{"id":40319,"date":"2022-08-19T07:00:31","date_gmt":"2022-08-19T05:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.bikeradar.com\/?p=694096"},"modified":"2022-08-19T07:30:37","modified_gmt":"2022-08-19T05:30:37","slug":"cubes-new-litening-air-c68x-is-a-lightweight-aero-road-bike-said-to-weigh-just-6-6kg","status":"publish","type":"rss_feed","link":"https:\/\/c01.purpledshub.com\/cyclingplus\/rss_feed\/cubes-new-litening-air-c68x-is-a-lightweight-aero-road-bike-said-to-weigh-just-6-6kg\/","title":{"rendered":"Cube\u2019s new Litening AIR C:68X is a lightweight aero road bike said to weigh just 6.6kg"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>

By Simon von Bromley\n \t\t<\/p>

Published: Friday, 19 August 2022 at 12:00 am<\/p>

\n\n

Cube has launched the Litening AIR C:68X, a new lightweight aero road bike<\/a> claimed to weigh just 6.6kg for a complete bike.<\/p>\n

Well over a year after we originally spotted this bike<\/a> being ridden at the 2021 Crit\u00e9rium du Dauphin\u00e9 (and then again at the 2021 Tour de France, the 2022 Giro d\u2019Italia<\/a> and the 2022 Tour de France), Cube has at long last officially unveiled the Litening AIR C:68X.<\/p>\n

Developed in collaboration with Cube\u2019s sponsored WorldTour<\/a> team, Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty-Gobert Mat\u00e9riaux, the Litening AIR C:68X is set to complement, rather than replace, Cube\u2019s pure aero road bike, the Cube Litening C:68X<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Cube says Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty-Gobert Mat\u00e9riaux riders will use the Litening AIR C:68X with a special-edition paintjob at the 2022 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a<\/a>, which begins today with a team time trial in Utrecht, the Netherlands.<\/p>\n

A 799g disc brake aero road frameset<\/h2>\n
\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
Intermarch\u00e9-Wanty-Gobert Mat\u00e9riaux will race this special-edition version of the new Litening AIR C:68X at the 2022 Vuelta a Espa\u00f1a.<\/span><\/figcaption> Cube<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

With many modern Tour de France bikes weighing well over 7.5kg<\/a> (albeit with pedals and bottle cages), the headline feature of the new Cube Litening AIR C:68X is undoubtedly its ultra-light claimed weight.<\/p>\n

Thanks to the use of \u201cpremium C:68X carbon\u201d, Cube says a size 54cm frame weighs 799g, and it\u2019s possible to \u201ceasily build a 6.6kg racer\u201d \u2013 some 200g under the UCI\u2019s minimum bike weight limit of 6.8kg.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The 2023 Cube Litening AIR C:68X is claimed to be able to hit the UCI\u2019s minimum bike weight limit with ease.<\/span><\/figcaption> Cube<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

According to Cube, the Litening AIR C:68X is the lightest road bike in the company\u2019s history \u2013 although it\u2019s possible the brand is referring just to bikes with road disc brakes<\/a> with this claim, because the 2010 Cube Litening Super HPC Di2<\/a>, which used rim brakes, also weighed 6.6kg on our scales.<\/p>\n

For context, a Specialized S-Works Tarmac SL7 frame<\/a> is claimed to weigh 800g.<\/p>\n

Like the Tarmac SL7, Cube\u2019s Litening AIR C:68X uses a mixture of slim, truncated aerofoil tube shapes with dropped seatstays in a bid to balance aerodynamic performance, weight and comfort.<\/p>\n

\""2023\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Cube Litening AIR C:68X uses lightweight truncated aerofoil tubes to balance aero and weight.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Cube<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""2023\"<\/picture><\/div>
Slim, dropped seatstays are a hallmark of almost every modern aero road bike.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Cube<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

