives plenty of hand positions and feels comfortable. This is paired with Cube's own Aero stem, which takes care of the new cable routing system.

Sitting atop Cube's new aero seatpost is a Natural Fit Nuance saddle which I found comfortable on both short and long rides. The shape is supportive, as is the firm padding.

Wheels and tyres

It's not unusual to see a bit of an entry-level wheelset on a bike costing over three grand – after all, you are getting a quality carbon fibre frameset and an electronic groupset, so sacrifices need to be made somewhere.

The C:62 Pro is wearing a set of Fulcrum Racing 77 DBs which I had absolutely no trouble with whatsoever throughout the test period. Bearing in mind a lot of the miles took place at the end of winter with rain, salt and mud covering the roads around here, the freehub bearings didn't whine or complain, and the wheels stayed true over the couple of months of testing.

They have a shallow rim which is ideal for riding in windy conditions, and a high spoke count for reliability on rough roads. They are quite heavy, though, at just under 2kg a set, and the Pro really does deserve something lighter.

I wouldn't be rushing out to upgrade straight away, though, as they are a capable set of wheels that show great reliability.

Cube has specced a set of Continental's Grand Sport Race SL tyres. It's not one of its most exciting offerings but decent enough, offering good levels of grip in the wet and dry. Rolling resistance doesn't feel too bad either, and durability is good.

Like the wheels, though, the C:62 will relish an upgrade when the originals wear out.

Value

The C:62 Pro sits towards the lower end of the Agree line-up, and its RRP of £3,399 compares well with something like the Vitus Vitesse Evo CR eTap AXS at £3,599.99 which also gets an electronic Rival groupset.

That Vitus does have a set of Prime Attaquer wheels included in the price, though, which weigh just 1,425g! That gives an overall bike weight of just 7.7kg, which makes a big difference compared with the Cube when riding hard.

> 10 of the best sportive and endurance bikes – find a great bike for long, fast endurance rides

Scott's Addict is a similar bike to the C:62 in terms of how it behaves and rides (I tested the RC 15 last year). The Addict 10 comes with a Rival eTap AXS groupset, full internal cable routing and a set of Syncros RP2.0 wheels, and it'll cost you £3,149.

Conclusion

The C:62 Pro is pushed a bit on the value front by some brands, but on the whole it is a very capable bike for all types of road riding, and isn't a bad price when you take into account the electronic groupset. The ride is great too, if a little hampered by the weight of the wheels.

Verdict

Fun endurance bike with confidence-inspiring handling, and the added bonus of SRAM's latest eTap groupset