Introducing our latest long-term test bike – the Nukeproof Mega TR Comp 275.
The Mega TR is the ‘trail’ version of the bike. 130mm travel out back and a lighter weight, custom made tubeset means that it keeps the ‘go hard’ feel of a Mega, whilst being sprightly enough to pedal up, over and down.
Bomb proof build
The Comp is the lowest specced model in the Mega range – but the build is rock solid. Nukeproof’s own 760mm Warhead bar, 60mm stem and in line seat post and Trail Mega seat all come as standard and can handle a mountain of abuse.
Shifting is taken care of by SRAM (X7 rear mech and X5 shifters) which does the job and offers quick, solid gear changes. It’s not sexy but works well enough and is cheap to replace. There’s a dual ring (36/22) with a bash set up at the front teamed up with a ten speed 11/36 cassette to keep you spinning up those monster climbs.
Sensible but hard hitting suspension
130mm out back from a Rock Shox Monarch and 150mm up front from a RS Revelation. We’ve had mixed results from both in the past but so far so good on the Mega, for a supposed short travel bike the Mega rips on technical trails!
Top quality rubber
The Mega’s 650b wheels come shod with Nukeproof’s own Generator wheelset with Maxxis High Roller 2 Maxpro 60a tyres. What do you need to know? They work well in all but the gnarliest of conditions. For a ‘budget’ bike they’re an awesome detail.
“upgrade potential”
Ah … the fly in the pint, Avid’s Elixir 3. We’d upgrade these straight off. They’ll offer solid performance for a couple of weeks but quickly need maintenance. Budget in a set of XT’s or a higher spec Avid when you’re saving your pennies. On the subject of upgrades, the Mega (and quite rightly for the price) comes with a fixed Nukeproof post. We would – and have – upgrade to a dropper post straight away.
Numbers that add up
The 67 degree head angle, long wheel base and roomy top tube all add up to a great package. A cautionary note on sizing though – the bikes measure up quite short. For our test bike we opted for a large where we’d normally go for a medium and it feels great on the trail.
And on the trail ..?
Just in case you thought the TR couldn’t take some abuse … Here’s Mr Alex Bond laying his TR over out in Malaga, Spain for the lens of Jacob Gibbins. Believe me, Bondy gave that bike a proper testing in the week we rode with him! On the trail the bike works. The head angle and wheel base offer loads of confidence when pushing hard and the -13BB works great on the corners. The build (with the exception of the brakes) is rock solid and the Nukeproof components and High Roller 2 tyres would be right at home on bikes far more expensive.
[quote align=”right”]The Verdict? One month in and we’re super impressed. The Mega TR Comp rips. Great spec, great value and great angles. Look out for our full review in the next issue of Wideopenmag.[/quote]