No road is too long, no mountain too steep. Further, faster, lighter... you only get that with our Tonopah SL. It's the benchmark for a very light and exclusive bike, kitted out with only the finest high-end components. We've fine-tuned this bike's weight a lot without sacrificing comfort or ergonomics, as the Shimano XT groupset and premium DT Swiss wheels demonstrate. An air suspension fork and Syntace components speak for themselves: the Tonopah SL is an extremely capable bike in a class of its own.
A high performance bike like the Tonopah SL starts with a high quality frame. The double butted tubeset - made of our own high quality aluminium alloy - is packed full of technical highlights. The Smooth Welding at the head and seat tube junctions, the tapered head tube and 3D forged, multi-functional dropouts are just a few of the details which make the frame both light and stiff, giving it explosive acceleration. The internal cable routing adds to the modern looks while reducing the need for maintenance.
Every saved gram improves riding dynamics and enhances handling - and this applies as much to the Tonopah SL as it does to any other bike. That's why we've added an exclusive Syntace cockpit, comfortable CUBE Prolight seat post and Fi`zi:k Tundra saddle. We haven't compromised on drive or brake components either, selecting the legendary XT groupset from Shimano, with 30 gears and powerful hydraulic disc brakes. The exceptionally light Suntour NRX S RL-R Air suspension fork is sensitive, reliable and easy to adjust. There's even a handlebar mounted lockout lever. The Tonopah SL rolls on top-class DT-Swiss MA 2.9 wheels.
With our Advanced Mechanical Forming technology we can mechanically transform different frame tubes and thus optimize them without material-wearing welding work for the respective requirements. Along the obtained organic look, the production method is primarily motivated by functional reasons. Multiple converted tubes enable us to manufacture lighter and also stiffer aluminum frames.
Extremely high tensile strength heat-treated 7005 aluminium alloy is developed for the highest requirements. It is very stiff, fatigue resistant, corrosion resistant and has high elongation. Our Superlite tubes are double butted, giving very light tubesets with a high level of 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.
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.
This elaborate procedure with doubled weld seams has two advantages: On the one hand, it improves the firmness of the
weld seams and minimizes the load peaks on the tube welds through energy flow and on the other hand, it helps the frame
to a better and more organic look due to the smooth and hardly noticeable welds.
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.
