Pretty much everyone complimented the Mega on its paintjob and was surprised to hear that it was one of the cheapest bikes on test. While the spec isn’t quite as dazzling as on some of the direct-sales bikes here, it’s seriously well considered and comes together to produce an impressive ride – for the most part, at least.
The Mega’s eagerness to be ridden at speed, combined with the ‘Light’ casing of the WTB Trail Boss back tyre, meant we constantly found ourselves with rear flats. Tougher rubber would be a massively welcome addition. It’s also worth noting that the Nukeproof was the only bike on test to suffer spoke tension issues, with the rear wheel needing some attention after our final few rides together. While the Trail Boss works perfectly well on manmade bike park trails, it soon breaks traction if you venture onto more natural, muddy tracks. Up front, the Vigilante offers a much more aggressive tread, a higher volume – which helps flatten trail ripples – and WTB’s stickier High Grip compound, which holds its own over damp rock and roots. It needs a touch more pressure in than most to ensure it holds its shape when being stoved into high-load corners, though.
Mega fun
Thankfully, the playful, engaging ride of the Mega makes up for these niggles. Although it sits quite deep into its 160mm of travel, we never felt that we lacked support when pumping up and over obstacles or loading hard through highspeed linked turns, and all of our testers were impressed with the bike’s overall balance. When tackling bigger compressions or ugly square-edged braking bumps, there’s enough rampup at the end of the stroke to prevent things feeling harsh. It’s deadly silent too, which is a massive plus.
The slack 64.5-degree head angle adds confidence when things get steep and nearly all of our testers felt comfortable with the 460mm reach on the large size. A reasonably steep seat angle makes climbing that bit easier, though the 611mm effective top tube doesn’t make things feel exactly spacious for anyone over 5ft 9in.
There’s no climb switch on the RockShox Monarch Plus R shock, and at 14.7kg the Nukeproof certainly isn’t the lightest bike here. Still, providing you can keep air in the rear tyre, it’s a lot of fun to ride.
If the sizing works for you, the Mega is smooth and slack with a hard-hitting attitude
SPEC
Frame 6061-T6 aluminium, 160mm travel
Fork RockShox Yari RC Solo Air, 160mm travel
Shock RockShox Monarch Plus R HV
Drivetrain SRAM NX with MRP 1x V3 upper guide (1x11)
Wheelset WTB STp i25 rims on Novatec hubs, WTB Vigilante/ Trail Boss tyres
Brakes Shimano Deore M615
Seatpost Brand-X Ascend 125mm dropper
Weight 14.7kg (L)
Price $3450