CUBE just did the thing every mainstream bike brand eventually does once a suspension trend stops being fringe: it took the high-pivot idler layout that used to cost you a second mortgage and put it on a bike that starts at €2,999. The Fritzz name hasn’t been on a CUBE enduro bike in years. It’s back for the 2027 model year as a completely reworked C:62 carbon platform with 170mm of travel and a high main pivot running an idler pulley, and it replaces the Stereo ONE77 as CUBE’s dedicated enduro rig.

That timing isn’t an accident. We covered RMU’s Nighttrain a few weeks back — a dual-chain, dual-idler enduro bike from a ski company, starting at $4,999 for a frame alone. High-pivot suspension has spent the last two seasons migrating from World Cup DH pits into boutique enduro builds at boutique prices. The Fritzz is the first time I’ve seen the layout show up on a bike a normal rider can actually afford without financing it.

Quick Take

Travel	170mm front and rear
Frame	C:62 carbon, high main pivot, idler pulley
Wheels	Mullet standard (29in front / 27.5in rear), 29er dropout included
Geometry	Rotatable headset cups, 63.8°–64.4° head angle
Entry price	€2,999 (Fritzz C:62 TM)
Top-spec price	€4,999 (Fritzz C:62 Super TM), ~17.2kg
Top-spec build	RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork, Vivid Ultimate shock, SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission
Best for:	Riders who want high-pivot suspension feel without high-pivot pricing
Skip if:	You need proven long-term idler durability data before you buy
Launched: August 12, 2026	CUBE Fritzz

Why the Fritzz Name Matters Here

CUBE didn’t have to resurrect an old nameplate for this. They could’ve bolted a high-pivot linkage onto the Stereo ONE77 and called it a running update. Instead they retired the ONE77 outright and brought back Fritzz — a name that goes back over a decade on CUBE’s enduro and freeride bikes — for what’s genuinely a new platform, not a facelift.

That’s branding, sure. But it also signals CUBE treating this as a real reset rather than an incremental spec bump. road.cc’s coverage called the whole 2027 range a “new chapter,” and for once the marketing line tracks with what actually changed: new frame, new suspension kinematic, new pricing structure across three bikes instead of one.

How Does High-Pivot Suspension With an Idler Actually Work?

A high-pivot suspension design moves the main pivot above the chainring instead of near it, which lets the rear wheel move backward as it moves upward through travel. That rearward axle path helps the wheel absorb square-edge hits without hanging up on them. The trade-off is that moving the pivot up drags the chain, so designers route it through an idler pulley near the pivot to cancel out the extra chain growth — which is also what keeps pedal kickback in check.

CUBE’s version puts a chain idler right at that raised pivot point. BikeRadar’s launch coverage describes it as fending off chain kickback while chasing “a rear-biased wheel lift curve” for smoother bump absorption. If you’ve read our breakdown of the DT Swiss DEG DF anti-kickback hub, you already know pedal kickback is the thing riders pay real money to reduce after the fact. CUBE just built the fix into the frame from the start.

The Numbers That Actually Matter

Travel and Geometry

170mm front and rear, which puts the Fritzz squarely in enduro territory rather than trail-bike-with-extra-travel territory. Head angle is adjustable via rotatable headset cups between 63.8° and 64.4°, according to ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine’s spec breakdown — a half-degree swing that’s enough to notice on steep, fast terrain without needing a different frame or fork offset to get there.

Mullet by Default, 29er if You Want It

Every Fritzz ships mullet — 29in front, 27.5in rear — but comes with a second dropout set that converts it to full 29er without touching the geometry numbers. That’s the detail I like most about this bike. Most brands make you pick a wheel size and live with it, or charge extra for a conversion kit sold separately. CUBE just puts both dropouts in the box.

Weight and Top-Spec Build

The range-topping Fritzz C:62 Super TM comes in around 17.2kg and runs a RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork, a RockShox Vivid Ultimate shock, and SRAM’s X0 Eagle Transmission drivetrain. That’s a genuinely high-end parts spec — the kind you’d expect on a bike costing considerably more than €4,999 from most other brands.

What Do the Two Fritzz Builds Actually Cost?

1. Fritzz C:62 TM: €2,999. The entry build. CUBE hasn’t published a full parts list for this tier as widely as the Super TM, but it shares the same C:62 carbon frame, high-pivot idler layout, and mullet/29er dropout flexibility as the top build — you’re paying less for the componentry, not a lesser frame.
2. Fritzz C:62 Super TM: €4,999. RockShox ZEB Ultimate fork, RockShox Vivid Ultimate shock, SRAM X0 Eagle Transmission, roughly 17.2kg complete.

Compare that to RMU’s Nighttrain, which starts at $4,999 for a complete build (frame-only is $2,499, but that doesn’t get you a drivetrain or fork). CUBE is putting a full high-pivot carbon enduro bike in a rider’s hands for roughly what RMU charges for a frame and shock alone. That’s not a subtle price gap. It’s the entire story here.

CUBE Didn’t Stop at the Fritzz

Stereo: The Trail Bike Gets Simplified

CUBE also redesigned the Stereo, dropping the sprawling multi-travel lineup down to one travel spec — 150mm front, 145mm rear — across two frame options: HPC (carbon front triangle, aluminum rear) and full C:62 carbon. Pricing starts at £2,199 for the HPC Race build, which undercuts a lot of carbon-front trail bikes on the market before you even get to the full-carbon C:62 versions.

