SCOUT 290 RACE

Price: £1,099.00

From: 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.