I have a bit of an itch to replace my 2016 Nukeproof Mega 290. It's had a good life but is getting on a bit. Currently there's some discounts on the Nukeproof Reactor available, and it looks quite a lot like my old Mega - similar travel, a bit more reach, a bit slacker, and obviously not built with 10 year old parts.
Does anyone have any experience with the Reactor/insightful comments about it/recommendations for similar trail bikes worth considering?
https://www.nukeproof.com/en_GB/bikes/SBIREANKP005
The reactor was an incredibly mediocre bike in 2022... Even more so now.
What's wrong with your mega.
Faster rolling tyres and it'll be just as capable an all rounder as the Reactor. Just with slightly longer travel. Frame weight was pretty much the same as the mega. So depending on your current build you'll gain very little going to a reactor. But definitely lose capability if you ride longer rougher endiro/DH descents.
Well to be honest as I implied a bit of it is that after 10 years I do just have a bit of an itch to try something new, though that's combined with a vague impression that the Mega is feeling a bit old now and maybe bikes have gotten better in the past decade.
This does all combine with a bit of uncertainty about what I want out of a full suspension bike. Having an Enduro bike kind of feels like overkill for how I consider my own riding, but then again I have enjoyed the Mega a lot. And it looks like trail bikes these days often have slacker head angles and longer reaches than 2016 Enduro bikes so how much different will they really feel to the Enduro.
One thing I would be happy with is more reach, I'm pretty tall and while the Mega was long by 2016 standards my Bird Zero hardtail is longer and I feel like a bit more reach would be nice.
Having not paid as much attention to the bike market over the past decade as I once did means that I do feel a bit uncertain where to look now, so the familiarity of the Nukeproof brand (and the lovely yellow paint job on the Reactor) seemed like a starting point for thoughts, but as indicated I'm happy to hear about alternatives I can dither about. 🙂
The reactor of a few years ago was a great bike. Nothing special on a geometry chart, but I loved how it rode. Got one after a demo day. Still have a frame in the shed I can't bring myself to get rid of.
If you are looking at the latest version then that is a new bike with no reviews I could find. Has a bit of a feeling that they got an OEM to throw it together after the buyout to get inventory back quickly.
There's a PinkBike article talking about it that is presumably mostly reprinting a press release that says:
The Reactor V2 was actually developed over 2 and a half years ago, but the ensuing implosion of Chain Reaction Cycles and the subsequent purchase of Nukeproof by the Belgian Cycling Factory, meant that almost 6 years separate the launch of the V1 and V2.
So probably not a catalogue frame?
Good spot. Just feels odd that there has been virtually no pressure coverage.
I saw one in JeJames the other week. Looked nice but expensive compared with everything else on discount!
If you like your Bird, what about an Aether (7 or 9 depending on your preference)? As an all-round trail bike it suits me down to the ground. Only thing is I'm not sure they have any in stock other than ex-display. Might be worth having a chat with Ben.
Or, for a bit more, a Cotic Jeht or FlareMax.
Ex display Bird Aether 9C in extra large listed on the website.
Good spot. Just feels odd that there has been virtually no pressure coverage.
I saw one in JeJames the other week. Looked nice but expensive compared with everything else on discount!
Yeah. That's the thing with Nukeproof. Back when CRC was around tgey were amazing value. But this new crowd don't seem to realise that was a huge part of their popularity. At full RRP and with no hype from the big teams/riders they had on NP I don't see why anyone would even want one anymore. Especially since they're all 3+ Yr old designs now
There still seems to be ways to buy Aether 9 frames or bikes off the Bird web site but it's current layout seems to be quite confusing and I'm not entirely sure that the pages I'm looking at are supposed to be available. The 9C complete build doesn't appeal to me much but the Aluminium Aether 9 frame is quite cheap and might be a good starting point for a build.
And as for the pricing of the Reactor, my first post did mention that they're available with discounts themselves just now, they seem to have a decent spec though my unfamiliarity with the market just now does mean I'm not particularly sure whether that spec for that price is good, bad, or indifferent.
To echo some of the comments above, I was looking for an aluminium trail bike so options were really a second hand 5010/Tallboy from when they did Ali builds and modernise it a bit or a Reactor and wait to see what the frame-only cost would be.
Instead I went for a new Bird Aether 7 which I got at the end of last year. I think I did a thread on here but they had some full builds kicking around and I got a really solid trail bike build for a gnats todger under £2k delivered. Had some good rides on it now and absolutely love it, ~30 mile XC rides and shorter traily/muck about rides and it's great on them all.
I think they're currently moving their warehouse so website updates have probably taken a bit of a back seat but they had full builds in stock (generally full Deore 12-speed, Lyrik Fork/Deluxe Shock & DT Swiss wheels so decent solid kit) and were very quick to get back to me when I dropped them an email with some options.
Would the Airdrop Filter tick many of your boxes?
I wasn't aware of the Airdrop Filter, I'll try and have a look at it, thanks!
I should email Bird and work out what's going on with the Aether 9. I was away for a long weekend last weekend, this was all put on hold for that so now I'll try to get my head back around it.