Our popular trail-taming, full suspension Stereo Hybrid HPA 120 Pro gets a makeover for 2017. Its efficient 120mm of suspension travel and powerful Bosch drive system takes everything from root-infested trails to dirt roads in its stride. This year, we improved its performance even more by tweaking our already much-admired Agile Trail Geometry and increasing stiffness, meaning you can ride harder than ever safe in the knowledge that we've got your back covered.
It's tough to improve on something that's already so good, but our engineers managed to find even more performance tweaks to improve the Stereo Hybrid HPA 120 Pro. We employed the same Tuned Drive Position as our other Stereo Hybrid 120 bikes, shaving 20mm off the chainstay length and allowing us to optimised our Agile Trail Geometry for even tighter, more controlled handling. Boost hubs for greater steering precision and internal cable routing for cleaner looks and longer service life round off the newly improved 120 Pro. We think you'll love it.
The Rock Shox Recon Silver suspension fork with remote lockout, combined with the Fox Float DPS Performance air shock with adjustable rebound damping, make for a balanced chassis that's sensitive to the smallest bumps. We built the wheels in our own factory, using reliable Shimano Deore hubs laced to CUBE EX23 rims with DT Swiss spokes. Shod with Schwalbe's Nobby Nic tyres, they're a fast-accelerating, tough and grippy setup that will help you tame any trail. Shimano hydraulic disc brakes matched to 180mm rotors both front and rear help keep your speed under control, while Shimano's 11-speed XT gears offer the perfect gear shift performance you'd expect. And let's not forget the star of the show - Bosch's powerful, refined CX drive unit. With up to 75Nm of available torque and a choice of 400 or 500Wh batteries, it's the perfect partner for epic trail riding adventures.
e-Bikes come in as many shapes and sizes as non-powered bikes, so you can have an electric road bike, mountain bike, city bike or general hybrid style. But, there are extra choices for you to make as well, so this is a brief guide to choosing the e-Bike best suited to your needs. For a more complete guide, please visit our Blog post on Choosing Your e-Bike.
Frame design
The primary choice is whether there is a top tube or you have a step-through frame. If you have any limitations in your hip flexibility and find it hard to raise your leg around the back wheel and saddle, then a step-through frame will be the better option for you. Given e-Bikes are heavier than other bikes, a step-through is also easier to handle if you're not very strong.
Battery power & capacity
"How far can I go between charges?" is the most common question, and the answer is "It depends", but here are some useful guidelines. Firstly, you control how quickly you deplete the battery. e-Bikes have power assist settings that you use to control acceleration and the amount of assist. If you choose "economy", it will take longer to get up to speed, and your top-end speed will be lower than if you select "turbo" mode. In addition, most e-Bikes are pedal assist, so you need to turn the pedals, and the more force you put in, the less you consume the battery charge. Finally, hills consume more power than flats, so your route selection makes a difference.
Batteries are rated in Watt hours (WH), and you can use this to compare the expected range between bikes. You simply multiply the voltage (V) by the amp hours (Ah) to calculate the Watt hours. On average, if you didn't pedal at all, each mile of flat travel will consume 15 WH. The e-Bikes we sell all have batteries with 300 - 400 WH, so that is 20 - 27 miles on a flat road with no pedaling.
Motor location and drive system
There are three primary positions for the drive system, the front wheel, the rear wheel and the crankset (to which the pedals are attached). By far the best is the crankset, as it is the most efficient, and it keeps the centre of gravity low. Motors in the wheel hubs are more common, as they are less expensive, and there are offsetting pros & cons for front versus rear wheel. drive.
Throttle or Pedal-assist
Our FreeGo e-Bikes have a throttle, so you can choose to be powered exclusively by the electric motor. Our other e-Bikes are all pedal-assist, which means the motor amplifies your own pedaling. The amount of power added by the electric motor in all cases is controlled by the setting, for example "economy" or "turbo".