The Nukeproof 2019 mountain bike range just landed and we were treated to an advanced preview last week at the Forest of Dean, alongside their new ARD tyre insert.
Whilst there’s no new bikes in the range there’s still plenty to get excited about. Let’s take a look.
It hasn’t been a bad couple of years for Nukeproof. Since the new-look Mega appeared 3 years ago they’ve signed up Sam Hill, conquered the Enduro World Series in elite and again in Junior thanks to Elliot Heap.
This month sees the brand new 2019 Nukeproof range come to life. There’s the new Ard Tyre insert, there’s new springs for enduro bikes and, most of all, there’s the new range of bikes.
Sure, the bikes aren’t brand new and most of the changes you’ll see are to graphics and components but there’s still plenty to get excited about.
2019 Nukeproof Mega
Nukeproof’s Mega takes centre stage for 2019. There’s no downhill bike in the range and with Sam Hill dominating the EWS it makes sense for the attention to go into enduro and trail bikes.
The Mega is available in carbon and alloy models and with a choice of 27.5″ or 29″ wheels. As with previous years though, it’s alloy only if you want wagon wheels.
As a nice little touch all RockShox equipped Megas come with two bottomless tokens because, we’re told “that’s what Sam Hill runs and they’re a nightmare to get hold of”. Fair enough.
The Nukeproof Mega 275c RS is the top dog carbon edition. That comes with 27.5″ wheels and a top-drawer line up of RockShox suspension, SRAM XO1 gearing and various Nukeproof Sam Hill signature components. Wheels are Michelin EX1501 Splines with Michelin rubber.
The Mega 275c RS is £4999.
Below that, there’s the Mega 275c Factory. The Factory is the Fox version with a Fox Float 36 fork and Fox Float X2 rear shock. There’s also Shimano XT gears and brakes, DT Swiss E1700 wheels, Michelin tyres and the usual blend of Nukeproof bits.
The Mega 275c Factory is £4499.
… and the Mega 275c Pro which jumps back onto RockShox suspension with a Lyric RC and Super Deluxe RC3 combo. There’s GX Eagle, Guide RE brakes and Mavic DeeMax Elite wheels.
The 275c Pro is £4199.
In alloy, there’s the Mega 275 Pro (not to be confuse with the 275c pro!) which has the same kit but swaps a blue carbon frame for a red alloy frame.
The Mega 275 Pro is £3699.
and the Mega 275 Comp which, we reckon, has the best paint job of the bunch and is the lowest cost bike in the Mega family. It comes with a Yari RC fork, RS Super Deluxe shock, SRAM NX gears, Guide T brakes, loads of Nukeproof bits and a Brand X seat post.
The Mega 275 Comp is £2599.
Over on planet 29’er, the Mega 290 Factory rules the roost. We rode this bike at Nukeproof’s launch and it was an absolute blast. It’s a big, fast, aggro gnarpoon that will kill your favourite technical trails to bits.
The 290 Factory comes with a Fox Float 36 fork and Flat X2 shock, XT gears and brakes, DT E1700 wheels and everything else that you see on the 275 Factory, just bigger wheels. If you want to plough the living hell out of fast, rough, steep trails then you could do a lot worse than this bike.
The Mega 290 Factory is £3999. 
The Mega 290 Pro mirrors the built on the 275 Pro with a RS Lyrik RC, Super Deluxe RC3, GX Eagle and Guide RE brakes.
Last but not least, there’s a Mega 290 Comp, exactly the same as the 275 Comp.
The Mega 290 Pro is £3699 and the Comp is £2599.
Nukeproof Digger
Nukeproof’s ride-to-work, towpath shredding, winter training, pub bike and do-it-all hacker stays on for 2019, which is fine by us. Ben reviewed the Nukeproof Digger Comp earlier this year and loved it and earlier in the year got Joel Anderson to show us what he could do on the Digger (check the video!):
Both Diggers have an alloy frame and carbon fork, big bars, disc brakes, bolt through axles and plenty of tyre clearance. They can take 27.5″ wheels with up to 2.3″ tyres or even 29″ wheels with a 2.1″ tyre. The idea is that you can chuck your old MTB wheels and tyres on the Digger and hit the trails.
The Nukeproof Digger Pro shifts and stops with 1x SRAM Rival and comes with WTB rims and tyres, loads of Nukeproof bits and a BrandX dropper.
The Digger Pro is £1849.
The Digger Comp cuts some costs and uses 1x SRAM Apex instead of Rival but still comes with a dropper, WTB rubber and Nukeproof bits.
The Digger Comp is £1499.
Nukeproof Scout
Last but not least in the range is the Nukeproof Scout – Nukeproof’s go anywhere and do (almost) anything hardtail. Nukeproof reckon they’ve listened to your feedback for 2019 and given every bike the new range a RockShox fork and a comfy Sam Hill Nukeproof Saddle and grips.
The Nukeproof Scout comes in 3 versions, with each available in 27.5″ and 29″ wheels.
The Scout 270 Comp and 290 Comp both get a RockShox Revelation Charger RC fork, SRAM NX Eagle and a combo of Mavic rims and Maxxis Minion DHF rubber for 275 and High Roller 2 for the 29’er. There’s also a Brand X dropper and Nukeproof’s own bits to finish the package.
Both the Scout Comp models are £1699.
The Nukeproof Scout 275 Race and 290 Race get a RockShoxk Sector RL fork, SLX 11 speed, Shimano MT500 brakes, Maxxis tyres and Race Face Aeffect.
The Scout Race models are £1349.
The lowest priced of the lot, the Nukeproof Scout 275 Sport and 290 Sport gets a Recon RL fork, Deore shifting, MT400 brakes and more Maxxis rubber. There’s no dropper post on this version but, fair enough for the money.
The Scout Sport models cost £999.
Frame only
Nukeproof can also sell you Mega or Scout frames with various options. A carbon Mega frame will cost you £2199 and an alloy will be £1599. Scout frames are £399. Both frames are available in 27.5″ or 29″.
Downhill bikes?
credit: Fraser BrittonThat’s right, there’s no downhill bike and no Nukeproof Pulse in the 2019 range. Nukeproof have put their effort into refining the range and swapped out the Pulse. There’s no Nukeproof World Cup team and, by their own admission, the current bike has been around for a couple of years now.
All that said, Sam Hill raced a prototype Nukeproof DH bike earlier this year and there were a few shifty glances from the Nukeproof team when we asked what was coming next. We’re promised that the downhill bike hiatus won’t last long… watch this space!
You can see the full 2019 Nukeproof range over at Nukeproof.com
