Product Full Name | Nukeproof Scout 290 Pro 2016

Retail Price | £1995

Available From | Nukeproof Bikes

Nukeproof Scout 290 – one hell of a hard tail

The Nukeproof Scout 290 Pro is a 29in wheeled hard tail that benefits from progressive geometry and the bump ironing tendencies of 29in wheels.

Although it has a 27.5in wheeled sibling, the Nukeproof Scout 290 is the real diamond in the range for us – retailing at a pinch under £2000, this hardtail is genuinely ready to tear apart any trail you point it down.

And it will teach you a thing or two on the way…

The Nukeproof Scout 290 just doesn’t look like a 29er – it looks more like a jump bike with the low slung frame and low BB. But check out the head angle – this bike has a reverse mullet. Party up front, business out back. Photo | Steve Behr

The Detail

Made from hydro-formed T6 6061 aluminium, the Scout frame is ultra stiff. Out back is a 12x142mm Maxle on sturdy, forged drop outs, joined to not-too-short 440mm chain stays.

A forged chainstay yoke gives loads of mud clearance and braces the BB area like a vice – there is literally no flex in this frame.

A 72degree seat angle gives a decent position for climbing, whilst an ultra low standover makes the Scout look more like a jump bike that a trail bike.

Up front the 651mm top tube on our XL sample gives a good amount of room in the cockpit and a 66degree head angle promises stable handling – and looks incredibly slack on 29in wheels.

The Nukeproof Scout 290 has a chunky, no-nonsense front end. The tapered 44-56mm head tube is neat and tidy, and internal routing for the dropper post avoids the snakes wedding look up front. We did find the rubber plug for the dropper post cable popped out on occasion though, which annoyed us. Photo | Steve Behr

Our size XL sample had a 1197mm wheelbase and a nice low 315mm BB height.
The Nukeproof Scout 290 is available in two specs – Comp and Pro, for £1599 and £1999 respectively.

Although the big loop of cable isn’t needed – it does allow you to see the routing clearly in this shot. No hard kink for the cable to get around. Photo | Steve Behr

Our Pro model came with a full Nukeproof componentry spec – bars; stem; grip, saddle and OKLO dropper post. This lot was combined with a SRAM X1 11 speed groupset and trusty SRAM Guide brakes.

SRAM Roam 40 wheels with Schwalbe Nobby Nic tyres covered the rolling duties and a trusty Rockshox Pike RC with 130mm of travel up front offers lush, trouble free performance.

The Nukeproof Scout 290 is very UK friendly – check out all that mud clearance! Photo | Steve Behr

Out On The Trail

Although not the lightest bike around, the fact that the Scout frame is so stiff makes the ride instantly snappy. It accelerates like a 4X bike, but has that extra length that calms the handling down.

The slack head angle further reduces the twitchy feel that hard tails can have – and combined with the 130mm Pike fork gives the bike an instant aggressive feel out on the trail.

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. Photo | Steve Behr

This can lead you in to a bit of a false sense of security at first though, as the bike simply screams for speed.

You end up charging in to stuff way faster than you should, and the back end can’t keep up.

On the first somewhat excitable ride, we pinch-punctured and split the rear tyre – lesson learnt. With the tyres converted to tubeless, and a little pressure dropped things improved significantly.

There’s something pure about riding a hard tail that some people just don’t get. We still love shredding hard tails. Once used to the stiff ride of the Scout, you can really let rip on it. Just make sure you get it set up tubeless or you’ll be going through rubber like a sex tourist in Bangkok. Photo | Steve Behr

We got in to the flow and remembered what it’s like to pick out lines on the go – the Scout might be tough as nails, but you still need to pilot this thing properly to get the most out of it.

You might have a 130mm party up front, but the ultra stiff rear end is business all the way and doesn’t cater for passengers.

The more time we spent on the Scout though, the more we honed in to it – and the faster we became. Up, along, over and down.

29in wheels really flatter hard tails – they hold speed well and reduce the jarring you can get with smaller wheels. They also offer a great footprint, which gives the Scout far more traction on the climbs that it really should have.

Once fully back in the zone of picking lines and using body weight effectively – we didn’t find anything on our usual test rides that we couldn’t tackle.

When was the last time you rode a hardtail? If you don’t have one, building up a frame as a second bike is not only great for skill – but makes a great winter bike and a daily commuter. Photo | Steve Behr

Our only negative thing with the Scout?

Giving it back. We ‘re still salty about that!

We Say

The Nukeproof Scout 290 is a great value for money hard tail frame that can be ridden hard on a variety of terrain. Once tuned in to the unforgiving ride, it really can tackle the lot – but will kick your ass in to next week if you get complacent.

It’s this that reminds us of why we like hard tails so much – It’s good to get your ass kicked every now and then, and keeps you on point with your technique.

As it stands, the Nukeproof Scout 290 is an excellent hardtail – progressive geometry, no-nonsense construction and a killer ride.

If you’re considering a modern hard tail frame – make sure you check out the Scout.

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