Phase 1 complete...

i.e. I've done as much as I can (more than I expected too).

Got a mate that'll help w/ crankset & rear der set up ^^

Glad I went with size L.

Thing fits like a glove [emoji113]

Plus, it feels down right bad-ass! [emoji87]

NB, I know I should have gone with a dark mudguard (old bike is green, couldn't resist).

Black MG on route [emoji574]

Will be keeping the green grips though.

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Bike is built up....

Unfortunately it's dark out, so more pictures tomorrow.

From my up & down the street, my lower back is going to take some getting use to a 1/2 squishy.

My good riding bud, whom I gave the first ride to (+ some brews, for the assist) was wrapped with how it handled.

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Nice! Liking the head badge 👍 congrats.

 

Sweet!!!!!

 

Nice! Liking the head badge ? congrats.

Thanks guys ^^

Here's another little teaser pic (in the dungeon)

Hope to taste some dirt in a day or two [emoji364]

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Cool bike, looking forward to a ride report.

 

Thanks.

Sitting on it, actually reminds me a lot of my former Kona Process 134. [emoji108]

Yeah, see if I can keep it rubber side down. [emoji85]

Riding technique/style will need a readjustment. [emoji360]

Find out in a day or two [emoji106]

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First time out, done & dusted....

It's late 9.30pm local time, so I'll post a first ride report tomorrow [emoji108]

Spoiler Alert!!

It's not what I expected [emoji41]

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Targnik, you sure put a lot of suspense on this build lol

 

Anxious to hear. Been eyeing that frame for a few weeks.

 

Man these bikes look sick. Been thinking about ordering an already built one online for chain reaction cycles.
Excited to see how it handles on the trail!
Wondering what your height and inseam is.
Trying to get an idea of how they fit. I cant seem to find any local to test ride.

 

Bias Declaration:

Age: 44 years young
Height: 181cm
Weight: 103kg
Inseam: 81cm (32 inches)

I've been riding MTB's for a little over 3 years. In that time I've owned - KHS Winslow 29er (HT), 2014 Kona Process 134, 2012 Transition Bandit 29 & now the Scout 290 Comp.

It's been 2.5+ years since riding the Winslow HT. So, I've pretty much forgotten what it's like to lack a rear shock.

Anyhow, last night myself & a couple of mates went out for some therapy.

This local trail was a good place to do a shakedown run. Loam, jumps, roots, rock gardens, hard pack & berms were the order of the evening. A great variety to see how the new whip would handle.

Initially I went in with some trepidation i.e. I didn't want to be, not riding my Bandit. If the rear triangle wasn't cracking up, I'd still be on it now.

Money was a factor in acquiring my new frame. Plus, all the bits from my Bandit swapping over was another tick for the Scout.

Ride Thoughts:

Me likey!

At the end of my ride, I felt fresher - but more beat up. A definite conundrum. Let me explain.

Climbing, being a HT any power sent to the pedals propels you forward... which I found translated to, less ability to sit and spin. I was actually having to work on the climbs, but - the 290 wanted to be worked in a higher gear - 1 gear up (down, you know what I mean).

Long grinder climbs were a grind. As stated above I was working the whole time. No hiding on the Granny gear here.

Technical climbs were a piece of cake. When you stomp on the pedals, you get up there young fella!

However, with an extra 10mm of travel (stock is 130mm, I've got 140mm fork) and a 51mm offset as opposed to 46mm. The front end was lifting & that paired with a slack head angle @65.5° increased the side to side flop.

Now remember, I'm coming off a 68.5° fs trail mule that had no side to side flop and no lift except on the steepest of trails. Riding the saddle nose w/ an exaggerated forward lean & steep, grinder climbs were manageable.

Unweighting and attack position are more important on the Scout. On my Bandit I could get away with relaxing/being lazy & taking micro breaks whilst descending. Not on the 290. Going down I needed to be engaged 99% of the time.

Any lapses in focus and I'd get a gentle kick up the back side as a reminder (occasional feeling of being pitched forward).

This beast wants to be let off the reins when pointed down. It accelerates at a phenomenal rate of knots. The low BB (more about this soon), shortish CS & slack head angle begs you to push the envelope. Knowing when to pull those reins is key to staying on the trail & not visiting the local flora.

Jumping ^^ The Scout looks like a big jump bike & it doesn't disappoint either. On the moderately sized jumps on this trail, I was sending it much further than expected i.e. I was rolling like a bat out of hell and over jumping. This part of the trail was loamy, so landings were not shaking my filings loose.

