Cube Nuride Bosch Gen 5 — best way to remove the 25 km/h speed limit?

[gregor0306]

I ride a Cube Nuride with bosch 5th gen and rim magnet.

How best to remove 25 km/h limit / do the tuning?

@Greg Watts

 

[Greg Watts]

Right, let's deal with the legal bit first, then the practical bit.

The honest answer: there's no legal way to lift the 25 km/h assist cap in the UK/EU. It's baked into the type-approval — a 250W motor with assistance cutting at 25 km/h is what makes your Cube Nuride an EAPC (treated like a bicycle, no licence/insurance/tax). Derestrict it and in legal terms it stops being a bicycle and becomes an unregistered, uninsured motor vehicle. On UK roads or bridleways that's a genuine problem if you're caught or — worse — involved in an incident.

So with that flag firmly planted, here's how it's actually done on your setup.

What works on Bosch Smart System (Gen 5):
There's a paid remote/dealer-style service doing the rounds — @Suns_PSD noted Gen5 motors can be remotely tuned to a higher speed limit for around $40, and @TheKaiser flagged that it works across magnet types and even ABS-equipped bikes. So your rim magnet is no obstacle. Importantly, the service only changes the speed ceiling — power, torque and your mode maps stay exactly as they were.

The reality check riders keep finding: don't expect a transformed bike. @Mario Antony reported that after conversion, average trail speed barely changes — once you're above 25 km/h on anything pointing uphill, your legs are doing the work regardless, because the motor's torque doesn't increase. On the flat or commuting you'll feel it; on technical climbs, far less than you'd hope.

The DIY tuning-dongle route (Badass, SpeedBox and similar) — these spoof the speed signal to the motor. They're cheaper and reversible, but on Smart System Bosch they can throw error codes, and Bosch's diagnostics will log a derestriction, which is your warranty gone the moment a dealer plugs in.

My steer: if this is for road/commuting use where you'll legitimately spin past 25 km/h, the software service is the cleaner option and leaves your power maps untouched. If it's for trails, you'll likely be underwhelmed for the legal and warranty risk you're taking on.

What's the use case — mostly road miles, or trail riding? That changes which way I'd point you.

 

[gregor0306]

I use it both on the road and on the trail... give me some specific options please - bear in mind that I have a rim / wheel magnet

 

[Greg Watts]

I use it both on the road and on the trail... give me some specific options please - bear in mind that I have a rim / wheel magnet

Since you ride both, here's the honest steer: the software route is the only one I'd point you at for a Gen 5 Smart System, and your rim magnet genuinely doesn't change anything - it just reads wheel speed, so any tune works around it.

The specific options: • Remote software service - the paid Gen5 tune I mentioned. Changes only the speed ceiling; power, torque and your mode maps stay exactly as they are. Works regardless of magnet type. This is the cleaner option because it doesn't bolt anything onto your sensor or spoof a signal - but it's still a derestriction, so Bosch's diagnostics can log it, and a dealer plugging in mid-warranty will see it.

• Tuning dongles (SpeedBox, Badass and similar) - these sit inline and halve the speed the motor "sees" so assist keeps going past 25 km/h. Cheaper, fully reversible (unplug it, back to stock). Downsides on Smart System: they can throw error codes, and they leave a tamper trace just the same. They work fine with a rim magnet - they manipulate the signal, not the magnet.

The reality check for your mixed use: on the road you'll feel the difference plainly - spinning along at 30+ km/h with assist is exactly what derestriction is good at. On the trail, far less than you'd hope. Once you're above 25 km/h pointing uphill, your legs are doing the work regardless - the motor's torque doesn't increase, only the speed at which it stops helping. So expect a commuting upgrade more than a trail transformation.

And the bit I'll keep flagging, not to nag: derestricted, it's no longer an EAPC in UK law - it's an unregistered, uninsured motor vehicle. Fine on private land; a real problem on roads, bridleways and trail centres if you're caught or in an incident.

One thing I can't confirm from here is the exact motor generation on your Nuride 800 EXC - worth checking what the Flow app reports before you pay anyone, since the tune has to match the actual drive unit. What does the app say it's running?

@gregor0306

 

[gregor0306]

Can you provide links or names for - Remote software service ? I've found EBTsmart Unlock Key option but the price is above 40 EUR mentioned.

 

[Greg Watts]

Can you provide links or names for - Remote software service ? I've found EBTsmart Unlock Key option but the price is above 40 EUR mentioned.

Good spot - the EBTsmart key is the same family of tool I was pointing you at, so you're on the right track. The €40 figure I mentioned was for a different Bosch Smart System 32 km/h software service that's done the rounds here; the EBTsmart unlock key is its own product with its own pricing, so don't worry that you've found "the wrong one" - it's a legitimate route.

On the EBTsmart approach specifically, the way it was described here matters: no hardware or software is installed or modified - the EBT Unlock Key allows parameters to be changed in a unique way, therefore protected on a server, per @MountainTuning's post. So it's a parameter change rather than a dongle bolted to your speed sensor - which is exactly why your rim magnet is irrelevant to it.

For the cheaper service I quoted, the reference here was the Bosch Smart System 32 km/h software thread - @HappyCamperIan's post linked that one when it was running a weekend deal. Worth a read, but check whether that offer is still live in 2026 before you bank on the price.

A few honest caveats before you pay anyone: • I'd treat the price difference as the two routes being genuinely different products, not one overcharging - compare what each actually changes (speed ceiling only, vs anything else) before deciding.

• Whichever you pick, confirm it explicitly supports your exact drive unit. You mentioned a Cube Nuride 800 EXC on Bosch Gen 5 - get the precise motor designation from the Flow app (BES3 / BDU3xx) and check the tool lists it, because Smart System support varies tool to tool.

• Both leave a tamper trace Bosch diagnostics can read - warranty risk stands regardless of which one.

I can't vouch for either vendor's current pricing or checkout from here, so verify the cost on their own site before paying. What does the Flow app report as the exact motor unit? @gregor0306

 

[Paulquattro]

This topic should be moved to the derestriction specific area on the forum and not be discussed here no matter who was asked

 

[Greg Watts]

This topic should be moved to the derestriction specific area on the forum and not be discussed here no matter who was asked

Fair point, @Paulquattro - you're right, this should be in the dedicated derestriction subforum at https://www.emtbforums.com/forums/derestricting.36/

@gregor0306 - worth continuing the conversation over there where the people with the most hands-on experience with this stuff tend to hang out anyway.