Singletrack

NUKEPROOF
SCOUT 290 RACE
Price:
From:
£1,099.00
Nukeproof, nukeproof.com
Nukeproof. For those with a few more laps around the sun
under their belt, that name will always be associated with trick
hyper-light hubs made from carbon fibre and aluminium. The
Michigan-based brand enjoyed significant commercial success
during the mountain bike boom of the ’90s, though like
many other niche component brands at the time, Nukeproof
suffered the same fate when the bubble burst not long after.
After it was bought by Chain Reaction Cycles, the
Nukeproof brand was reinvigorated and relaunched in 2007,
first with titanium shock springs, then 800mm wide riser bars
that were relatively uncommon at the time. That range has
expanded significantly over the past decade to now include
pedals, stems, dropper posts and complete wheelsets – all built
tough and priced reasonably too.
Nukeproof still makes all of that stuff, but these days it’s
earning more recognition for complete bikes, most notably
the Mega – one of the original enduro race bikes to hit the
mass market. And thanks to UK mountain biking legend
Nigel Page and a rather fast bloke by the name of Sam Hill,
Nukeproof’s reputation in the downhill and enduro race
scenes has blossomed over the past decade.
As well as the Mega, the brand’s growing bike range now
includes downhill bikes, cyclocross bikes, and hardtails. The
Scout is Nukeproof’s ‘do it all’ hardtail. Like the Mega, the
Scout is available in both 27.5in and 29in versions, both of
which are built around chunky alloy frames and heavy-duty
components.
The Scout 290 (290 = 29in wheels) is available in two
different build options: the Race (£1,099), and the Comp
(£1,599). Each model is available in four sizes from Small
through to X-Large, and you can also buy it as a frame-only
for £349.
The Bike
The immediate impression you get from looking at the Scout
290 Race is that this bike is ready to take a punishing. Using
large-profile hydroformed T6 6061 alloy tubes that are
welded together with the addition of flares and braces, the
Scout is a tough-looking rig. A fat tapered headtube, big boxsection
stays and stocky dropouts indicate that weight and
compliance has taken a backseat, while brute strength rides
shotgun. Combined with the heavily sloping top tube and
short seat tube, the Scout certainly won’t feel out of place sat
atop the run-in at the dirt jumps.
To match the brawniness of the frame, Nukeproof has
specced the Scout with solid WTB SX23 rims that are built
with a full complement of 32 spokes and brass nipples per
wheel in a 3x lacing pattern. Nice and easy to replace a spoke
when you bust one after casing a landing. The rims come
pre-taped for tubeless setup, and the Maxxis EXO tyres are
tubeless ready, so all you’ll need is a pair of tubeless valves and
some sealant to drop 400g of mass out of the wheels off the
bat.
Whereas the Scout 275 is designed for 140mm travel
forks, the Scout 290 uses a 130mm travel fork. In the case of
the Race model, it’s a Manitou Minute that comes colourmatched
to the frame. It’s air adjustable with external rebound
and compression dials via the Absolute Plus damper, and it
uses a 15mm tooled axle.
Geometry on the Scout 290 Race is as progressive as it
gets for a hardtail knocking on the £1k door. Drawing from
the alpine-capable Mega, the Scout uses a similarly slack 66°
head angle to keep the steering steady when pointing the bike
down very steep things. The bottom bracket also sits nicely
low at 65mm below the hub axle line, so watch out for those
pedal-catching moments when spinning through narrow rock
gullies.
Elsewhere the numbers are more modest. The reach isn’t
massively long at 420mm on our Medium test bike (440mm
Large, 455mm XL), and the 73° seat tube angle is pretty
relaxed. Likewise, the chainstays sit at a middling 440mm
length.
The rest of the Scout 290 frame has been designed to
be as versatile as possible to reduce headaches when it comes
time for upgrades or repairs. The frame is front derailleur
compatible, and there’s the option to fit a chain device via the
ISCG 05 tabs. The bottom bracket is the good ol’ threaded
type, and Nukeproof has kept all cabling external, except for
the option of running a stealth dropper post.
Our test bike arrived at Singletrack Towers already set up
tubeless, dropping its complete weight to 12.7kg (27.94 lbs).
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