This is our top women's hardtail, designed for everything from enthusiastic trail riding to novice racing. We haven't just given the Access WLS an extraordinarily high quality aluminium frame. With high quality, enthusiast-orientated components like the 2x11 Shimano transmission, air suspension fork and hydraulic disc rabeks, our Access WLS SL 2X is also set up perfectly for life on the race circuit.
WLS series frames get all the features we can muster to make the double butted aluminium chassis even lighter, stiffer and more efficient. The 6061 aluminium tubes feature complex mechanical forming, while the bottom bracket uses the PressFit standard and there's a tapered head tube, too. We also incorporated the IS brake mount into the 3D forged dropouts, while internally routed cables give an exceptionally neat appearance and ensure long-lasting clean gear shifts. The 27.2mm seatpost contributes to greatly enhanced rider comfort and our Agile Ride Geometry with a shorter, lowered top tube makes the SL a balanced and agile companion for women riders out on the trail.
Shimano's brand new 2x11 XT group features the latest technology, which means exemplary shifting performance in all conditions. A Race Face Aeffect SL 34x24 crank transmits all the rider's power to the rear wheel. Up front, the Manitour M30 air suspension fork can easily be adjusted to the rider's weight and riding style, and features a remote lockout and very light aluminium steerer for perfect control and maximum comfort. We build the high quality wheels - with durable Shimano SLX Centerlock hubs - in the CUBE factory. Braking is handled by Shimano's reliable BM-M506 disc system, while Schwalbe's Tough Tom and Rapid Rob combo in 2.25in width keep everything under control.
We ran innumerable tests to develop the Agile Ride Geometry in our series of big wheel bikes. We also added the 27.5in wheel size to the very well received portfolio. Three important details lead to the very agile character. Increased fork offsets let us achieve the same trail as our 26in bikes without having to steepen the head angle, thus maintaining generous toe clearance to the front wheel. Secondly we shortened the chain stays without compromising the seat angle. We invented a patented construction to mount the front derailleur to give us more tyre clearance while keeping a conventional seat angle, leading to a perfect riding position for every rider size. Last but not least we kept the BB height the same as on our 26in bikes. These measures lead to a natural riding position. Every mountain biker will feel immediately at home on a CUBE 29er or 27.5.
6061 aluminium alloy requires a heat treatment for the finished product. It is a stiff, very corrosion resistant, fatigue resistant,high-elongation material suitable for light tubesets with high stiffness.
The Easy Mount Kick Stand is a new system developed and designed by CUBE. The base of the stand is mounted from below to a fitting plate integrated to the frame and fixed with a through bolt. This kick stand is extremely stiff and solid through the enlarged contact areas between base and frame which gives a stable stand even with loaded panniers.
To protect our high-end aluminium frames from damage, they are built with the CUBE Frame Save System replaceable derailleur hanger. The mounting thread is in the hanger and not in the frame as usual. In case of a crash, this hanger can be easily and quickly replaced by a new one.
Internally routed cables offer many advantages. Cables are protected from dirt for longer life, weight is saved thanks to the absence of external housing and the bike has a clean, sleek appearance.
On polished, brushed aluminium and all HPC frames, the logos and graphics are applied in multi-layer wet paint. We use this surface treatment technology mainly to save weight.
Our new WLS models come with different wheel sizes for different frame heights. The 14 and 16" frames have 27.5" wheels, the 17,19 and 21" frames are built as 29ers. Depending on body height, every woman gets the perfect riding character and geometry. The models of our Woman Like Series feature a compact frame geometry with shorter top tubes and longer head tubes, giving a riding position that is more upright than on the mens models. This riding position relieves the pelvis and offers more comfort. The top tubes of the WLS mountain bikes are lowered, making the bike more comfortable and safe to mount and dismount.
With Press Fit bearings, the bottom bracket bearings are pressed directly into the frame and not screwed in as usual. This gives a wider bottom bracket shell and allows us to build a wider down tube and more broadly-spaced chainstays. Every millimetre of additional width gives a significant improvement in lateral stiffness.
This steerer tube design is stiffer than a conventional straight steerer and yields a more secure ride feel even in difficult terrain. Minimal flex at the front of the frame means the greatest possible steering precision. With the larger steerer, the forks become more rigid. At the same time weight is saved due to the absence of bearing shells as the lower bearing is fully integrated into the head tube. On all of our CUBE carbon models the upper bearing shells are also directly in the frame, so that once more a few grams are saved and the energy transfer is very direct.
