Cube Litening C:68X

91/100
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Facts

Gender
Release Year
Brand
Wheel Size
Number of Gears
Gearing Type
Weight
16.98, 17 lb
Suspension
Brake Type
Frame Material

Summary of Reviews

We have read all expert and user reviews on the Cube Litening C:68X. In summary, this is what cyclists think.

16 reasons to buy

  • It’s light. The frame weighs 980g and the complete build tops out at 17Lb.
  • Aero A.F., the Litening cuts 30% of drag from the previous 2015 model.
  • The Litening reaches high speeds quickly and is at home when it gets there.
  • An integrated one-piece bar/stem hides fully internal cable routing.
  • A specialized Garmin mount is positioned to avoid interruption of aero flow.
  • In-house brand bars were wide, flat and reportedly comfortable.
  • Litening’s frame has clearance and compatibility for tires up to 30mm in width.
  • Cables are completely internal and unexposed.
  • Gearing is exclusively electronic on this high-end machine.
  • It was hard for experts to find fault with the SRAM Red eTap AXS drivetrain.
  • SINC Ceramic bearings helped extract inklings of extra power.
  • Prices were seen as decent compared to competing models at the same level.
  • Steering was depicted as an instant, almost twitchy response suited to racing.
  • SRAM Red eTap AXS Hydraulic braking came across as efficient.
  • The frame and DT Swiss ARC 1100 DiCut 62 wheels both handled crosswinds well.
  • A comfortable aero seatpost omitted vertical flex while still exhibiting vertical compliance.

3 reasons not to buy

  • To one expert, the steering limiter (prevents damage to cables) felt a little odd.
  • One expert said riders may want to swap out tubed Schwalbe Pro One 25mm tires for wider, tubeless 28mms.
  • A reviewer said that the bar and stem provided “a lot of feedback”.

Bottom line

According to Cube, they went through a thousand hours of computerized flow simulations in order to refine the Litening’s aero profile. In addition, a reported one hundred hours were spent in the wind tunnel. Twenty iterations of the aero seatpost were tested before settling on the final design. Apparently, the result is a 30% reduction in drag from the previous model. Every measure has been taken to improve efficiency and shed weight. Even the headtube is “waisted” to decrease the bike’s frontal profile. Has this resulted in the flabbergasting machine you would come to expect? From early reviews, it has. It’s fast, light and as comfortable as one could come to expect from a machine pointed at high speeds and first-places. Yes, it’s expensive. But you’re looking at a bike that is raced in the Tour de France and actually undercuts the prices on some competing brands’ uberbikes.

Expert Reviews

86/100 based on 2 rated expert reviews
90
Cycling Weekly

Cube Litening C:68X

A super improved C68X from Cube means this aero bike is right up there with the best of them in the market.

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82

Cube Litening C:68X SLT (2020) Test [German]

The Litening C: 86X SLT is a real speed athlete for long solo escapes.

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Cube Litening C:68X SLT First Ride Review

…pretty reasonable value for a bike identical to those ridden by a Tour de France team…it’s an aero road bike with very good speed, great acceleration and sufficient comfort.

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First Look: Cube Litening C:68X 2020 – Aero Makeover With Disc Brakes And Integrated Bars

…an impressively stealthy machine that makes few, if any compromises when it comes to being as aero as possible.

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Global Cycling Network

Yoann Offredo’s Cube Litening C:68X Race Bike | Team Wanty-Gobert Pro Bike

They spent 1000 hours doing computerized flow simulations…as well as 100 hours spent in the wind tunnel and the result is that this frameset has 30% less drag than the previous model.

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User Ratings

100/100 based on 1 ratings
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Bike Comparison

Cube Litening C:68X in comparison to averages
Cube Litening C:68X
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