Back to my being battered but fresh. My legs and skeleton will take some getting use to descending on a HT. The first wee jump I did on a hard pack part of the course and my legs had the unfamiliar sensation of having to work on the landing. That's the whole bag w/ going down... my whole body was having to do the work that my 130mm rear shock on my Bandit use to do for me... and it's taxing!!

The Scout being 2-3lbs lighter than my FS rig made climbs easier in one respect. But, after a long descent I was generally shelled! I then spent the first part of the climb taking my respite.

I need to work on my HT rock garden technique. I felt somewhat like a pinball bouncing off of each rock edge. Luckily the couple of beds that were on the trail weren't more than 4 metres in length.

Now the bottom bracket. On the berms, the low bb is epic! Railing was on tap & the HT ability to sprint out of the turn was kewl. Again, this ability was taxing the leg muscles. But, dang was it fun.

What wasn't nearly as enjoyable, were the pedal strikes in places I never usually experience them. One was a real doozey, that put a little play into the cranks o_0
I'll likely change out my 175's for 170's.

Apart from the pinball affect in rock gardens & unexpected pedal strikes, I'm really excited & happy with my latest purchase.

It'll be challenging and interesting to see how it copes on the rocky terrain I frequent when out of town.

I'll be popping a 2.4 XR4 Team Issue out back + 2.4 Onza Ibex up front, to try and mute a little of the rocky chunder. 170mm cranks will be a must too. As on my Bandit w/ 175's, on the out of town, rocky trails - I got an occasional strike.

To do:
-reroute cables (got some bottle holder adaptors coming)
-move bb spacer to drive side (at least until shorter cranks arrive, chain line will suffer a little)
-slam stem to assist with climbs, currently have 15mm underneath - 5mm will do
-shorten steerer (see above)
-install black mudguard which is on way
-install gum colored Easton grips, on way also.

/Fin

PS - if I had the extra coin lying around I'd get a 150mm dropper as well.

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Wow, 65.5°, same as my Warden. Sounds like fun. The climbing will take some more body english and time to adapt. I find that a slack HTA doesn't hinder climbing much once you are used to it. I echo your battering sentiment. I was on a Mondraker Vantage frame for a bit las year. I loved the geometry but on rougher descents it punished my legs. If I was a young fella like you I would still have it.

 

Lol!!

Younger fella... maybe.

My leg muscles aren't as fatigued today.

But, I can feel my bones have had a shake up.

65.5° = super confident going down...

Shorter cranks & maybe an Oval ring to smooth out pedaling and I'll be a pig in swill.

For $425 USD, it's one of the best bike related buys I've made.

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2nd ride on my new mule tonight...

Trail was a root fest!!

Steep, rutty & rooty [emoji88]

On the climb to the top... The lowering of my stem paid dividends.

I was definitely picking my lines more carefully, whilst descending.

One small rooty section, beneath a huge tree - there was a wee lip leading in. The fact that I'd just come through a part of the trail where there were roots every 1.5 M and I felt like a frog in a blender. I decided to gap this giant tree section [emoji90]

So.... much easier if you send it over the gnar.

Heals down was more important too, in the steep rutty, rooty switchbacks.

Plus, remembering good jump technique i.e. heavy feet & light hands - as I was riding the handle bars more to curb the bucking bronco I had slung a leg over. Pitched myself forward a little too much on one table top.

Otherwise, I rode everything I usually ride. Plus, I felt like I was going just as quick/maybe quicker. The frog in a blender sensation really keeps you on your toes & engaged.

As stated before, no time to take a mid run siesta on an HT on these AM trails.

BB has developed an annoying creak [emoji36] (post Friday ride's pedal strike), new crankset+BB can't arrive quick enough. [emoji120]

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This mule lives for steep, technical terrain.

Yesterday, we rode one of our more gnarly local trails and the Scout lapped it up ^^

I've dropped tire pressures to stoopid low numbers, 20psi front & 24psi rear (tubed). For my local stuff - it's really enhanced the ride quality.

On the downs, it's way more capable than my old fs 29er i.e. Transition Bandit & on real steep stuff, it's even ahead of my former Kona Process 134 [emoji87]

Locally all our rides start with a big climb & end with the big descent. I just need to remember to run higher tire psi for the climb & drop psi down for the descent (rear tire mainly).

For multiple runs I'll have to hedge my bets & run middle of the road [emoji6]

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This mule lives for steep, technical terrain.

Yesterday, we rode one of our more gnarly local trails and the Scout lapped it up ^^

On the downs, it's way more capable than my old fs 29er i.e. Transition Bandit & on real steep stuff, it's even ahead of my former Kona Process 134 [emoji87]

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I'm thinking about picking up one of these frames to bolt some spare parts on and ride as a second bike.