Unlike the Fritzz, the Stereo keeps a conventional four-bar layout rather than going high-pivot. That’s the right call for a trail bike built around all-day climbing efficiency rather than bike-park-speed descending — high-pivot idler drag costs you a little pedaling efficiency in exchange for descending composure, and a trail bike shouldn’t make that trade the same way an enduro bike does.

TWO15: High-Pivot Comes to CUBE’s Downhill Bike Too

The TWO15 downhill bike gets its own high-pivot idler design, separate from the Fritzz’s but built on the same underlying philosophy, plus adjustable shock progression and the same mullet-or-full-29 dropout flexibility. The SLX build runs £3,999 with a FOX 40 Factory fork and FOX Float X2 Factory shock — a genuinely race-capable spec at a price that’s aggressive for a DH bike with that fork and shock combination.

That puts the TWO15 SLX in the same conversation as the 2027 RockShox BoXXer Ultimate and the rest of SRAM’s wireless DH ecosystem, even though the TWO15 goes with FOX rather than RockShox up front. Both camps are chasing the same problem — bump absorption on square-edged DH terrain — from different suspension architectures now.

High-Pivot Enduro: CUBE vs. RMU vs. Everyone Else

The honest comparison for most riders isn’t Fritzz-vs-Stereo. It’s Fritzz-vs-the-other-high-pivot-bikes-that-exist, because that’s the actual buying decision this bike creates.

RMU’s Nighttrain runs a genuinely more exotic dual-idler, dual-chain design from Dave Weagle, at nearly double the Fritzz’s entry price and from a brand with zero manufacturing track record. The Fritzz runs a simpler single-idler high-pivot layout — less novel, sure, but backed by a brand that’s been building carbon frames at scale for years and has a dealer network that doesn’t consist of three storefronts.

That’s the trade-off in one sentence: RMU is betting riders will pay a premium for suspension novelty from a new name. CUBE is betting riders want the high-pivot feel without the high-pivot price tag or the first-adopter risk. Neither bet is wrong. They’re just aimed at different wallets.

If you’re cross-shopping budget enduro platforms more broadly, Frameworks’ 2026 Enduro frame is worth a look too — $3,999 for a frame with a Fox Float X2 included, conventional four-bar geometry, no high-pivot novelty. It’s the safer, more familiar suspension feel if idler drag and a raised pivot aren’t things you’re chasing.

What We’re Watching For

Idler pulley wear on a mainstream-volume bike. CUBE sells at a scale RMU or other boutique high-pivot brands don’t. If idler bearings or pulley wear turn into a widespread service issue, we’ll hear about it faster and louder than we would from a low-volume brand.

Whether the entry-level TM build’s parts spec holds up at 170mm of travel. €2,999 for a carbon high-pivot enduro frame and build is a genuinely aggressive price. Something has to give somewhere in the parts spec to hit that number, and CUBE hasn’t detailed the TM build’s full kit as clearly as the Super TM’s.

How the mullet-to-29er conversion holds geometry in practice, not just on paper. CUBE claims the second dropout set keeps geometry numbers unchanged. That’s a straightforward mechanical claim to verify once bikes are in riders’ hands and people start measuring their own.

Who Should Actually Consider This

Riders who want high-pivot suspension feel without high-pivot money. That’s the entire pitch, and at €2,999 to €4,999, CUBE undercuts most idler-equipped enduro competitors by a wide margin.

Anyone who wants wheel-size flexibility without buying a second bike. The included 29er dropout set means you’re not locked into mullet if your terrain or preference changes later.

Riders who value an established dealer and warranty network over boutique novelty. CUBE’s been building carbon frames for years. That matters if something needs warranty service two years from now.

Who Should Skip It

Riders who want the most refined high-pivot execution available, price aside. RMU’s dual-chain Orion platform and other boutique high-pivot bikes are chasing a more specific engineering solution. CUBE’s approach is simpler by design, which is also part of how it hits this price point.

Anyone needing a full trail-tested verdict before buying. This is launch-week spec and pricing, not a season of dirt in the pivot. Treat the numbers as real — they are — but treat ride quality as unconfirmed until test bikes rack up real hours.

The Bottom Line

CUBE picked the right moment to bring the Fritzz back. High-pivot suspension has spent two years proving itself in World Cup DH and boutique enduro builds, and CUBE just made the case that the layout doesn’t need boutique pricing to work. €2,999 gets you a carbon frame, 170mm travel, an idler pulley, and wheel-size flexibility that used to be reserved for bikes costing twice as much.

Whether the entry-level build’s parts spec actually holds up at that price, and whether idler wear stays a non-issue at CUBE’s production volume, are the two things worth watching once real riders get real hours on these. For now: if you’ve been eyeing the high-pivot trend from the sidelines because of the price of entry, CUBE just moved the sideline a lot closer to the trail.

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Specs and pricing sourced from CUBE’s official Fritzz product page and launch coverage from BikeRadar, Pinkbike, ENDURO Mountainbike Magazine, BikeBiz, and road.cc. No test bike has been ridden by our team at time of publication.