Nukeproof Mega 290 Owners. What size frame do you ride?

Hi.

I posted on here last week about Mega 275’s but I’ve now decided on the Mega 290.

I’ll hopefully book a demo at Llandegla soon but I’m just wondering on sizes. I’m 5ft 9 1/2 inches and prob think a Medium would suit but I see the trend for going a size bigger lately.

How tall are you and what size do you ride? What were the reasons for the choice too.

Cheers

Ian

5’9 and ride a large, it comes with a 170 dropper which i have all the way in the frame, I have stumpy legs 🙁

I’m on a Mega275 in medium at 178cm – 5’10” in old money – with a 125mm dropper at about the top of safe insertion – a 150 would be preferable.

‘old geo’ Large bikes felt like sitting on a gate to me, obviously everything has got lower, but I’m not persuaded that buying a bigger frame than actually fits you this year is any more sensible than buying a smaller one that fitted you a couple of years ago was.

I demo’d a medium 290 last year and it felt more than long enough.

Struggled to lift the front wheel but that would just be adjusting to a different bike. Very quick when pointed down.

I’d say definitely get a demo.

I’m 5ft 8in and the large felt spot-on for me on a demo last weekend, but I do suffer from short-legs-long-body syndrome.

Very impressive bike, but don’t know if I’d want one as an only bike unless most of my riding was pretty gnarly.

Is there any rough stuff at Llandegla to put its through its paces?

My thoughts on the demo: http://unduro.co.uk/mtb/wheelbase-big-demo-day-trek-fuel-ex-mondraker-dune-nukeproof-mega-290-and-trek-slash-29/

How tall are you breadcrumb?

Sorry, I’m about 5’9″.

Currently ride a Solaris in medium and a 17″ Kona Unit.

Had a medium Pitch in the past, all have fit me well.

I’m barely 5’8″ and I went for a large and put a -2 degree angleset in it with a 160 lyrik. With the steeper seat angle and the closer steerer the seated fit is barely longer than my old much much shorter bike. The flipside is that when out of the saddle it feels like an absolute monster.

Trade-offs are that it does take a more concentrated effort to weight the front wheel and it needs a bit more muscling around flatter tracks. Put it on something steep downhill though and it more than makes up for it, while still climbing acceptably well for something with geometry similar to a downhill bike.

Mine came with a low compression tune monarch which has been rubbish and I’ve broken it after three rides, so a resized cane creek coil is going on there to give it suspension worthy of its quality as a frame.

What size shock does it take raisinhat?

And where do you tend to ride yours? A -2 slackset is pretty hardcore eh?

I’m 5’10 and testrode the medium, I felt it fit pretty nicely- it’s not geometron massive but it’s a big bike, the medium was bigger than most large competitors. (I ride a large Remedy 29 and the wheelbase is barely more than the small Mega, and the reach very similiar to the medium mega)

But it’s quite a compact front triangle so it’s got a lot of scope to go up a size too, if you want longer and more reach. Me, I’d have the Medium, I’m a total convert to Big but not that much of a fan of Massive.

200×57 if my memory serves me correctly.

It spends the majority of my riding time on the offpiste stuff in the tweed valley, plenty of very steep muddy and scary stuff to sink your teeth into. I test rode it with the standard pike and 66 degree head angle, and it felt like the front wheel wanted to tuck in some of the slower speed corners. A little bit of trail figure calculation led me to this set up – the longer offset lyrik with a slackset keeps the trail figure as long as a I like it, with the benefits of a long (1250mm) wheelbase.

I’ll certainly admit it’s not everyone’s first choice! Having spent a little bit of time on a geometron and a pole evolink I’m a convert to that kind of geometry. It feels so much more stable and assured on the kind of trails where I’m pushing my (not so high) skill limit. Far better on steep and terrifying. I’ve taken in around some tamer stuff at whinlatter, and the plough through everything approach keeps a smile on my face.

If you like your bikes to encourage clever line choice, plenty of agile jumping, and not having to set up super high and early for every corner, it’s not gonna suit. But if you’re getting a 150mm travel 29er then why not go all out?

Cheers for that – I couldn’t find the shock size via Google for some reason.

Sounds like you’ve done your homework? How does it handle on the steep, twisty forest trails up there? I’m intrigued and was surprised how much I liked this bike.

Plenty of sound advice here guys, cheers.

I’m really gonna struggle to get time to demo. Think the best I’m gonna get is a sit on in a shop/car park test.

I’m 5ft 9 1/2 inches tall with a 32″ inseam. I’m coming from a Whyte G-160 in size medium (it got nicked). I found that really long and a bit hard to get round tight stuff. I think it was down to the reach though as I went to a 35mm stem and 760 bars (from 40 stem / 780 bars) and it felt better. The large 290 has a shorter reach than the Whyte but same wheelbase so that’s why I think a large may suit as I won’t feel as stretched out but still be on a long stable bike.

When you demo the Mega if it is the Comp or Pro then consider wheel flex they both come with the Roam wheels instead of the Rail ones on the Team.

I have a long travel 29er BMC Trailfox fitted with DT EX 1501 wheelset which uses EX 471 rims (Used to win a few DH world cups) yet I still notice flex when cornering hard or hitting rocky sections at speed.