Video: Tom Caldwell, Photos: Matt StaggsSam Hill needs no introduction, but the style and quality of riding on his doorstep in Western Australia probably does. Perth doesn’t have the huge mountain range that many would expect a World Downhill & Enduro champion to train in, but in the rolling hillside overlooking the Western Australia city of Perth is the backdrop of every one of Sam’s Downhill & Enduro World Titles. The hillsides are riddled with awesome trails carved into the red dirt and pea gravel many by Sam himself, and is the location for his education on his bikes.
This is now the playground for his Reactor.
Initially, our new trail bike, The Reactor, was described by Sam as “The mistress to my Mega”. His Nukeproof Mega was designed to do the day job, 4 Enduro World Series Titles in 3 year is well proven of its calibre. When going from point A to B in the fastest possible time on some of the most brutal stages in the world and back to the top to do it all over again it’s the best tool for his trade. But the new Nukeproof Reactor, well that’s designed a little different. Not all trails in the world are Enduro Stages and not all rides you do are races and sometimes you want to get wild on the trails or punch out that all day epic to discover something different.
The Reactor is trail focused from the outset, with geometry and suspension kinematics designed to get a lot more out of a little less. It’s playful, a bike that strains at its lead, encourage find your limits and just makes you grin. Every root, rock or lip instantly becomes a sender, it encourages you into every corner, flick the rear under braking, get your foot out as you lean it over and generally is a little hooligan of a trail bike.
To celebrate the launch of the Nukeproof Reactor, it’s only right to hand over the bike to Sam for a rip. Earlier this year we sent an “elite team” out to Perth with Tommy C of Caldwell Visuals and Aussie Photographer Matt Staggs, our little minds were blown and we hope you enjoy Sam Hill and The Reactor.
Need more information on the Nukeproof Reactor head to
http://nukeproof.com/latest-news/nukeproof-reactor/
You can ride a dh bike on an xc trail it’s still a dh bike.
Downcountry lets you know it’s xc oriented with slightly burlier components or geo.
Even if we don’t use dumb industry jargon we still have so many bikes...
Enduro is nothing new, just rebranded all mountain. Only referring to enduro as a race format is silly...
The idea of riding as aggressive as a bike as is warranted by your downs while still being able to climb is what all mountain and now enduro is about.
The categories are for marketing, sure, as they aren’t as important to a new rider, but the differentiations are real
Not sure why I dislike the term so much but I think it’s mostly because it sounds so much like something an advertising agency came up with to help sell bikes. We already have words to describe bikes and what they are meant for.
IMHO it is now a valid identifier of a mindset / style of riding AND a race format.
Same goes for Downcountry....just in almost perfect opposition to the "enduro" mindset.
Enduro on the other hand, especially these days, is not really about trail riding any more, it‘s like downhill without access to a lift.
However, what both have in common is that „down“ is a more important part than „up“.
Is it necessary to have all these categories? No, they‘re all mountainbikes.
But if somebody knows what niche they are looking for, why not make their life easier by categorizing bikes?
Calling a 170mm enduro bike a trail bike is ridiculous. I was fine calling them all mountain bikes, but I guess with modern geo we got modern terminology....
Thumbs up!
Could be a segment straight out of the Earthed series. Love it. This over “slope style” all day.
"Boneless wings".
Where does the Downcountry finish and where does the Trail start?
Travel talking? 100/120 DC 120/140 Trail??
Genius...
Hahaha!
Anyone know if customer service is any good ?
Anyone had issues with frame warranty etc?
Interesting to know.
People who say they are overbiked they have no bloody idea what they are talking about. They buy DC bikes thinking they are advanced riders on the way to become experts. They are Joeys on the way to atay Joeys. If you can’t utilize a big bike, put it into it’s pace on almost any trail, smaller bike will just make you wobble like a rag doll, feeling like you go faster while you aren’t.
As for marketing you could take Sam and make him ride an XC 29er and you’d find dummies who’d say that this is the proof how capable XC hardtails are.
I guess that is a good thing... or is it?
checking the numbers against the Mega TR.
CS 440 v 440
HA 65 v 65 (I ran a -2 angleset in mine)
Rad riding though, as usual from Sam.
youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ
+1 epic stills.