Which bike - Rail 9.8, Stereo hybrid 160 or Stilus???

Simonp3

Member
Aug 21, 2020
30
8
Denmark
Hi everybody, i am in a big doubt here.. i am looking for a new bike, my current bike is a 2018 Scott E-spark 710. First i looked for a used demo bike, but Covid-19 has turned the bikeworld upside down, and everything is sold out..

27.5+ wheels
Bosch motor
Shimano xt brakes
Shimano xt gear
160 mm front travel
140-160 mm rear travel
Budget is MAX 6000 Euro!

It's for trail riding and the occational trip to Germany and Bikeparks (1-5 times a year)

However, i find it hard to find something that ticks all these criterias.. and i find it even harder to find 27.5+ wheels these days. I have never ridden 29'ers, but maybe it comes down to habit?

i found 3 bikes, which i am in love with, each in their own way.. I need your help and inputs. I come from Denmark, and i am unable to try out any of the 2 bikes, i have in my binoculars..
Cube-Stereo-Hybrid-160-HPC-Actionteam-625-275-2020-review-100.jpg
Decathlon-Stilus-3231-1520x1120.jpg
Rail98GX_21_32971_C_Portrait.jpg


The first one is the Cube Stereo Hybrid - which my heart is choosing:

I absolutely love the colors! i get fox damping, but i think that the rear shock might be too overkill for me, with all the settings. but i get 27.5+ wheels, i get Shimano XT gear, XT brakes, 170 mm front travel (love the fork color) and a big rear shock too. it actually fits all the criterias!

The other one, is a Trek Rail 9.8 XT p1 I can get it at a good price if i drive to Germany (4 hour drive) it retals for 8000 Euro, and i am looking at 6500 Euro's (a bit over budget, but it's still a very nice offer i think)

On the Rail i get 29 2.6 wheels, SLX Brakes, XT gears, 160 mm front damping in the new ZEB. I actually don't know how much travel the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RT3 has? and the color is insane in the Phaze Purple!

The rail would be the one that is easiest to sell next fall, i guess, and would be the one, which "i have lost the least amount of money on" if you know what i mean, because of the discount buying price. i have never bought a bike this expensive! it is more than the cost of my car!

The last one is the Decathlon Stilus, which is great value for money. The same engine as the others, 27.5+ wheels, but Sram Guide R brakes (are they good?) Rockshox 35 150mm travel, Sram SX drive train which is low end, and i like how shimano is shifting. Rockshox deluxe 150 mm rear travel.
But a 1/3 price tag infront of the others, and as we all know - never in stock..

I don't really have a preference with carbon over aluminium. On a daily basis, i'm a mechanic, and my head still screams that alu is stronger than carbon, but i know, that in the end, carbon probably wins?

I'm thinking about warranty issues too. If a problem occurs, i have to drive the Rail down to Germany, which is a 4 hour drive. The others i need to ship in to the company (decathlon and Bike-discount) Which i ultimately, would feel better to drive the Trek down.

Give me your thoughts! Heart says Cube, but i've heard bad things about their warranty apartment. Sense says Trek because of the name and resell value. Budget says Decathlon Stilus, but probably never going in stock again.
 

D8N

Member
Sep 26, 2020
10
8
Warrington
Hi everybody, i am in a big doubt here.. i am looking for a new bike, my current bike is a 2018 Scott E-spark 710. First i looked for a used demo bike, but Covid-19 has turned the bikeworld upside down, and everything is sold out..

27.5+ wheels
Bosch motor
Shimano xt brakes
Shimano xt gear
160 mm front travel
140-160 mm rear travel
Budget is MAX 6000 Euro!

It's for trail riding and the occational trip to Germany and Bikeparks (1-5 times a year)

However, i find it hard to find something that ticks all these criterias.. and i find it even harder to find 27.5+ wheels these days. I have never ridden 29'ers, but maybe it comes down to habit?

i found 3 bikes, which i am in love with, each in their own way.. I need your help and inputs. I come from Denmark, and i am unable to try out any of the 2 bikes, i have in my binoculars.. View attachment 39188 View attachment 39189 View attachment 39190

The first one is the Cube Stereo Hybrid - which my heart is choosing:

I absolutely love the colors! i get fox damping, but i think that the rear shock might be too overkill for me, with all the settings. but i get 27.5+ wheels, i get Shimano XT gear, XT brakes, 170 mm front travel (love the fork color) and a big rear shock too. it actually fits all the criterias!

