2021 Nukeproof Mega goes full carbon w/new kinematic, more sizes, fits bottle!

We first spotted Nukeproof’s new enduro bike at the opening round of the 2020 Enduro World Series in Zermatt. Ant Hale, Nigel Page and Elliot Heap were seen aboard the new custom yellow full carbon frames, with Elliot running his mullet-style. Other than the fact that it can clearly now accommodate a full size water bottle in the front triangle (finally), details were thin on the ground. But, the wait is over! The 2021 Nukeproof Mega enduro bike has landed, and we have all the info.

2021 Nukeproof Mega (v4)

For 2021, the Mega enduro bike gets a full carbon frame. That’s a UD carbon front triangle and a UD carbon rear end, as opposed to the aluminium rear found on the previous years’ models.

It still looks like a Mega, retaining Nukeproof’s square profile tubing. Gone however is the humped top tube, replaced by a sleek straight profile tube that flows seamlessly into the seat tube – the bridge we saw on the old model is gone too.

The swing link of the FSR suspension platform is a little shorter too, and its new position and shape mean it integrates into the front triangle nicely. At least aesthetically, Nukeproof have done a grand job with the new model.

2021 Mega Enduro Bike

• Fork Travel: 170mm
• Rear Wheel Travel: 275 – 165mm, 290 – 160mm
• Frame Sizes: S, M, L, XL & XXL
• Frame Price: Alloy – £1799.99, Carbon – £2499.99
• Claimed weight: Carbon – 2.8 kg w/o shock

Nukeproof have put a lot of emphasis on frame sizing for this model year, now offering five options, with more even increments in key measurements. Notably, the 290 is now available in small.

Crucially, all of those models can now house a 750ml bottle in the front triangle. In the past, Nukeproof have been reluctant to engineer tube shapes and suspension to account for this requirement. That’s not to say they’ve made any compromises in that regard this year – the new layout just happens to leave enough room. I labor the point but, there really is little worse than trying to drink from a water bottle that has been stuck to the underside of a downtube.

The all-new carbon frame gets internal cable routing. Hold off on rolling your eyes – they’ve actually put some thought into making this as user friendly as possible. Think tube-in-tube. The front triangle houses additional integrated carbon tubes that allow you to run cables through the downtube and up the seat tube hassle free.

New Suspension Kinematic (as requested by Sam)

Chatting with Nigel Page, I learnt that Sam Hill had some of his own ideas when it came to designing the V4 Mega. A couple seasons ago, Sam raced the 275 frame, before swapping to the bigger wheels for the 2019 season. He really loved the suspension curve of the V3 275, so Nukeproof have tried to replicate that same ride feel with the V4 290.

What does that actually mean for progression? The V3 frame offered 22% overall progression, with an average leverage ratio of 2.5 measured from SAG. The 2021 Mega (V4) offers 17% overall progression with an average ratio of 2.6 throughout the stroke.

Nukeproof say the reduced overall progression will allow riders greater freedom to tune the shock. The higher average ratio should improve sensitivity. With the V4 we see less of a regressive start to the travel said to improve small bump compliance.

The 2021 Mega boasts increased anti squat at SAG in the 50T climbing cog, as compared to the V3 (V4: 102% in 32/50 versus V3: 96% in 32/50). Nukeproof say this translates to improved pedaling efficiency.

Nukeproof believe that low anti-squat but good mid-stroke support is a winning combination for climbing traction. However, they also believe that anti-squat should never
prevent suspension from working well over rough terrain.

Therefore, anti-squat drops off when descending (10T cog) to give good small bump
compliance, removing rough trail and root chatter (V4: 65% in 32/10).

To make the V4’s suspension more active under braking, it has a lower anti-rise value compared to the Mega V3. Nukeproof were going for a balanced amount of anti-rise that tails off for bigger hits. They say this should allow for some squat when braking hard into a corner to maintain rider position whilst still offering a good amount of pressure through the tire.

2021 Mega 290

In terms of angles, the 2021 Mega isn’t a grand departure from the V3. The head angle slackens off half a degree to 64°, while the seat tube angle steepens up to 77.5° in S & M, and 78° in the larger frame sizes.

Nukeproof gave seat tube angles proper consideration in the design of the 2021 Mega, paying close attention to the “saddle offset” (almost named “bum reach”) measurements. The aim was to get the rider’s seated weight distribution just right, for every frame size, to improve pedaling efficiency.

This is the reason for the steep seat angles across the board, especially for the larger frame sizes. For taller riders, this means their weight doesn’t have to creep backwards towards the rear axle just because they need a longer seat tube. The steeper seat tube angles on the L, XL and XXL frames means that the the saddle is still in a sensible position at full extension. This should do a good job of ensuring taller riders don’t feel as though they are in danger of wheelieing up hills all the time.

As you might imagine, this meant the Mega also needed longer reach figures to account for the rider’s more central position above the bottom bracket. Reach spans a healthy 430mm to 515mm range across the S-XXL frame sizes. 

Chainstay length measures 440mm across the board. That, combined with the boost 148mm x 12mm rear end spacing and the shape of the stays and bridge leaves sufficient room for 2.5″ wide trail tires.

2021 Mega 275

The 2021 Nukeproof Mega 275 runs a 170mm fork with the short 37mm offset. That’s paired with a 165mm travel rear end. It has slightly longer reach figures than the 290, starting at 435mm in small stretching to 520mm in XXL.

Head and seat tube angles are identical to the 290; 64°, and 77.5° (S & M), 78° (L-XXL), respectively. Chainstays measure up at 435mm, consistent across the frame sizes leaving sufficient clearance for 2.6″ wide trail tires.

Pricing & Availability

The 2021 Nukeproof Mega is available in RS, Factory, Elite, Pro and Comp builds for the 275 and 290 frames, in carbon or alloy. You can also pick up the frame only, if you’ve your very own dream build in mind.

The top end Mega RS build will set you back $5499.99. For that cash, you get a RockShox ZEB Ultimate Charger fork and Super Deluxe Ultimate shock. It rolls on a Mavic Deemax Pro Sam Hill wheelset fitted with Michelin Wild Enduro rubber. SRAM Code RSC brakes take care of stopping with the X01 Egale 12-speed group delivering torque. 

At the budget-friendly end, the aluminium Comp build is priced at $2699.99. It is home to a RockShox Yari fork and Super Deluxe Select shock. A Sun-Ringle Duroc wheelset runs Wild Enduro tires. It gets a Shimano Deore 12-speed group and Deore 4-pot brakes. For full info on the five pricing options, head to the Nukeproof website.

Nukeproof.com