close
DEALER
TESTING, TESTING
In the heart of CUBE's base in the Bavarian Fichtel mountains is a room full of machines, each of which is designed to test frames and components to their limits. There are 38 test benches, every single one designed in-house. Each one can run 24/7, if necessary. The lab has existed since CUBE's early days, but its work is constantly evolving and expanding.
A big part of the lab’s work is to make sure every CUBE model range is safe. To do that, frames – each representing different bike series – are put through the mill. "Each frame had to pass up to eleven tests.", says test lab team leader Markus Horn, "A frame takes around one to one and a half weeks to complete all of its tests. Every frame, regardless of category, has to pass every test."
The severity of the tests depends on the intended use. So, for example, a full suspension bike is tested to different standards than a child's bike. But every frame is tested beyond the industry standard, because we build CUBE bikes to be better.
It's not just frames that are tested. Components are, too. Safety-relevant components like the fork, handlebar and handlebar stem are obvious, but no part goes untested. "There are other components", points out Markus, "like a cell-phone mount, which are relatively affordable. But if the mount breaks, the damage to an expensive phone could be extensive."
SETTING THE STANDARD
In the last three years alone the test lab has doubled in size, number of employees and number of test benches. Comprehensive in-house lab testing underpins every CUBE bike design, and not just to the ISO standard that applies to all bikes. That's just the beginning, because CUBE testing uses loads above international standards.
"We have our own CUBE Testing Standard (CTS)", explains Markus, "and it's considerably higher than the ISO testing standard for individual products. The CTS has different levels. The first level is always the standard; the second, third and sometimes even the fourth level always involves greater load changes or higher forces."
"Our testing standards allow us to ensure that the frame can withstand the stresses and strains of everyday life."
For example, the head tube of a mountain bike frame must withstand up to 150,000 load cycles simulating braking, obstacles or jumps. A complete bike fitted with production components – and loaded to its maximum design weight – must travel over 1.65 million obstacles on one of our drum test benches. There are six of these in total – two for bikes, one for cargo bikes, one for accessory testing and two for rim and wheel testing.
REAL WORLD TESTING TO EXTREMES
Feedback from sponsored riders is a crucial part of the process. The loads they're subjecting their bikes to, under race conditions, can be severe. "With racing bikes", says Markus, "extreme forces act briefly during the sprint to the finish line. In 10 or 20 seconds they release all the energy, which then affects the components. And that's an extreme load for the frame."
In order to simulate race conditions, test machines exert force sinusoidally on the cranks to simulate a sprint finish – a process that takes more than 16 hours. Every frame is expected to survive unscathed.
"We are constantly developing our frames, including the materials, using ever-better carbon fibres to make them lighter, more durable, and to conserve resources."
MAKING THINGS, BETTER
The advantage of having this testing expertise in-house is that it allows close cooperation between the engineering and design teams. New products can be developed, prototyped and tested quickly. Materials, product design and intended use all play a part in determining how things are tested.
Markus's team is, therefore, a crucial part of the development process. "If a prototype fails existing tests, we analyse what went wrong", he says. "We then modify the design and material and create a new prototype that undergoes the same tests again." The process is repeated until the design is perfected.