The other one, is a Trek Rail 9.8 XT p1 I can get it at a good price if i drive to Germany (4 hour drive) it retals for 8000 Euro, and i am looking at 6500 Euro's (a bit over budget, but it's still a very nice offer i think)

On the Rail i get 29 2.6 wheels, SLX Brakes, XT gears, 160 mm front damping in the new ZEB. I actually don't know how much travel the RockShox Super Deluxe Ultimate RT3 has? and the color is insane in the Phaze Purple!

The rail would be the one that is easiest to sell next fall, i guess, and would be the one, which "i have lost the least amount of money on" if you know what i mean, because of the discount buying price. i have never bought a bike this expensive! it is more than the cost of my car!

The last one is the Decathlon Stilus, which is great value for money. The same engine as the others, 27.5+ wheels, but Sram Guide R brakes (are they good?) Rockshox 35 150mm travel, Sram SX drive train which is low end, and i like how shimano is shifting. Rockshox deluxe 150 mm rear travel.
But a 1/3 price tag infront of the others, and as we all know - never in stock..

I don't really have a preference with carbon over aluminium. On a daily basis, i'm a mechanic, and my head still screams that alu is stronger than carbon, but i know, that in the end, carbon probably wins?

I'm thinking about warranty issues too. If a problem occurs, i have to drive the Rail down to Germany, which is a 4 hour drive. The others i need to ship in to the company (decathlon and Bike-discount) Which i ultimately, would feel better to drive the Trek down.

Give me your thoughts! Heart says Cube, but i've heard bad things about their warranty apartment. Sense says Trek because of the name and resell value. Budget says Decathlon Stilus, but probably never going in stock again.

What did you decide on in the end?

I’m in a similar predicament, I’d be interested to see what you bought and what you think of the bike? ?
 

Simonp3

Member
Aug 21, 2020
30
8
Denmark
I went with the Cube Stereo Hybrid 160 HPC TM, and i haven't regretted it one bit! that fox 38 in the front and plus tyres are the bomb! And i got a sweet deal on it. Plus i'm the only one to own one in Denmark and Sweden, for the rest of the year, which is pretty cool to brag about, if you ask me!

I am still getting used to sram gears, and the magura brakes, i have driven 80 km's on it so far, and the magura's get's better and better, altough i have bought a pair of Shimano Zees, but i think they will be going on my non motorised enduro rig instead.

The sram gears are ok, so far. but it's NX derailleur, could be better, and i am thinking about swapping it out for the GX i have on my enduro, i am using the Cube much more, and the enduro, is only going to be running downhill :) the dropperpost is a bit slow to return up, compared to the transfers, ks lev's and others i've tried, but maybe it just need to be adjusted a bit.

cube_stereo_hybrid_tm-3369-MF.jpg
 

D8N

Member
Sep 26, 2020
10
8
Warrington
I went with the Cube Stereo Hybrid 160 HPC TM, and i haven't regretted it one bit! that fox 38 in the front and plus tyres are the bomb! And i got a sweet deal on it. Plus i'm the only one to own one in Denmark and Sweden, for the rest of the year, which is pretty cool to brag about, if you ask me!

View attachment 40951

Looks epic! ? I’m between this and the action team.

How does it ride? Is it nimble on trails?
 

Simonp3

Member
Aug 21, 2020
30
8
Denmark
Looks epic! ? I’m between this and the action team.

How does it ride? Is it nimble on trails?
I just updated my post! :) the actionteam was impossible to get my hands on before december/january, and with a much higher price tag.

I bought the cube for 4200 pounds, brand new.

It's very agile on the trails. i went 50 kilometers today, with 15% battery left. my weight is 96 kilo's, and in tour/emtb mode.

I have always ridden 27.5" so if feelvery comfortable with it.

Anything, just ask.
 

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