Nukeproof enter the world of ebikes with their MegaWatt, based on their ever popular and EWS winning Mega.
The new Nukeproof MegaWatt combines an alloy Mega frame with a Shimano EP8 motor and depending on your model, either a 630Wh or a 504Wh battery. 170mm travel and a Mullet wheel setup starts from £5,000.
Photos by Laurence Crossman-Ems.
Designed alongside the Mega V4, the MegaWatt is less a frame adapted to take a battery and motor like a lot of ebikes are, but it still retains everything we love about the Nukeproof Mega. A Mullet wheel setup gives room to squeeze the motor in without making the chainstays excessively long, but you still get 170mm of terrain-swallowing travel.
The heart of the MegaWatt is the custom butted and hydroformed 6061-T6 alloy frame that houses the Shimano battery within the downtube and a Shimano EP8 motor across the sizes. That motor is housed in a one piece cast motor housing. Battery capacity depends on model chosen, with the Factory and Elite coming with a 630Wh battery, the Comp with a 504Wh unit.
The suspension has been tweaked to work better with the Shimano motor. A super supple top end, with a wide mid-stroke sag range, builds into a progressive end stroke to take the big hits. High anti-squat in the high gears, drops in the lower gears to fine tune the suspension performance. Anti-rise is tuned to fall away on big hits, with 50mm of the 170mm travel being rearward to keep the bike’s momentum through the rough.
As above, three models are available, Factory, Elite and Comp. The Comp starts the range off at £5,000, featuring a Deore drivetrain and Rockshox suspension; the Elite comes in at £6,000 upgrading the drivetrain to SLX, a large battery and Fox Performance Elite suspension, while the Factory will set you back £7,000 but comes with Fox Factory dampers and Shimano XT throughout.
Geometry
Nukeproof have used their ‘saddle offset’ philosophy for their seat tube angles, with steeper angles for the taller riders in the bigger sizes. Sizes run from Small to XXLarge. The steeper seat angles also make for slightly longer reach figures.
On the medium MegaWatt, you get a 455mm reach with a 410mm seat tube length. Head tube angle is 64 degrees, combined with an effective seat tube angle of 77.5. Chainstays are 442mm, with a wheelbase of 1241.5mm.
Nukeproof MegaWatt models
Nukeproof MegaWatt Comp
Key Features:
- RockShox Zeb Select 170mm fork
- RockShox Super Deluxe Select R shock
- Shimano Deore 12-speed drive
- Shimano EP8 motor
- Shimano 504Wh battery
- Shimano Deore 4-piston brake
- Sun-Ringle Duroc SD37 Comp wheels
- Brand X Ascend dropper
- £5,000.00 RRP
Nukeproof MegaWatt Elite
Key features:
- Fox 38 Float Performance Elite 170mm fork
- Fox Float X2 Performance shock
- Shimano SLX 12-speed drive
- Shimano EP8 motor
- Shimano 630Wh battery
- Shimano SLX 4-piston brakes
- DT Swiss H1900 SPLINE wheels
- Brand X Ascend dropper
- £6,000.00 RRP
Nukeproof MegaWatt Factory
Key Features:
- Fox 38 Float Factory 170mm fork
- Fox Float X2 Factory shock
- Shimano XT 12-speed drive
- Shimano EP8 motor
- Shimano 630Wh battery
- Shimano XT 4-piston brakes
- DT Swiss H1700 SPLINE wheels
- Bikeyoke Divine Stealth dropper
- £7,000.00 RRP
