Cube’s Reaction TM Pro is great looking and even better value: It’s for riders who want a tough, well specced, aggressively agile play bike but don’t want rear suspension or long-reach stability.

It’s a bit short, but otherwise Cube’s latest hardcore hardtail is one of the best new hardtail mountain bikes for heavy or heavy duty riders who want to ride more and wrench less.

Cube’s new Reaction TM Pro is agile, fun and dynamic to ride, perfect for a hardcore winter hack

There are some decent full suspension bikes around for £1,500 now, but whatever the price point, a hardtail will always be lighter, with better equipment and less maintenance / set up stress.

Cube’s Reaction TM Pro shows you don’t have to back off the attack much just because you’ve got no rear shock and it’s a great price too. There are some geometry aspects and kit that won’t suit everyone though.

The lacquered paintjob should prove pretty resillient and hide any scrapes and dings

Frame and geometry

The Cube Reaction Pro stands out straight away with a raw alloy finish and subtle silver reflective graphics. These make it look like an ultra cool boutique machine, not a mass market bargain. It also takes a lot of paint stress out of hard riding too as even if you manage to wound the thick clear lacquer you won’t see a scratch or scar.

The welding is pretty decent, not the smoothest I’ve seen but it doesn’t draw your eye

The belly and chainstay are protected with chunky rubber armour. The brake line gets secure bolt-on clips under the seatstay rather than just zip ties or those pointless U clips that come off immediately. The left offset brake routing through the top tube is a little bit awkward when switched to UK standard.

Fixtures are bang up to date too with a UDH rear dropout, a bolted accessory mount under the flattened top tube and a bottle mount on the squared down tube. The bottom bracket has a three point mount for a full chain guide and you get an MRP 1x top chain retainer as standard.

Two piston brakes front and rear are ideal on a hardcore hardtail like this

Bridgeless seat stays and a sculpted chainstay yoke give clearance for 29×2.6in tyres, despite the bike’s very short 427mm back end on the M, L and XL sizes. That back end shrinks to a crazy 408mm on the XS and S sizes, which get 27.5in wheels as standard.

The seat tube is also short at 420mm leaving plenty of room for the 170mm stroke dropper, and the head tube is only 100mm tall too. Add a 462mm reach and you’ve got a really progressive medium sized bike.

Cube’s made a play bike for skilful riders, but it’s too short to make things easy for newbies

The trouble is, these are the numbers for the large, which really needs at least another 10-20mm of reach and a head tube height to match most competitors.

And while the XL does get a 482mm reach, the seat tube grows disproportionately to 470mm, ruling out a long stroke dropper for large sized riders. However heavier riders – or anyone concerned about frame strength – will be stoked to hear that Cube’s 140kg rider weight limit is 20kg higher than most brands’.

The angles are good too with a 65 degree head angle and an effective 75.5 degree seat angle.

We’re big fans of the budget Z2 fork, it’s basically a rebadged, older model Fox 34 but that doesn’t stop it being plush and controlled

Components

Cube matches that aggressive head angle with a proper hardcore front end. The Marzocchi Z2 is effectively a Fox 34 Rhythm fork with remodelled lower legs, plastic adjusters and steel bushings to keep the cost down.

The plastic dial doesn’t do the Z2 any favours, but the great performance and low price mean I can overlook it

It’s still a plush and capable fork though and designed to survive on much longer than average service intervals, which suits hardtail strengths brilliantly. Don’t neglect it totally though as steel rather than synthetic bushings need more TLC long term.

With a MaxxGrip front tyre the Reaction is setup for proper mountain biking not towpath touring

Fork grip and smoothness are underlined by the big, sticky Maxxis Assegai tyre with MaxxGrip compound, which even has an EXO+ casing to let you run lower pressures without puncture or stability issues.

The 4 cylinder Deore front brake is amplified by a 200mm front rotor and the mostly-Deore drivetrain is solidly reliable. The KMC chain means it’s not as sweet shifting as a pure Shimano set up but from experience they last really well, as will the steel chainring. A ProWheel bottom bracket has sneaked into the spec, and its lifespan is likely to be less than that of Shimano’s BBs though, so keep an eye on that.

Newman wheels have proved reliable in the past, with stiffness galore and a bombproof build

Newmen wheels with old school eyeleted rims gave me no grief during testing and the 30mm internal width gives good tyre support. Silent hubs are great for serene freewheeling through the woods or hunting down suspension bikes in stealth mode. The Dissector rear tyre speeds things up a bit on the rear and also gets a lightly reinforced EXO+ carcass.

The Newman bar and stem isn’t flashy, but it’s spot on for width and length

The Newmen bar and stem are well matched to the geometry in terms of shape but some riders may want a higher rise to compensate for the short head tube. The Acid saddle is well shaped and the red Acid grips with their moulded ergo are a visual and comfort highlight. While the remote lever rattles from new it’s all metal and well shaped. It’s good to see a usefully long dropper on a relatively affordable bike too.

Slow speed tech like this is really joyful on the Reaction TM, there’s a ton of grip and the back wheel’s easy to pick up

Performance

Quality contact points mean first impressions are excellent and the ultra surefooted feel of the sticky front tyre, supple fork and relaxed head tube translate that onto the trail as well.

On slow speed, twisty, pick and mix trails the short reach and super short back end mean the Reaction Pro really does react quickly as well. The bike’s low bottom bracket and low slung frame keep the centre of gravity slammed for easy flicking from side to side and slow speed stability in trials sections.

The Reaction TM Pro at its best

While the front tyre drags my speed down on extended efforts it’s stiff enough to kick, sprint or punch up short climbs and the actual seat angle is aggressive enough to keep me saddled up and not spinning out.

With compact geometry, the Reaction TM Pro can feel a little unstable at high speed

The whole frame treads a balanced line, it’s accurate enough to hack aggressive lines through turns, but not so much it batters me too badly through rocks and ruts.

Both chassis feel and components are definitely best suited to short, attacking rides than long distance cruises. Fitting a larger rear tyre will make it more comfortable but at the expense of extra weight and drag.

The compact dimensions that make it so agile up and down tight trails also reduce stability in fast and/or loose conditions. That means you’ll need to move around on the bike more to manage traction and overall balance rather than just standing in the centre like you can with a longer bike.

With a short back end it’s easy to loft the front wheel