Kathmandu
Origin
Cube was founded in 1993 by Marcus Pürner in a 50 square-metre corner of his father's furniture factory in Waldershof, Bavaria — the story goes that he and a partner staked 40,000 Deutschmarks on a shipping container of 160 inexpensive Asian mountain bikes. From that gamble Cube grew into one of Europe's largest bike makers, still owner-managed, now selling into more than 60 countries from a modern German campus. The Kathmandu is Cube's long-running trekking flagship and the name it has used for its most fully-equipped tourer for well over a decade. Named after the Nepalese gateway to the Himalayas, it embodies the German trekking ideal: a robust, everyday-ready aluminium bike that arrives with rack, mudguards and lights already fitted, ready to commute Monday and tour across a mountain range at the weekend. The non-electric Kathmandu is the pedal-only sibling of the enormously popular Kathmandu Hybrid e-bike, sharing its frame philosophy and equipment but without a motor or battery.
Specifications
- Frame
- Aluminium Superlite, double-butted, 'Trekking Comfort' geometry; classic (diamond) and Trapeze (low-step) frames; Integrated Carrier 3.0 rack
- Weight
- kg
- Drivetrain
- Shimano CUES, trim-dependent: ONE 2x9, PRO 2x10, EXC/SLX 2x11 (46x32T crank, 11-45T cassette); SLT flagship steps up to Deore-XT-grade
- Brakes
- Hydraulic disc, 160mm rear / 180mm front. Shimano BR-MT200/UR300 on PRO; Shimano XT hydraulic on SLX/SLT
- Wheels
- 700c (622); Cube EX25 rims; hub dynamo on higher trims (SLX/SLT) feeding the integrated lights
The verdict
- Genuinely complete out of the box — rack, mudguards and dynamo lights included, so no extra spend to make it tour- or commute-ready
- Robust, well-proven aluminium platform from a major German brand with a wide European (and Baltic) dealer/service network
- Sensible modern spec on every trim — hydraulic disc brakes and CUES/Linkglide gearing even on the entry ONE, XT brakes and dynamo on SLX/SLT
- Heavy for a non-electric bike (~16-17 kg with all the kit) — awkward to carry up stairs and slower uphill than a stripped tourer
- The short-travel SR Suntour fork on lower trims is comfort-oriented, not a real off-road suspension, and adds weight/maintenance
- Easily confused with the electric Kathmandu Hybrid, and the pedal version is much rarer, so used stock and reviews are thin
Generations
2024 range
- Full move to Shimano CUES/Linkglide gearing across the ladder; PRO priced €1,199.
- Brakes
- Shimano hydraulic disc (XT on top trims)
2025 range
- Largely carry-over spec with sharper pricing — 2025 PRO dropped to ~€999; SLX/SLT get RockShox fork + hub dynamo.
- Brakes
- Shimano hydraulic disc, XT on SLX/SLT
Versions & builds
Every official build side by side — differences highlighted.
| Spec | Kathmandu ONE | Kathmandu PRO | CurrentKathmandu EXC | CurrentKathmandu SLX | CurrentKathmandu SLT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 2024 | 2024 | 2025 | 2025 | 2025 |
| Frame | Aluminium Superlite (diamond / Trapeze) | Aluminium Superlite (diamond / Trapeze) | Aluminium Superlite (diamond / Trapeze) | Aluminium Superlite (diamond / Trapeze) | Aluminium Superlite (diamond / Trapeze) |
| Drivetrain | Shimano CUES 2x9 | Shimano CUES 2x10 | Shimano CUES 2x11 (46x32T, 11-45T) | Shimano CUES 11-speed (46x32T, 11-45T) | Shimano Deore XT-grade |
| Brakes | Shimano hydraulic disc | Shimano BR-MT200/UR300 hydraulic disc | Hydraulic disc 160/180mm | Shimano XT hydraulic disc 160/180mm | Shimano XT hydraulic disc |
| MSRP | €1,099 | €1,199 | €1,499 | €1,999 | — |
| Purpose | Value | Balanced | Balanced | Flagship | Flagship |
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