Nukeproof



275 Details:

• 27.5" wheels

• 4 spec options or frameset

• 160mm travel

• 65° head angle with a 160mm fork

• 435mm chainstay length

• ISCG 05 tabs and S-Type front derailleur mount.

• Sizes: S, M, L, XL

• Weight: Mega PRO 28.6lbs (claimed)

• MSRP: £1999 / $3199 USD to £3799 / $5999 USD

• Frameset: £1349 / $2099 USD

• 27.5" wheels• 4 spec options or frameset• 160mm travel• 65° head angle with a 160mm fork• 435mm chainstay length• ISCG 05 tabs and S-Type front derailleur mount.• Sizes: S, M, L, XL• Weight: Mega PRO 28.6lbs (• MSRP: £1999 / $3199 USD to £3799 / $5999 USD• Frameset: £1349 / $2099 USD

290 Details:

• 29" wheels

• 3 spec options or frameset

• 150mm travel

• 66° head angle with a 150mm fork

• 450mm chainstay length

• ISCG 05 tabs and S-Type front derailleur mount.

• Sizes: S, M, L, XL

• Weight: Mega PRO 28.8lbs (claimed)

• MSRP: £2599 / $4149 USD to £3799 / $5999 USD

• Frameset: £1349 / $2099 USD

• 29" wheels• 3 spec options or frameset• 150mm travel• 66° head angle with a 150mm fork• 450mm chainstay length• ISCG 05 tabs and S-Type front derailleur mount.• Sizes: S, M, L, XL• Weight: Mega PRO 28.8lbs (• MSRP: £2599 / $4149 USD to £3799 / $5999 USD• Frameset: £1349 / $2099 USD

Mega 275 - The Evolution



Changes to the new Mega have followed current trends for bikes with longer front centers, wheelbases, lower BB's, slacker head angles and shorter chainstays. The suspension travel stays the same at 160mm but becomes slightly more linear, and a 'Horst style' pivot is now used in order to help improve suspension under braking compared to the single pivot and link driven shock of the previous bikes. All the frames get a chunk of extra length in the top tube, combined with a one degree slacker head angle, while the wheelbase has also grown.







• Entirely new tube-set and hardware

• Reach numbers grow: S +12mm, M +17mm, L +22mm, XL +17mm

• Head angle reduced one degree down to 65°

• Effective seat tube angle steepens from 73.5° to 75.75°

• Chainstays are shortened by 10mm to 435mm

• Slightly more linear suspension

• 'Horst style' link replaces the single pivot

Nukeproof components finish off all the bikes in the range 50mm stems are specced on all sizes.

The Mega Pro bikes I tested use a trusty RockShox DebonAir shock...

Another staple; the 150mm RockShox Reverb dropper seatpost... ...matched to another classic up front; the RockShox Pike.

...and a SRAM X01 drivetrain rounds things off nicely.

Mega 290 - The New Kid

The 29er evolved from our desire to make the Mega even better; to make it faster, make it corner better and grip better. It's not a traditional 29er with steep angles, it needs to be ridden to be believed. I would encourage people with their existing views to try it. It needs to be ridden to be understood. - Ali Beckett, Nukeproof Brand Manager.

seemed to be a few steps ahead of the game when they launched the original Mega back in 2011. The bike was born out of frustration, the result of what happened after Michael Cowan and Dale McMullan took to their trail bikes and were disappointed that they didn't offer the performance of their downhill bikes they regularly raced. They started fettling with anglesets, linkages and shock tunes and quickly realized the only way to get what they wanted was to create their own framesets. With zero pressure from product managers or accountants, they built their dream and took it to the infamous Megavalanche race in France. The Mega as we know it was born.The original Mega was well received when it hit the market in 2012, and for a number of good reasons. First, it was to the point, and it also lacked the marketing spiel that can all too often annoy those who know what they want, not to mention all the fancy tubes or acronyms. Sporting solid geometry and suspension, which shamed many of its more expensive competitors, the Mega's arrival on the scene turned more than just heads. The revamped Mega landed in 2013 and never seemed to generate the same buzz as the original, even with the addition of 27.5" wheels that made an appearance in 2014. It somewhat lacked the sex appeal of its forward thinking predecessors, especially when the competition had started to catch up geometry wise. The Mega was left looking chunky and 'too heavy' in a world where hydroforming and carbon had quickly become the norm.Since then the Belfast based brand has been hard at work. The updated Pulse downhill bike was released earlier this year, creating some much needed buzz on the scene as spy shots of Sam Hill and the CRC/ PayPal gang on board blacked out bikes with radical looking tubing filtered out across the internet. The Pulse, another Nukeproof classic, was instantly on many a weekend warrior's wish lists, but rumours of a new Mega platform that would follow its downhill brother's svelte new silhouette gurgled away until now. The new Mega is back, and with it an unexpected 29" version as well. Devoid of carbon, lacking any Boost and with no 'plus size' tires in sight, Nukeproof have seemingly repeated the processes that created this classic machine in the first place, ignoring industry buzz and focusing on the needs of the rider. With a good diet and a significant facelift, have Nukeproof delivered the best Mega to date?Like the new Pulse, weight has been shaved across the entire chassis - from every tube and morsel of hardware. During the re-design, the engineers aimed to drop at least 10% off the weight from each frame component, losing a total of 1lb in the process, with changing the hardware from steel to alloy creating one of the biggest savings. The triple butted and beautifully formed top tube was taken from the Pulse and the shock mount was changed from the top tube to the down tube. Why? The tube is designed to absorb impacts at the front of the bike to give a more forgiving ride.A nice touch to the new Mega is that all the frame's standards are the same as the Scout 275 and 290 hardtail frames. Nukeproof were keen to point this out; as a brand they want to encourage new riders in to the sport. By doing this, a rider could start off with a Scout hardtail, and if they then decide to upgrade to a Mega frame they can swap all of the parts straight across.Nukeproof introduced their first 29" wheeled bike at Eurobike this year in the form of the Scout 290 hardtail, making the Mega 290 Nukepooof's first big-wheeled full suspension bike. The Mega 290's geometry is very similar to that of the smaller 27.5" bike with a 66° head angle, 150mm of travel and a 450mm chainstay that's said to provide massive stability.