NUKEPROOF SCOUT 290 V3
Nukeproof’s new Scout’s well prepared on paper but what’s it like the wild?
£499.99 (frame, headset) / 29in / nukeproof.com
Having spent 12 months on a V2 Scout 290 Pro longtermer, I was the ideal candidate to head out to a wet and wild Nukeproof launch in mid Wales. I went suitably equipped with a wish list of geometry tweaks, sizing updates and additional spec details that I felt would nudge the Scout one step closer to the perfect hardcore hardtail blueprint.
And while it would be easy to assume that the Scout sits in the shadows of the enduro-focused Giga and Megawatt e-bike, the Scout is one of Nukeproof’s best-selling models and is given the same love and attention when it comes to design and testing.
So, although it shares a similar silhouette to the outgoing model, the new V3 Scout has had a thorough overhaul, without straying from the original bike’s ethos of ‘minimum fuss, bare-bones mountain biking’.
And the design team’s brief was simple: evolve and refine but retain the V2’s proven triple-butted aluminium tubing, generous tyre clearance and well-executed cable routing. A case of adding and tweaking rather than removing – with the exception of the front mech mount, as this latest Scout is naturally a dedicated 1x design.
In a similar way to other UK brands such as Whyte and Orange, Nukeproof is keen to offer options. So, as with the previous generation, this all-new Scout is available with either 27.5in or 29in wheels, with dedicated frames for each. There are five frame sizes in total spread across the entire range and sensibly, the 29er starts at Medium and goes up to XXL, with the 27.5in option offered from size Small but topping out at XL.
And before you ask, there’s currently no mullet version to go up against Orange’s Crush MX – it’s something Nukeproof considered, but while it felt it brought genuine benefits to its fullsuspension bikes, it wasn’t convinced on the concept for a hardtail.
One feature it was keen to implement though – and something we rarely see on a hardtail – are frame-size-specific chainstay lengths. A move to help maintain the same weight distribution across all frame sizes. Chainstay lengths go from 432.5mm to 440mm on the 29ers and 422.5mm to 430mm on the 27.5in bikes. And yes, they grow in 2.5mm increments.
When it comes to suspension travel, the V3 frame is designed around a 140mm-travel fork – on both the 27.5in and 29in options. Last year, Nukeproof offered bikes with 130mm up front but ‘over-forked’ the Pro model to 140mm. For 2022, all Scouts get 140mm forks, bar the RS model, which is ‘overforked’ to 150mm. It’s a move that will please those stepping up from a more Xc-focused hardtail and mirrors other hard-hitters such as the Orange Crush 29 and Canyon Stoic.
Is it also a case of longer, lower and slacker on the new frame? Well yes, every tube angle and dimension has been tweaked, but we’re talking subtle
Every tube angle and dimension has been tweaked