Although these Nukeproof frames were conceived with racing in mind, they hit the spot for many riders looking for a bike that can be used for anything from aggressive trail riding through to sessioning DH tracks. A tough beast, with good durability and sorted geometry, the Mega initially ran 26” wheels back in 2012, progressing to the new wave of 27.5”/650B the following year. Long travel trail or enduro bikes with 29” wheels were a rare breed back then as few brands dared move into these (as then) unchartered waters. They played safe, with a focus on what they knew worked, and worked well.

‘If you’ve spent time on an older Nukeproof then you’ll find yourself at home on the Mega 290’

Moving on a generation or two, Nukeproof debuted their latest Mega range with a choice of either 27.5” or 29” wheels. Here at Dirt HQ, we’d well and truly seen the light, and with mid and longer travel big wheelers from Specialized and BMC scoring places in the Dirt 100 listings we were glad more brands were thinking this way.

In 2016 the Nukeproof Mega 290 impressed us immensely and joined the ranks in our yearly pick of our favourite bikes – their first shot at a full-suspension 29er and they’d got it right… A year on and it’s here again, our choice being the 290 Comp.