What travel Fork for Nukeproof Mega 290 V4 (170mm or 160mm)

Hello guys I recently got my hands on a Nukeproof Mega 290 V4 carbon frame so I’m looking for recommendations on what fork travel would be recommended I know most megas come with a 170mm fork standard but could I use a 160mm fork ?

Also on the topic of forks would you go for 38 mm stanchion fork like the RockShox ZEB and Fox 38 or would you go for something a bit lighter like the Fox 36 or RockShox Lyrik?

Thank you

160 or 170mm travel will both work fine. There’s no need for a Zeb or 38 IMO, they’re just heavier and pricier but don’t perform any better than the Lyrik/36.

Ive ran. V4 mega 297 with both lyriks & fox 38s, both at 170mm.

personally id get the zeb or 38, the advantages exist & if weights an issue you wouldn’t have bought a mega anyway.

I like the Fox, my mate likes his Zebs, you pays your money etc.

At 170mm I’d definitely want a 38 of some flavour. I went from 36 Rhythm to Smashpot Lyrics to Fox 38 and the latter is noticeably stiffer and more precise.

Definitely 170mm.  more for geometry reasons than the extra 10mm travel.

I’d agree with what dc1988 said above about 38mm forks. and add that a slight increase in flex from a lighter crown and 35mm stanchions isn’t necessarily a bad thing at all.

My money would be going on a Lyrik. Still a great fork and dead easy to set-up well.

The 36 is pricier but also quite finickey to set-up well. (meaning many novices with 36s have them set-up rather poorly).

Btw I own a 38 but would happily have had a 36 if they went up to 180mm (mine are on a NP Giga). There are a lot of reviews about people struggling to get full travel out of Zeb/38’s due to the bigger air spring and more ramp up. The damper is no better in the bigger forks so it’s really down to whether you want more stiffness for extra weight and IMO more stiffness isn’t all that.

Definitely go 170.

I’ve got the 290 Elite with Fox 38’s.

IMO differences in precision between a 38mm and a 35mm fork is more down to the individual rider’s preference and riding level than the stiffness differences between each fork. Rider weight might also be a consideration to take into account here though. While on the subject of weight I’d also disagree with the notion that a bike’s handling won’t suffer from additional weight. But that is fairly dependent on how you’re actually going to be riding it.

I run a Lyrik at 180mm on my current 170mm 29 enduro bike and was running the same on a Giga 290 carbon before that. And despite having ridden plenty bikes with Zebs and 38s never once have I thought I’d actually have benefited from swapping to a stiffer fork myself. We’re not all the same though.

Worth noting that both Lyriks and 36’s have been 160mm max for a few years now. The 2021 Lyrik Ultimate was a great fork but might be pretty hard to find new or in decent used condition now.

I run older lyriks in 170mm and 180mm on my Megas, saves a few hundred grams over 38mm forks, if running newer lyriks 160mm max I’d put in a 10mm extender lower headset cup like the wolftooth one as you’d steepen the head angle by half a degree running 160mm, as well as lowering the BB.

I find fox 38 / zeb to be loads better than lyrik (not tried a 36) for Enduro riding.

The lyrics and zebs I have, have the same damper, and have both been used on the same bike

But then I am on the larger side of things so the stiffness is possibly more noticeable to me than lighter riders

I’m about 90kg and absolutely notice and prefer the stiffness of 38mm stanchions. For the sake of 200 grams I’ll take the stiffer fork every time.