Cube Attain C:62 SLT review: is this the best-value performance endurance bike you can buy?

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Cube’s goal with the Attain C:62 was to create an endurance bike that combines road bike pace with touring bike comfort.

The slick frame marries aero elements with slender dimensions to achieve this.

Combine the minimal, understated frame and fork with a specification that would cost twice as much on rival bikes and the Attain C:62 SLT is a compelling option on paper.

Cube Attain C:62 SLT frame

The C:62 is the German brand's top-level iteration of the Attain endurance bike design.

C:62 carbon blends stiff and light high-modulus fibres into the key areas that require optimal stiffness. Specifically, it's used in the head tube and bottom bracket shell to enhance handling and power transfer.

The C:62 process employs the same Twin Mold technology as the C:68. This sees the frame formed around a complete core, which Cube says eliminates any internal imperfections and minimises excess resin deposits and wrinkles. The goal is to make a stronger, lighter frame.

The Attain C:62 frameset has a claimed weight of 1,150g for a size-medium, including all hardware.

The frame comes with twin bottle cage mounts and a second set of mounts under the top tube towards the seat-tube junction. Cube's component and accessory brand, Acid, offers multiple frame-bag options to fit.

The Attain is light on other fittings, though, lacking provision for fixed mudguards.

The 34mm tyre clearance is ample for a road-only endurance bike, although some may want the ability to go larger to expand their horizons beyond purely tarmac.

The bottom bracket shell is compatible with the press-fit BB86 standard, while the head tube uses a 1 1/2-to-1 1/4-inch Acros headset, with provision to route cables and hoses internally.

The 27.2mm-diameter seatpost is secured via twin 4mm hex bolts on the rear of the seat tube, pushing a large internal wedge. It’s an effective system, as used by the likes of Pinarello on its Dogma bikes.

Cube deserves praise for offering the Attain in a wide range of sizes, from a small 47cm to the 62cm largest size, which is good for riders around 2 metres (6ft 5in) tall, although it’s worth noting all Cube road bikes come with a maximum rider weight limit of 100kg/220.5lb, or a system weight limit of 115kg.

Cube Attain C:62 SLT geometry

The Attain sticks close to endurance bike norms, with a 72.5-degree head tube angle and 73-degree seat angle.

The 610mm stack and 388mm reach on my 58cm test bike are what I’d expect for a sporty road-going endurance bike.

It's not quite as speed-oriented as Giant’s latest Defy (596mm stack and 392.9mm reach), although it’s a closer match to Canyon’s Endurace (611mm stack/387mm reach).

The Attain’s 1,023mm wheelbase provides balanced and stable handling, combined with fairly short 420mm chainstays.

Cube Attain C:62 SLT build

The Cube Attain C:62 SLT specification is hugely impressive for the relatively modest price. The star of the show is the 12-speed Shimano Ultegra Di2 R8100 groupset.

With an endurance-friendly 50/34-tooth chainset and broad 11-34t cassette, it’s great to see Cube hasn’t cut any corners. The C:62 SLT’s braking is taken care of by Ultegra-grade Ice Tech disc rotors. The chain and cassette come from the SLX/105-grade M7100 range, though.

Up-front, Cube’s angular CIS stem integrates smoothly with clever split spacers, enabling easy height adjustment without the need to disconnect the brakes.

The stem clamps a shapely Newmen carbon wing bar called the Advanced. It comes in a sensible size-specific width, which I approve of – no needlessly narrow choices here.

The 440mm-width bar weighs in at a claimed 225g. It’s impressive to see a bar that retails for €159 (£135) on a bike at this price.

Newmen's 215g carbon seatpost is topped with Acid’s Nuance Pro saddle.

Newmen also provides the tubeless-ready carbon wheelset, with a 38mm-deep, hooked rim that’s 19mm wide internally. The wheels are laced with 21 spokes front and rear to svelte cartridge bearing hubs for an impressive 1,366g claimed weight.

