As the lightest bike on test and a 29er too, the comparative climb and distance efficiency of the Scout isn’t a surprise. It’s how it handles the hits and techy descents that really impresses.
The frame
While the frame looks simple at first, the down tube has a load of tapers, shapes and swerves going on. It shares a long weld seam with the steeply-sloped top tube, which is almost parallel with the round seatstays. Chunky dropouts carry a Boost axle and post brake mount, and there’s a chainring-dodging plate section on the driveside chainstay.
The dropper post cable is routed internally, apart from a loop under the BB. A full-length gear cable outer runs under the top tube, with a neat extra guide block on the down tube to swing it clear of the short tapered head tube. The Scout has front mech routing too, but the 290 Comp uses an MRP micro chain guide instead, mounted to the ISCG tabs on the threaded BB shell. Production bikes will have a set of bottle bosses.
The kit
A 130mm RockShox Revelation RC connects to a broad-clamp Nukeproof stem, which holds a super-wide but forgivingly flexy Nukeproof Neutron bar. Things are less comfy at the far end, where an intrusively narrow own-brand saddle sits on top of a short-stroke but reliable Brand-X dropper with wobbly but functional under-bar remote. Nukeproof also supply the Horizon hoops, with 29mm (internal) rims and 28 double-butted spokes in straight-pull hubs giving the lowest wheel weight on test. They’re wrapped in top-spec versions of the legendary Maxxis High Roller II. Shimano SLX provides a lighter shifting action than the SRAM alternative, with a 30t chainring compensating for the relatively limited 11-42t range of the cassette on steep climbs. The SLX brakes are also fine, once you’ve got Shimano’s now traditional initial over-pull fright out of the way.
The ride
With the lowest wheel and overall weight on test, the narrowest tyres and a chunky alloy back end, the crisp and immediate acceleration of the Nukeproof was expected. It’s quieter and smoother than most ‘hardcore’ alloy frames and some steel bikes. The bars and wheels are forgiving rather than hyper-accurate and harsh too, so heading over the horizon doesn’t mean returning with a broken back. It can still get choked on lumps and bumps if you’re not careful with your pedal timing or hop-over strategy, though, and you can sense slight twist in the frame when wrestling it around. The 50mm stem isn’t as quick to grab balance back as the Sonder’s 35mm number, but 800mm bar leverage means serious power steering. While Nukeproof rightly say there’s room for 27.5x2.8in tyres, the resulting 285mm BB height means continual pedal impacts or interruption even with the supplied 170mm cranks, so it’s not really practical.
The low BB, super-slack 65-degree head angle and wide bar set up a very stable, confident character for descending, That meant initially apprehensive drops into natural downhill tracks at the end of epic night rides soon turned into deliberate dives, as we trusted the Scout’s ability to unzip the most treacherous segments with ease. What they lack in volume, the Maxxis tyres make up for with their ability to slice through and find and maintain traction. The fact they come set up tubeless is a real help when you’re using that stability to let the Scout 290 run through rock fields, too. Because the back end is almost as long as on the Orange it again adds a slight kite-tail effect. That’s great for drag-brake stability on steep descents but means it’s not as hop, pop, flick or flare agile as the Whyte and Sonder. It doesn’t stop the Nukeproof being a great, efficient yet enduro-enjoyable package for Scouting out the best riding all day long, though.
DETAILS
PROS AND CONS
Shimano’s SLX drivetrain is quietly durable and smooth-shifting, but the matching brakes can be prone to initial over-pull
SMOOTH RIDE
While the Scout frame is deceptively straightforward (apart from the down tube) the triple-butted pipework has a great ride feel
PAINFUL PERCH
Nukeproof’s own Neutron wheels and cockpit are a great sync with the Scout’s character, but the Vector saddle is unforgivingly narrow
HIGHS
- Relatively lightweight, impressively smooth ride
- Super-low and slack geometry
- Sorted wheel pack and cockpit
LOWS
- Low-slung BB rules out plus tyre use, in reality
- Short-stroke dropper and narrow saddle
Light, forgiving distance shrinker with the stability and control to shred the craziest descents
WEIGHT 12.85kg (28.33lb)
SIZE M, L, XL
FRAME Triple-butted, hydroformed aluminium
FORK RockShox Revelation RC 29, 130mm (5.1in) travel
HEADSET Nukeproof Warhead
WHEELS:
HUBS Nukeproof Horizon
AXLES Boost – 110x15mm (f), 148x12mm (r)
RIMS Nukeproof Horizon 29
SPOKES 28x double-butted
WHEEL WEIGHT 2.09kg (f), 2.71kg (r), inc tyres
TYRES Maxxis High Roller II 3C Maxx Terra EXO TR 29x2.3in
CRANKSET/BOTTOM BRACKET Shimano SLX, 30t/Shimano
MECH(S) Shimano SLX
SHIFTER(S) Shimano SLX (1x11)
CASSETTE/CHAIN Shimano SLX, 11-42t/KMC X11
BRAKES Shimano SLX, 180mm rotors
BAR/STEM/GRIPS Nukeproof Neutron, 31.8x800mm/Nukeproof Neutron AM, 31.8x50mm/Nukeproof Horizon lock-on
SEATPOST/SADDLE Brand-X Ascend 120mm dropper/Nukeproof Vector AM
Price $2550