Joe has been spending lockdown with the Nukeproof Reactor 290 Comp to see if the base model in the Reactor range can punch above its weight.
Nukeproof added the Reactor to complement the Mega in the range and Joe has been living with the Nukeproof Reactor 290 Comp during lockdown to see what its made of.
Photos by Dave Price.
Key features:
- RockShox Revelation RC DebonAir 140mm fork
- RockShox Super Deluxe Select R shock
- SRAM SX Eagle 12 speed drive
- SRAM Guide T brakes
- Sun-Ringle Duroc 35 Comp wheels
- RockShox Reverb Stealth dropper
- £2749.99 RRP
- Nukeproof.com
Buy online at Leisure Lakes Bikes for £2749.99.
When the Nukeproof Reactor 290 Comp arrived with me a couple of months back, selfishly I was a little disappointed it wasn’t one of the top spec models, but after spending lockdown together I’ve grown very fond of this base model bike and will be disappointed when the courier arrives to take it away.
Frame and Build Kit
A well thought-out frame sits at the centre of Reactor. The front triangle and seat stays are aluminium, and the chain stays are carbon, with neat rubber protection on the downtube and drive side chain stay. The internally-routed cables enter and exit the downtube through neat ports, and are secured in place with a simple cable tie, resulting in a rattle-free bike. There are bottle mounts on the down tube with plenty of space for a large water bottle, and ISCG05 mounts if you want to fit a chain guide.
Enduro bearings keep the pivots running smoothly and should last a long time, and a threaded bottom bracket is nice to see as it makes home maintenance a whole lot easier and should help keep the bike free of creaks. The “flip chip” gives you the option to run the bike in “Trail” or “Rail” mode. I chose “Rail” most of the time which drops the head angle to 65.5 and the bottom bracket to -39mm.
The bike features a RockShox Super Deluxe Select R, which has just a rebound adjuster and no lockout option, and it comes with 1 bottomless token fitted. Pumped up to the recommended air pressure gave around 25-30% sag, and it felt spot on. One feature that adds to the sublime rear suspension is a sealed bearing rather than a bush on the end that sees the most rotation. The small details like this make a difference.
The fork is a RockShox Revelation RC with 140mm travel which is a good all round fork, especially for a shop bought bike at this price level. The build kit was a mixed bag in terms of performance. I’ll get the negatives out of the way first.
Unfortunately, the SRAM SX Eagle gears would not change smoothly from new, jumping around despite trying everything I could to tune them. I tried a different mech and a new cable but even then it wouldn’t work, so my assumption was it was the shifter. I ended up using an old GX mech and shifter from my own bike with a new cable to get it working.
I can only put it down to the shifter being faulty but I have not heard of this being a problem before so hopefully it is just a one off. The other SRAM SX components worked fine, shifting worked well across the cassette and the chain never dropped off the chain ring.
The wheels stood up well to the test. Sun Ringle 29mm rims give a good shape and support to the tyre and they stayed straight. There was some play in the hubs though, and the small amount of movement meant the front rotor could move enough to rub on the brake pads slightly, noticeable when changing direction at slower speeds and is more annoying than anything. It’s not something I’ve come across before so it does seem a bit of a weird one.
On to the positives. Bar, stem, grips and seat are all from Nukeproof’s own range of solid dependable products. The bars on this size medium are 780mm wide with a comfortable rise and sweep. Bar width varies across the other frame sizes which is a sensible idea, with 780mm on small and medium, and 800mm on large and XL. The seat post is a Brand X Ascend with 150mm of drop which performed flawlessly throughout the test. The lever having a smooth action, being neat and ergonomic to use.
Braking duties were taken care of by SRAM Guide T which have a 4 piston caliper, with 200mm front rotor and 180mm rear. Ample stopping power for a trail bike and faultless during the test period
The stand out feature of the component spec in my eyes is the tyres though. Maxxis Assegai 2.5 up front and Minion DHR2 out back, both in 3C MaxxTerra compound and EXO+ casing. Finally, a bike brand who spec decent tyres appropriate to what the bike will be used for. Hallelujah. If there is one thing that can turn a great bike into a rubbish one it’s the tyres, so it is great to see such quality rubber on the Reactor.
The tyre combo gives plenty of grip in all but the most extreme muddy conditions, with a casing that offers a good compromise between weight and toughness. The test bike was supplied set up tubeless and I had no issues with air loss or tyre burping, but I expect the bike would come as standard with inner tubes, so it would be worth converting to tubeless.
Up Hills
The Reactor climbs as expected for a budget trail bike with tyres that are more focussed on the descending side of things, i.e. a little sluggish, but it is still comfortable and efficient. The suspension does not sap too much energy, and is active enough to soak up the small bumps and tracking well making it good on technical climbs.
Down Hills
This is where the Reactor excels. On flowing, techy trails I could be fooled for thinking I was on the top spec bike to be honest. OK, so the RockShox Revelation RC fork cannot compete with the very best and can feel a little harsh when it starts to get really rough and choppy, but it does a grand job of smoothing out most trail chatter. You have to remember this is a budget bike though.
The rear suspension is probably one of the reasons the fork can feel a bit harsh… whatever Nukeproof have done, they have created a suspension platform that is buttery smooth and supportive. This bike can handle more than I imagined it could at first. Before lockdown kicked in and limited my riding to my local woods, I did manage to take the Reactor down some muddy, steep, pretty rough trails deep in the Welsh valleys and oh boy, I was impressed. Steep G-out drops and turns, big choppy roots, some hefty jumps, it handled it all remarkably. This is not all down to the suspension though, the overall package is just right.
I ran the bike in the Rail setting (65.5 head angle, -39mm bb drop) and it felt perfectly balanced. The -39mm bottom bracket drop and relatively long 440mm chain stays do help to keep the bike stable at higher speeds and it really does rail the turns. Since lockdown, all my riding has been in my local woods (which I am starting to appreciate more than ever) which is a mix of flowing gentle trails mixed in with some G-out bomb holes, small jumps and slippy roots and rocks. I’ve found myself pushing way to hard considering we should be taking it easy right now, and that comes down to the confidence the bike gives.
What do we think?
The Nukeproof Reactor 290 Comp may well be a budget trail bike, but it can handle a lot more than is expected of it. Buy this bike as your first full suspension trail bike and you will not be disappointed. Buy it as an experienced rider on a budget and you will be pleasantly surprised. Apart from a tubeless conversion, you won’t even need to upgrade anything out of the box which is a rarity especially for a budget bike.
We Love
- Brilliant rear suspension
- Really good tyres
- Confidence-inspiring handling
Could Do Better
- SRAM SX gears didn’t perform
Check out the Nukeproof Reactor 290 Comp on Nukeproof’s website here.
Read all our other bike reviews over on Wideopenmag here.
Buy online at Leisure Lakes Bikes for £2,749.99.