How do you feel about the low BB? Seems like it's quite a bit lower than a lot of other hard tails like the Canfield and Konas. My trails in the southeast are littered with rocks. My normal ride is a kona process 111 and this would be a second bike to mix things up.

 

Ridden today on one of my favourite trails.

More flow than tech...

But super tight/narrow >.<

Man this thing can motor o_0

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Targnik, how do you like the Scudgood pedals? Would you buy them again?

 

Yup...

They're pretty easy to service/maintain.

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I just found out about this bike and I think it just jumped to the top of my list. I currently ride an XC hardtail and tag along with full squish guys regularly. I'm committed to HTs so my next bike is going to be a badass all mountain hardtail. The NP Scout seems to be fitting the bill nicely. I'm in the US though so I'm not sure how I'll go about actually getting one.

Any further impressions now that you've had it a few months?

 

I just found out about this bike and I think it just jumped to the top of my list. I currently ride an XC hardtail and tag along with full squish guys regularly. I'm committed to HTs so my next bike is going to be a badass all mountain hardtail. The NP Scout seems to be fitting the bill nicely. I'm in the US though so I'm not sure how I'll go about actually getting one.

Any further impressions now that you've had it a few months?

I've just bought myself a 2017 Giant Reign 2...

A couple of trails I ride are more suited to a full squish Enduro rig [emoji41]

But, for 80-90% of the other stuff I ride - I'll defer to the Scout [emoji573]

It's a uber capable mule [emoji123]

Run 2.4 tyres or wider to add a little cushioning & you'll be a pig in swill [emoji200]

Nukeproof are actually a US based company... out of Michigan, if I remember correctly.

Get onto them [emoji118]

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In the US you can order one from https://recycledmountainracing.com/...roof-scout-290-comp-complete-bicycle-size-options-free-ship?variant=36123487181 . Or Chain Reaction Cycles in the UK also carries then and ships to the US but it looks like they are out of stock there.

 

Thanks for the response. For some reason, I thought they were UK-based. Might be confusing them with some other company. That scout looks like such a badass bike.

 

They are now UK based.

NUKEPROOF: THE HISTORY BEHIND THE BRAND

Nuke Proof Industries, the brain child of founder John Muenzenmeyer, started life in 1990 from the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a passionate rider, John's aim was to create desirable, innovative and reliable solutions to meet the demands of the emerging 90's mountain bike market. Nuke Proof Industries was pioneering in its design with the use of exotic materials such as titanium and carbon fibre. They were best known for their famous carbon/aluminium hubs.
Nuke Proof Industries went on to produce titanium frames, carbon fibre handle bars and other innovative components, represented at races by athletes such as James Bethea, a local courier with an appetite for winning with a unique attitude to boot.
After the American bicycle boom of the 90's, came a dramatic decline in the market and Nuke Proof Industries struggled to continue trading. In 2004 Northern Irish DH racer and long term admirer of the brand, Michael Cowan, saw the chance to save the brand. He set about acquiring the trademarks with the aim to re-invigorate the iconic brand. A leading and influential mountain bike racer himself, Michael put in place a product development team of experienced and passionate riders.
In 2007, Nukeproof launched its first products, Titanium springs. These were shortly followed by more gravity led products; 760mm and 800mm handlebars, which were a rare sight at the time.
The development of Nukeproof frames was conceived with racing in mind. The Nukeproof team's desire was to develop a longer, slacker and more capable bike for the famous Mega-Avalanche race. This led to a 3 year development program resulting in the Nukeproof Mega.
Simultaneously, ex Downhill Masters World Champion Nigel Page was assembling the Chain Reaction Cycles-Intense team to compete in the UCI Downhill World Cup. Nigel chose to work with Nukeproof to develop components to meet the teams exacting standards, enabling them to test and showcase our components at the highest level of the sport (standing on the podium at the team's first race). At the 2010 Interbike show in Las Vegas, Michael and Nigel decided the time was right to design and race our own bike, paving the way for the development of Nukeproof's first downhill frame: the Scalp.
Today, with numerous UCI World Cup victories behind them, Nigel and the race team are integral to the development and testing of all new components and bikes. None more so than the iconic 3 times downhill World Champion Sam Hill developing his own signature series of Nukeproof components developed specifically for his requirements.
Now designed and developed in Belfast Northern Ireland, Nukeproof products are sold through select independent bike dealers around the world. The brand continues to evolve whilst retaining its proud history and traditions of being crafted 'by riders for riders'.
Source: https://recycledmountainracing.com/pages/about-nukeproof-bicycles

 

This mule is extremely versatile i.e. last weekend I raced in a 10 hour endurance event (1 of 4 team members).

Initially I was apprehensive about the 290 on an XC type course i.e. it'd be too much bike.

