CUBE Bikes Hanzz SL 2010
Reviews / FreeRide Bikes
402,599
At a glance
New for 2011, the Hanzz is Cube’s 8” travel freeride bike.
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I first got to ride this bike back in July at Cube’s headquarters in Germany. Ever since then I’ve been pestering Dan at Cube to let me have another go on it and we were able to get hold of one just in time for the Cycle Show.
Across the weekend we had the bike on our stand and it attracted a lot of attention. Clearly I’m not the only one who’s impressed by it.
Tech Heads
The frame of the Hanzz is made from hydroformed, triple butted 7005 high performance aluminium, with a 1.5” headtube and 12mm axle, replaceable dropouts. The whole bike weighed in at about 36lbs (16.5kgs), which is pretty light for a bike like this.
Up front a Fox 36 Float RC2 FIT provides 180mm of travel, while the rear suspension is taken care of by a Fox DHX RC4. During the design process of the Hanzz, Cube worked very closely with Fox to get the most from the rear shock and it’s paid off.
The Hanzz comes with a full Shimano Saint groupset. That’s cranks, hubs, gears and the very powerful Saint brakes. There’s a double chain ring, which does seem a bit odd for a bike like this. The front mech does have it’s own mount so if you do decide to ditch one of the rings and fit a chainguide, you can remove the mount as well. Very clever.
Syntace provide a pair of 780mm wide handlebars with a matching stem. Wheels are Sun Ringle EQ31 rims laced to Jumping Flea hubs with Schwalbe Muddy Mary on the front and and Big Betty tyres on the back. Finishing things off is a SDG Micro seatpost and Patriot saddle.
On the trail
The first thing you notice when riding the Hanzz is just how quickly the bike accelerates. You’ll be surprised at how fast you can get with just a few pedal strokes. And the rear shock performs so well that you can carry your speed though the roughest of terrains.
But speed isn’t the Cube’s party piece. What sets it apart from other bikes is how well the bike manoeuvres. The way it corners is just incredible. Whatever your style of riding is the Hanzz will compliment it.
Even with 8” of travel on the back and 7” at the front the bike remains agile and responsive.
It’s important to remember this is a big travel bike; the double ring on the front almost disguises it as an all mountain trail bike. Heading downhill is where this bike excels, it will pedal up hills too, but it’s a slog on the big tyres and certainly not a bike you’d want to take out on an all day trail ride.
The ride inspires confidence and the bike has a playful nature to it. We loved chucking it round tight corners and off drops most of all. Definitely one of the more “fun” bikes we have ridden down a hill!
Overall
The Hanzz is an absolute joy to ride. It performs as well as a downhill bike but is so much more versatile. It will put a smile on your face and as long as you don’t expect it to fly uphill then you won’t be disappointed. We’d love to spend some more time on the bike but we fear it may be ripped from us to perform demo duties up and down the country. Well, we hope you get to try it, because we certainly enjoyed our time with Das Hanzz
Buy FreeRide Bikes onThis review was in Issue 8 of IMB.
For more information visit CUBE BikesRelated
By George Woodward
