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CUBE builds bikes that embody the pure essence of cycling. Every single bike in the CUBE range is the culmination of passion and know-how.
The CUBE LITENING has successfully been connected to the pro-team Intermaché-Wanty-Gobert for seven years and recently extended this success with three more. CUBE has developed many new bikes, parts, accessories, and clothing through this collaboration. With many wins through the years, 2022 was another and more successful than ever. With a tally of 21 wins this season including 4 at World Tour level – with the astonishing wins of Biniam Girmay in Gent Wevelgem and the Giro, this is a good season for CUBE and this Belgian team.
Eagle-eyed fans may have already spotted the team riding a prototype of the Litening AIR C:68X at the Critérium du Dauphiné in 2021. The prototype has also been in use at multiple one-day classics and stage races throughout 2021 and 2022. Alongside stage wins at the Tour of Belgium, the Ethias-Tour de Wallonie, the Giro dell’Appennino and the Sazka Tour, the crowning moment of the test phase for the new bike was Jan Hirt’s victorious ride on the queen stage of the 2022 Giro d’Italia.
The Litening C:68X was already a superb frame with aerodynamic abilities for the sprint and to save watts. But the desire and need originated to create a lighter frame for climbing that had the same basic aero capabilities as the Litening C:68X SLT. The designers at CUBE set out to develop a brand-new, ultra-light race bike with a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve with the Litening AIR C:68X: a pure-bred racer that’s extremely light and incredibly aerodynamic, yet comfortable to ride on long days out in the saddle. The redesigned CUBE Litening AIR C:68X weighs about 271 grams less than his aero brother (size 56cm). The bike will be able to easily build a 6.6KG racer (in the SLT option). The bike will come in three different colors: Carbon ‘n’ rainbow – Electric ‘n’ blue – Liquidred ‘n’ carbon. The UCI-compliant comes with an integrated one-piece stem/handlebar. The AIR will be equipped with the well-known ICR Aero Cockpit System and integrated Cable Routing as we seen on the Litening C:68X
This super light climbing bike will be the next game changer in the line of winning and fast CUBE bikes. It fits totally with the philosophy of CUBE to create the best bikes on the planet and to #challenginggravity.
Sprinting for the finish line under the rider’s full power is a challenge for any bike. At CUBE’s test labs, all components that contribute to safety undergo extensive testing to ensure they reach our high standards.
A bike has to cope with huge forces through its frame, particularly during a sprint. That’s why we test this kind of load in CUBE’s lab. Just like normal pedalling – only more so – force is exerted sinusoidally on the crank arm to simulate the forces generated during a sprint finish. This test takes more than 16 hours. Over the course of a normal ride, even more force is exerted… so we test it again. At this point we increase the force acting on the pedals by another 25% – and the bike will survive 10,000 cycles at this level.
Want to know more about the new 2023 LITENING AIR bike from CUBE? Then visit www.cube.eu/air and use the hashtag #challenginggravity.