However, my Scout took it all in stride. The rider, rather than the ride had my times only slightly down on my team mates... whom were riding carbon hard tails w/ skinny little tyres.

A couple of rides prior to that race, I was bombing down one of our more gnarly local DH tracks.

If you do build up a Scout 290... It won't stay your second bike for long.

Re, bb height... Remember that it doesn't change/move on an HT.

Run the correct length cranks i.e. 170mm or less & it'll be fine.

NB, I've got a 140mm fork on my build. Think quoted geo numbers are w/ a 130mm fork.

FYI - slap on a decent fork e.g. a Pike or a new Rev... I'm running an X-Fusion Trace & it performs ok. But, I'd rather have spec'd a boost fork - to take larger rubber. Plus, the 35mm legs stiffness, would be much appreciated.

I'm currently running 2.35's - Hans Dampf & Rock Razor. If my fork were more roomy, I'd have 2.5 rubber installed, for the extra cush factor... Particularly out back. Remember it is a HT & an alu one at that...

I think it rides fine... but I've never ridden Steel or Ti. Maybe in a couple of years, I'll grab another AM HT w/ supposed better dampening qualities.

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If you do build up a Scout 290... It won't stay your second bike for long.

Re, bb height... Remember that it doesn't change/move on an HT.

Run the correct length cranks i.e. 170mm or less & it'll be fine.

NB, I've got a 140mm fork on my build. Think quoted geo numbers are w/ a 130mm fork.

I think it rides fine... but I've never ridden Steel or Ti. Maybe in a couple of years, I'll grab another AM HT w/ supposed better dampening qualities.

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Any idea what the frame weighed ?

I'm currently debating between this & a ragley bigwig 29 ... both very similar but alloy vs steel. That ragley frame is a tank at nearly 7lbs, but nothing but good review.

 

Apologies, didn't get a notification...

My NP290 is fairly light (me thinks)

I don't weigh things but, my 2017 Giant Reign 2 - is likely around 13.8/14 kg's

The NP290 is quite a bit lighter... Likely 13kg's (possibly less).

I'll have to do some weighing.

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My 16.5 frame that arrived yesterday weighed 4lb 13oz with the seat collar and rear axle installed

 

A couple questions for owners:

Nukeproof states that a 2.8" tire clearance. Is this true? I would like to run my Terrene Mcfly 29x2.8.

Also - how playful is the bike? Sort of long chainstays. I would like something more on the playful end than bombing end. Already have a FS.

Considering this and a Honzo.....

 

A couple questions for owners:

Nukeproof states that a 2.8" tire clearance. Is this true? I would like to run my Terrene Mcfly 29x2.8.

Also - how playful is the bike? Sort of long chainstays. I would like something more on the playful end than bombing end. Already have a FS.

Considering this and a Honzo.....

The chain stays are 85mm across at my side knobs, the seat stays are a bit narrower ~78mm

As far as riding .. haven't gotten that far yet as I'm waiting for a chainring to show up, but here's a caption from Factory Jackson's review, so fingers crossed for me.

"The Nukeproof Scout 290 is fun - it wants to hit berms hard, pop off jumps and zip along trails as fast as you dare. Sometimes you forget it's a trail bike - it's as close to a jump bike in agility and playfulness as a trail bike can get"

 

I've been sorely tempted to pick up a 2018 Comp version of this bike. My only reservation at the moment is the Suntour XCR-34 air fork. Something tells me I would push this fork outside of its comfort zone and intended use, and I don't want to be in the immediate upgrade game as it would be a 3rd bike.

As for tire clearance...apparently this 2018 frame is different than the 2017 that the OP has; now it's got boost spacing, is longer, and has profiled stays for more compliance. But CRC has been known a time or ten to get the details wrong. My guess is that it will take 27.5x2.8 or 29x2.5 maximum, which seems to be the norm for newer boost spec frames of this sort.

 

My measurements above for clearances are based on the new 2018 boosted frame

 

What do you think about wheel diameter? My 29x2.8 is about 29.7" in diameter (about 0.3-4" taller than a 2.4 tire)....I find this to be the culprit as much as chainstay width...

thanks again for the info....

 

Ah, I missed that. Thanks for posting the measurements.

 

Although I never actually tried...

I'm guessing my former 2.4 Onza Ibex tyre (which makes a 2.35 Hans Dampf look small), would have fit out back.

If my fork were boost, I could see myself running the Ibex out back w/ a 2.5 WT Maxxis ________ up front ^^

The dampening qualities would be much higher.

PS - that useless front der cable guide would likely need cut off ;-)

PSS - the NPS290 is the most 'fun' bike I've ridden, probably on par w/ my former Kona Process 134.

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