When an athlete like Gusti Wildhaber suddenly delivers top results every week, and on a new bike, it's tempting to attribute his success to this. Of course, this is mainly due to the very good physical and mental condition in which the Sargans native currently finds himself. However, Wildhaber reveals that the new bike is certainly playing its part.

More reserves, smoother running

It offers him a secure feeling and more reserves, which probably means that Cube's next Enduro Twentyniner comes with a good portion more suspension travel. And this is also the trend for new enduro bikes.
If the suspension on Cube's current enduro twentyniner "Stereo 150" has 150 millimetres of travel, the prototype has 170 millimetres.

One striking feature is that the shock mount on the bellcrank has a kind of flip chip. These are normally installed to change the geometry, but then usually directly on the rear triangle. The flip chip on the bellcrank is probably for mounting a steel spring damper. But why? Compared to today's air shocks, steel spring dampers have a more linear spring characteristic. In racing, however, a progressive spring characteristic is usually preferred. It can therefore be assumed that Cube achieves the necessary progression by controlling the shock absorber at a different angle.

The reach of the prototype has also become longer. As Gusti Wildhaber already used the 32 millimeter short Race Face stem, he now benefits from the smoother ride. However, this is not only due to the longer front section, the slacker steering angle also plays its part.

Flatter, longer, smoother and more suspension travel - sounds sluggish. Wildhaber insists that this is exactly what the bike itself is not, much to his surprise.

Details: less is more

Wildhaber's motto for the groupset is to get by with less. While most riders would probably opt for the large cassette, the smaller 10/45 version combined with a 34 mm chainring is enough for him. Shimano's XTR 12-speed changer has a shorter cage and is therefore less prone to failure.

The brakes are also from Shimano. Wildhaber only needs a 180-millimetre brake disc on the rear wheel, while the front wheel has a diameter of 203 millimetres.

The Newmen EG30 wheels are braked with the powerful stoppers. These are fitted with Schwalbe's Magic Mary tires - with Ultrasoft rubber compound at the front and Trailstar rubber compound at the rear. While many riders in the Enduro World Series rely on tire inserts, the 31-year-old does without them completely in order to save weight. The tires are inflated to 1.75 bar at the rear wheel and 1.45 bar at the front.