M AY 2 019 mbr 95
IN THE
SHED
RockyMountainAltitudeAlloy 50 £3,199.99
27.5in
VitusSentier 27 VRS£1,399.99
27.5in
YTCapraCFProRace 29 £4,699
29in
NukeproofMega 290 Pro£3,699
29in
Fantic XF1 Integra Enduro 160 £4,999
27.5in29/
GTSensorCarbonElite£2,499.99
29in
SPECIFICATION
Frame 6061-T6
aluminium
Fork RockShox
Revelation RC,
140mm travel
Wheels KT 32h
hubs, WTB ST i29
rims, Schwalbe
Magic Mary Addix
Soft/Nobby Nic
Addix Speedgrip
27.5x2.6in tyres
Drivetrain SRAM NX
Eagle 32t chainset,
r-mech and shifter
Brakes SRAM Guide
R 180/160mm
Components
Nukeproof Horizon
780mm bar,
Nukeproof Neutron
45mm stem, Brand
X Ascend 150mm
dropper, Nukeproof
Neutron saddle
Sizes S, M, L, XL
Weight 13 .1kg (28 .9lb)
GEOMETRY
Size tested XL
Head angle 66°
Seat angle 73°
BB height 315mm
Chainstay 425mm
Front centre 777mm
Wheelbase 1,202mm
Down tube 770mm
Top tube 665mm
Reach 471mm
BEN’S NUKEPROOF
MEGA 290 PRO
£3,699 / 29in / nukeproof.com
MONTH 4: The heavy-hitting Mega
goestoa bantamweightbout...
THERIDER
B E NDAY
PositionAccount
director
MostlyridesTrails
aroundDorset
Height6ft
Weight80kgTHEBIKE
■29erenduro
bikedesignedand
developedforthe
Megavalanche
■Fourthevolution
oftheMegaplatform
with155mmtravel
■Gravityspecification
includeschaindevice
■Capableofall-day
epicsin thehillsWHYIT’SHERE
Togivean
ageingridera
fightingchance
ofsurvivingthe
realMegaThe Mega’s 780mm bars prove
great for blocking racersO
ne of the great things about
the Mega is that there has
been very little that has
gone wrong with it.
Yes, I slit the sidewall
of the rear tyre, but that sealed
pretty easily. I have also been
checking the pivot bolts with
my torque wrench after hearing
that on previous models they had a
tendency to work loose. Well, nothing
to report on that front. Also the wheels are still true, the
SRAM Guide RE brakes have not needed bleeding and remain
absolutely superb, the 1x drivetrain shifts seamlessly and the
RockShox suspension is lapping everything up.
So the bike is running like a dream, but then I had a crazy
idea to enter an XC race on it. It was on a local Blandford
Forum loop that I have ridden numerous times over the years,
so I knew what I was letting myself in for. On the start line I
looked around and realised I had brought a machine gun to a
fi st-fi ght. Unfortunately my machine gun was designed to be
bolted to the fl oor of a helicopter. The rolling start affi rmed my
suspicion that over fi ve kilos of wheels and tyres might prove
a tad tiring after two hours of racing. Still, I got to the fi rst
section of singletrack and started to have fun. Not surprisingly
as soon as we climbed, I went backwards. The conclusion after
two hours? I’m still not fond of XC racing, but as a fi sh out of
water, the Mega 29 was pleasantly surprising. A change of
tyres, bars and stem to something a bit lighter would probably
knock a couple of kilos off for about £250. However, I don’t
plan on doing any more XC races on the Mega, so I’ll invest the
cash in a few more uplift days instead!Photo: Off Camber Bikes