First Look: Nukeproof Mega, Rook and Pulse - Eurobike 2012

It seems hard to believe that Nukeproof only came to market in late 2008 such has been the speed of their rise to the position they currently occupy. In that time they’ve moved from offering just a few parts to now being a fully fledged manufacturer, offering bikes, frames, and of course running what can only be described as a successful World Cup team through Chain Reaction Cycles. The combination of that race team along with a group of R&D guys who all ride big terrain themselves. This ensures that the character within the Nukeproof brand focuses on high performance bikes that respond to aggressive riding with an emphasis on descending prowess. Despite both the Mega and Scalp proving successful over the past eighteen months for Nukeproof, they’ve been keen not to rest on their laurels and this means that they’ve been busy with the CAD and FEA in recent months in efforts to create some new rigs for us to see here at Eurobike. These are the Pulse which has already seen action in the hands of their World Cup team, the slopestyle inspired Rook for Jack Fogelquist and also a split of the Mega into two bikes, forming the 130mm TR and the 160mm AM.

Scalp
First of all let’s start with the Scalp, the existing bike in the range. Despite the introduction of the Pulse as the hottest downhill bike in their stable, the Scalp is not disappearing. Instead it remains largely unchanged from an engineering perspective but takes up a position lower down the pricing spectrum after some spec changes which should see it appeal to a lot more entry level riders or those who try to balance a tight budget for riding.

• Rock Shox Domain R fork & Kage rear shock
• SRAM X7/X5 drivetrain
• Avid Elixir 3 Brakes
• MSRP: €2,799 Full build, €1,699 frame only

---

Pulse
Next up is the Pulse. This is the new bike which is an evolution of the existing Scalp, a refinement of the theory and an introduction to production of the tweaks put by the team as a result of their experiences on the World Cup circuit with the existing bike. Although having only recently come out from under the covers the team were experimenting with revised linkages on the Scalp earlier in the season to ensure that what went on the Pulse was right from the off. Changes have been subtle but occur throughout and lead to a more rounded and lighter second generation product. Thanks to this race experience the suspension curve is essentially the same as the Scalp although the linkage works slightly further down the curve, improving small bump sensitivity and producing slightly less ramp up. The 210mm travel continues to be controlled through either a Cane Creek Double Barrel or Rock Shox Vivid RC2 Shock.

• Hydroformed tubing with revised profiling leads to improved ground clearance and greater standover
• Adjustable chainstay length with a chipset offering 435 and 445mm
• Longer front centres than Scalp for each size than (+12mm on Small, +10mm on Medium & +8mm on Large)
• Circlip retention system on the bearings ensures reduces movement under load and keeps flex to a minimum
• Integrated rubberized downtube guard is standard, as are both chainstay and seatstay items of similar construction
• MSRP: €5,099 Pro build, €3,899 Comp build & €2,299/€2,599 frame only (Vivid/CCDB)

---

Rook
Although not new to the world’s eyes this is certainly the first time that the Rook has been shown in near production condition. Built purposefully for Jack Fogelquist and his desires for a slopestyle bike that could handle the roughest courses of the circuit, the 105mm travel bike is the fruition of his vision. Run with a 110mm fork produces a sharp reacting 69deg head angle and a - 10mm BB height while the 160mm X-Fusion Vengeance built here slackens the bike and raises the BB to +20mm. Yet it still handles well according to Martin Astley of Nukeproof. All proof of its versatility and why it’s marketed at both slopestyle and aggressive trail riders. Probably the most unique feature is the integrated hydraulic Gyro from Straitline (although not included in the package) which is currently patent pending and enables the unit to be used without the stack height increase normally associated. Another first on a production bike, although seen on prototypes before now, is the downtube mounting for the shifter. Martin explained that they tried numerous options, including a time trial shifter, before settling on the SRAM based mount seen here for production. It bolts on via bottle bosses and is mated to a custom 6spd rear hub to give all the gears that likely riders of this bike will need. Handling the 105mm rear travel on production bikes is a Rock Shox Monarch RT3 shock rather than the X-Fusion setup seen here.

