SEAN’S NUKEPROOF SCOUT 290 PRO
Size matters, but maybe not where you’d expect it to...
£2,449.99 / 29in / nukeproof.com
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As we approach the year end, I’m now nine months in with the Scout longtermer. And after an uncertain start, I’ve bonded well with this hardcore 29er hardtail. It’s proved itself on a variety of terrain, but like most bikes, there can be irritations that won’t go away and even become more pronounced with time.
And while some niggles are fixable with a simple component swap or a minor adjustment, others are an integral part of the bike’s design – the frame. So it’s dimensions that have been my main cause for concern with the Scout, but not the much talked about reach measurement or chainstay length. Here’s a run through of what’s been bothering me…
First up is the seat tube length. I’m on a size XL Scout; a bike Nukeproof says should fit riders between 6ft 1in (185cm) and 6ft 5in (195cm). I’m 6ft 2in, with a shorter inseam for my height, and the issue is the seat tube’s 510mm length. This, combined with the 170mm dropper post (stock spec on sizes L and XL) results in the saddle height being two centimetres too high when the dropper is fully extended. And while I’ve lived with it, it’s not ideal because even when the dropper is fully slammed, the saddle is still in the way, especially on steeper descents.
Obviously a 150mm post would solve the top half of the saddle height problem but with the arrival of 200mm droppers surely the next-generation Scout will have a much shorter seat tube? The cable stop for the front mech could go too.
Moving to the front, let’s talk about the head tube. It measures 110mm, the same as the size large and only 5mm more than the medium. As such, the handlebar height seems a touch low for me; even with all the spacers below the
WHY IT’S HERE Sean addresses the hardtail imbalance in our longtermer fleet
stem, the stock 25mm rise handlebar and a 140mm-travel fork (lower-spec Scouts get a 130mm-travel fork). So maybe one of those trendy higher-rise bars that the cool kids are running these days may be worth a try.
And it’s not just a problem with the Scout. Looking at the geometry charts of similar hardtails highlights quite a variation in the dimensions on all size XL bikes. So given the choice, I’d ideally have a 10-15mm taller head tube on the XL Scout, a shorter 480mm seat tube and stick with the 170mm dropper. It really does seem that the Scout frame is only a few tweaks away from being perfect – well, for me anyway…