These are the outgoing Newmen wheels – the replacement Streem Climbing wheelset has a shallower rim and a greater internal width. It's lighter at 1,306g.

The wheels are shod with Continental’s Grand Prix clincher tyres in a 30mm width. They’re not Continental's range-topping offering, but they’re not bad either. Cube even includes a pair of quality carbon Acid bottle cages to add further to the value package.

It all adds up to a ridiculously high specification for the money and a competitively light complete bike weight of 8.29kg.

In comparison to equivalent-specification bikes, the Cube Attain C:62 SLT’s value is remarkable.

Compared to the similarly specced Cervélo Caledonia 5, it’s a huge £4,400 cheaper.

Other examples, such as Giant’s Defy Advanced Pro with Ultegra Di2 and Giant’s SLR 1 36 carbon wheelset is £5,999. Even Canyon, with the value-packed Endurace CF SLX 8 Di2 Aero, is still £1,850 more expensive at £4,849.

Cube Attain C:62 SLT ride impressions

The Attain C:62 SLT is a modern road-going endurance bike with all the handling and comfort required to go further and faster.

On the road, the Attain has a feeling of lightness; its steering responses blend reactivity with balance and stability.

The front end feels stiff and direct, yet still does a good job of taking out road buzz and vibrations, thanks to the combination of 30mm tyres, a quality carbon bar and great PU bar tape.

The sculpted shape of the Newmen bar impresses too, with a compact 125mm drop and mid-length 80mm reach.

The ergo-shaped drops make getting down low and staying there comfortable. Yet, for those moments when you want to take it steady, the oversized and ovalised top is a great place to hold comfortably.

The Attain responds impressively and the stiffness through the bottom bracket makes for a feeling of efficient acceleration.

There’s no flex or vagueness when standing up on the pedals and sprinting. Sit in and get the power down and it impresses here too.

On climbs, the Attain is a welcome partner no matter how you climb – be it out of the saddle honking on the bars, or seated and concentrating on smooth cadence, the SLT never feels anything less than willing.

The classic endurance gearing combination of a 50/34t chainring pairing and 11-34t cassette is the ideal all-rounder choice, with a 1:1 bottom gear providing a low enough option to see you up the steepest ascents.

Gear shifts are up to Shimano’s usual high standards and the braking is exemplary. It's full of power and backed up with pitch-perfect feel.

At the rear of the bike, the slender carbon seatpost and nicely shaped saddle, complete with a pressure-relief channel, also impressed me, providing excellent comfort.

The wheels impress too, with a ride that’s smooth-rolling and free of flex. The Continental Grand Prix tyres are a good addition too – they're standard road clinchers with a Poly-X woven anti-puncture breaker strip for added protection.

The Grand Prix uses the same Black-Chili compound as the Premium GP-series tyres, but in a more price-conscious package and made in China rather than Germany.

They're a decent choice for an endurance bike, although they lack a bit of the lightweight sparkle and zip of Conti’s premium road tyres.

The 30mm width (on this original equipment specification-only model) adds cushioning over rougher roads, but it doesn’t have quite the same cornering grip confidence as the more supple GP5000.

It’s worth noting that if you want to take advantage of the Newmen A38’s tubeless compatibility, you’ll need to make an upgrade (and source tubeless valves too).

Cube Attain C:62 SLT bottom line

Overall, there’s very little not to like about the Attain C:62 SLT. The contact points are great, it feels swift yet comfortable, it's stable at speed and, above all, it's fun to ride. The equipment levels are unbeatable at this price, too.

The Attain C:62 SLT isn’t quite perfect, though. I think the lack of proper mudguard eyelets is something of a miss. I like the wide range of sizes, but the rather conservative weight limit seems at odds with the largest-size bikes.

The limited tyre clearance of 34mm also marks it out as a pure endurance bike rather than an ‘all-roader’, although that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.

If you’re in the market for a pure endurance road bike, the Cube Attain C:62 SLT is one of the best around.

When you consider the remarkable price, it's perhaps the best-value high-performance endurance bike you can buy right now.

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