• Available in Regular and Long sizes, each with 420mm chainstays.
• Taper headtube including integrated hydraulic Gyro capability.
• BB Height -10mm > +10mm dependant on fork (110mm > 160mm)
• Downtube shifter mount enables bar spins without tangles, a first for a production bike.
• MSRP: €1,349 frame only

---

Mega AM
As already mentioned the Mega splits into two camps for 2013; the AM, spiritual successor to the original, and a new, lighter, 130mm rig called the TR. Where the old Mega built a name for itself with strong descending credentials was thanks to a slack head angle to aid descending with a steeper seat angle to keep your weight forward on the climbs. The AM continues this trend, upping the travel to 160mm to differentiate from the new TR despite being lighter, and keeping those aforementioned descending qualities with a 66deg head angle. Per size the new bike is approximately 10mm longer in the top tube measurement than the outgoing model while the shock rate, like the pulse, is slightly more supple in the initia; stroke to improve traction. With the exclusivity of the Reverb Stealth having now come to an end this means more manufacturers are including them in their range, including Nukeproof as you can see here. It really does remove one of the bugbears that comes with many dropper posts and keeps the cabling much neater. Also neat is the removable direct mount for the front derailleur which will feature on production frames. Significant time has been spent working with Rock Shox to tune the Monarch Plus to suit both the bike and the intended riding it will face, the result of which is a light low speed compression tune, with standard lock out and an aggressively high setting on the high speed threshold. This means that the contrast between the open and closed positions on the dial is noticeable to complement both climbing and descending. In keeping with industry standard the rear end now incorporates a set of 142x12mm dropouts with 135mm available as an aftermarket option.

• ISCG05 & Direct Mount front derailleur (removable mount)
• Shock options (216mm x 63mm) are either the Rock Shox Monarch Plus or a Cane Creek Double Barrel coil, giving riders options to cover all bases.
• Head Angle 66deg, BB Height +10mm (160mm fork)
• Chainstay length 440mm
• Sizes: S (15.6”) M (17”) L (18.5”) XL (20”)
• AM Pro: CCDB, Lyrik RC2 DH Solo Air and SRAM X0 Trail drivetrain
• AM Comp: Rock Shox Monarch Plus, Lyrik RC Solo Air, SRAM X7 drivetrain
• MSRP: €4,599 (AM Pro) , €3,299 (AM Comp) , €1,399/€1,699 frame only (Monarch Plus/CCDB)

---

Mega TR
As the Mega AM is essentially an evolution, the TR represents a whole new frame, a slimming down of the theory but still with an eye on the essential ‘character’ of Nukeproof as the team are at such pains to point out. Built around a 150mm fork, the 130mm frame features a 67deg head angle and a long top tube to build stability. A slightly more progressive curve to the Erosion linkage also found on the AM makes the most of the shorter travel and should enable aggressive riding without running out of travel too easily. Several other features are shared with the AM and keep it looking like a family, primarily the Reverb Stealth and custom tune on the Monarch (an RT3 here), but this extends to numerous finishing touches like cable routing, dropout styling and the 44mm straight through head tube. Only one full build is available and this is centred on SRAM x9 with Type2 rear derailleur, Elixir 5 brakes and a Rock Shox Monarch RT3/Revelation RL Solo Air combination. Of course there is also the Reverb Stealth dropper post included within the price of €3,799.

• ISCG05 & Direct Mount front derailleur (removable mount)
• Rock Shox Monarch RT3 (190mm x 51mm)
• Head Angle 67deg, BB Height +0mm (150mm fork)
• Chainstay length 430mm
• Sizes: S (15.6”) M (17”) L (18.5”) XL (20”)
• MSRP: €3,799 full build, €1,399 frame only inc Monarch RT3

---

35mm Carbon Handlebars
Also included on display were several new bars in the parts stable, both of which will no doubt attract attention. First up was a carbon bar, a first for the brand, and next a foray into the world of 35mm first pioneered by Easton. Although currently prototype neither are far from production. The carbon 31.8mm bar is touted as being nearly three times stronger than their aluminium counterparts while the failure point (everything has one) has designed to be gradual rather than catastrophic thanks to the introduction of glass fibres to the mix. Both 730mm and 760mm widths will be available while the aluminium offerings will continue in 760mm and 800mm. At just 235g for the 20mm rise carbon offering it's likely to prove a popular choice.
• MSRP: €129.99 Carbon• MSRP: €59.99 Aluminium 760mm, €64.99 Aluminium 800mm
• MSRP: €64.99 All stems

All of the products currently in prototype will likely appear in shops from January, in all three new colour schemes seen here. Yellow on black and black on yellow are mere revisions of the existing schemes while the gunmetal silver and red offer something different, and striking, especially so on the Pulse here. There are a few other new items which Nukeproof have to show us once things move indoors for the rest of the week. Rest assured we’ll be bringing them to you as soon as we can.