As you might expect, the tube shapes are generally much smaller than those found on the Cube Litening C:68X, in a bid to save weight.<\/p>\n

Cube claims the Litening AIR C:68X is \u201cthe perfect marriage of low weight and aerodynamic design\u201d, and that there is \u201conly about five watts difference\u201d between the new Litening AIR C:68X and the standard Litening C68:X, in terms of overall drag.<\/p>\n

It also says the slim tubes and improved tyre clearance \u2013 now up to 31mm measured width \u2013 means the Litening AIR C:68X is \u201ccomfortable to ride on long days out in the saddle\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"""\"<\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/source><\/picture><\/div>
The Cube Litening AIR C:68X has room for tyres up to 31mm wide.<\/span><\/figcaption> Cube<\/i><\/span><\/div>\n

Up front, there\u2019s also a new integrated handlebar, which appears to be the same as the one we saw on Taco van der Hoorn\u2019s Cube Litening C:68X TE<\/a> at the 2022 Tour de France (although we would expect consumer bikes to come with a less extreme stem length and handlebar width than van der Hoorn chooses to race with).<\/p>\n

The Litening AIR C:68X\u2019s handlebar features a flattened aero stem paired with a slimmer top section than the deep aerofoil seen on the Litening C:68X\u2019s stock integrated cockpit.<\/p>\n

Like the standard Litening C:68X, the AIR C:68X also features fully internal cable routing to maximise its aerodynamic efficiency.<\/p>\n

\""2023\"<\/picture><\/div>
The Cube Litening AIR C:68X features a new integrated cockpit.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Cube<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>
\""2023\"<\/picture><\/div>
Like the frameset, the new handlebar is designed to balance aerodynamic performance and weight.<\/span> <\/figcaption> Cube<\/i> <\/span>\n<\/div> <\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div> <\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>

Cube Litening AIR C:68X geometry<\/h2>\n

The Cube Litening AIR C:68X shares its geometry with the standard Litening C:68X, with relatively steep and aggressive dimensions that should make for a racy riding position and quick handling.<\/p>\n

<\/colgroup>
\ufeffFrame size<\/th>50cm<\/th>52cm<\/th>54cm<\/th>56cm<\/th>58cm<\/th>60cm<\/th><\/tr><\/thead>
Seat tube<\/b> (mm)<\/td>440<\/td>460<\/td>480<\/td>500<\/td>520<\/td>540<\/td> <\/tr>
Top tube <\/b>(mm)<\/td>527<\/td>537<\/td>550<\/td>565<\/td>580<\/td>592<\/td> <\/tr>
Seat tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>75<\/td>74.2<\/td>73.5<\/td>73.5<\/td>73.5<\/td>73.5<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube angle<\/b> (degrees)<\/td>72.5<\/td>72.5<\/td>73<\/td>73.5<\/td>73.5<\/td>73.5<\/td> <\/tr>
Chainstay length<\/b> (mm)<\/td>410<\/td>410<\/td>410<\/td>410<\/td>410<\/td>410<\/td> <\/tr>
Head tube length<\/b> (mm)<\/td>110<\/td>120<\/td>140<\/td>160<\/td>180<\/td>195<\/td> <\/tr>
Wheelbase<\/b> (mm)<\/td>981.01<\/td>981.01<\/td>984.22<\/td>994.6<\/td>1,005.01<\/td>1,011.19<\/td> <\/tr>
Bottom bracket drop<\/b> (mm)<\/td>72<\/td>72<\/td>69<\/td>69<\/td>67<\/td>67<\/td> <\/tr>
Reach<\/b> (mm)<\/td>389.36<\/td>388.67<\/td>389.47<\/td>398.3<\/td>402.7<\/td>404.61<\/td> <\/tr>
Stack<\/b> (mm)<\/td>513.67<\/td>524.18<\/td>541.94<\/td>562.76<\/td>579.94<\/td>594.32<\/td> <\/tr><\/tbody><\/table>