Nukeproof Mega Update

So I've had the mega for around 6 months now so I thought a little update about how it's been and what I've done to it was in order. Since being bought back in early July it's been ridden in Wales, The Peaks the local Lake District hills and around a few of the closer trail centres, so it's certainly seem some mileage.

The Build

Since buying it the build has had a few changes. The forks (Rockshox Lyriks) were converted from air to coil, and while this adds more weight to the build they feel much nicer. The rear shock (Rockshox Monarch) has also had a small tune to speed up the rebound and decrease the air volume of the can, to try help it feel a little nicer through it's midstroke.

The old dmr v12 pedals were switched out for the newer vaults which I must say feel amazing, the large platform really helps keeps your foot in place, just beware that if they do slip and catch your leg they will eat it up.

Somewhere in Wales

I've been running the Maxxis Ardent tyre out back and a Schwalbe Hans Dampf at the front. The Ardent is certainly looking worn now but has performed incredibly well, the Hans Dampf still looks in great condition and really is a great all round tyre. It's massive size (the 2.35 looks more like a 2.5) and softer compound certainly helps with grip and the only time it's struggled has been in very muddy conditions.

The Ride

It's taken me some time to get used to how this bike rides, but it's starting to feel more like my own now. With the shock in lockout mode it provides a very stable platform when climbing smoother trails or roads, it can feel a little wandery with a longer fork up front but this is easily remedied with a travel adjust fork. On the rougher stuff the middle setting of the shock feels nice, taking hits and soaking up the worse bumps while not stealing all your energy through excess bobbing. It must be mentioned that if you are using a travel adjust fork in shorter mode the bottom bracket is quite low so pedal strikes can be an issue, I'm considering switching the cranks to 170mm length to reduce this.

Once the bike is pointing downhill you really can have a lot of fun. The relaxed head angle and downhill orientated geometry help you feel safe and planted, and if you are willing to let go and attack the trail the bike comes alive underneath you. It does struggle in the tighter technical stuff as the chainstays are pretty long but that could be down to not enough rider skill on my part.

Overall

I'm pretty happy with the build and how it rides overall, i'm still learning how it behaves in certain terrain and I hope as I get more time on it my enjoyment will increase. I'm sure there are more upgrades to come too. As previously mentioned I would like some shorter (and lighter) cranks to reduce the pedal strike issue and also try one of the dropper posts which I think would really help with it's versatility on the trails. Last thing to mention is I think it looks great in the raw finish.

At home in the Lakeland Fells

Great hardtail edit

Stumbled across this earlier in the week and i think it's a superb little edit:
Hometown from ShapeRideShoot on Vimeo.

Trying something new

I've owned full suspension bikes in the past and have always bought 2nd hand, and while they were fun they just lacked that fun raw feeling you get from a well built hardtail. Recently I've had the itch to try out full suspension again, maybe it's all the videos I watch or maybe it's that most people I know now ride one and while it's possible to keep up I am starting to feel pretty battered after some rides.

Well this time I decided to spend a little more and buy new and get a Nukeproof Mega. I've had my eye on this frame for a while and I just love the raw look to it, plus it's relatively cheap for a suss frame. It's been out on quite a few rides now, from days out in the Lakes, around the local trail centres and even down the nearby jumps and for the most part feels pretty good.

Here's a picture of it looking pretty in the Lakes

Special build

Since i've been using the train and bike to commute to work I decided to set up a simple cheap 'work bike'. I already have quite a few spare components so it didn't take much to build up a second bike.

The frame is an old specialized p2 bought from a friend, and since it was looking a little ratty I decided I would strip off the paint and just leave the raw aluminium to shine through. I also bought a brake from another friend and most other bits were either already available or sourced for free off friends (cheers Rob for the forks).

I now use this to get to and from work, the paint stripping is still a work in progress but it's slowly getting there and looking ok so far.

The original brown paint job

Built up and roughly stripped

After a little wirewool polish

Mud after work

Went out after work, it was a little wet and muddy but good fun. Mainly went out to test wear the new dude shoes 5.10 freerider's, felt pretty good, much stiffer than the old skate shoes.

Fun in the Peaks

This weekend I took a trip out to the Peak District, the main reason for this was so a friend and I could try out the new Cotic Rocket since we're both cotic bfe owners it was good to meet the guys behind the brand, Cy and Paul, and ride their new bike while sampling some of their trails.

The demo trail was a short loop right next to cotic headquarters, a fairly mellow pedal uphill let us wake up the legs and see how the bike pedalled before being directed down a short, loose and slippy singletrack that tested the bikes suspension and a little of our skill. One more pedal uphill and one more final down led us back to the warehouse and the end of the loop. We actually did this loop twice as we had booked on two of the demo rides, this allowed us to try out both small and medium Rockets to see what frame size felt better. I'm still unsure on what size felt best for me but I very much enjoyed riding this bike, the smaller of the two just wanted to play, it was very poppy and maneuverable and a blast to ride. Thanks to Cy and Paul for such a great day and making such fun frames.

 

We also visited the very nice chaps at 18bikes who gave us some ideas of where to head the next day and gave us inspiration for the photo below (as well as a tasty creme egg). We roughed it in the van that night so we could be up early to hit the trails the following morning, good thing we did too as the car park got very full very quickly. (note: you're only allowed to spend one overnighter in a vehicle in this area, as told to us by the local ranger for the area).

After a bacon and egg butty we headed up Stanage Edge to find the descent we have been shown. This was only a short two mile route but the down was great fun, we then headed off to Ladybower Reservoir as it looked like there was some fun trails in that area. We had an idea of a route from some map scanning and while out we were told of some fun down's we could also do. It was about a 12 mile route in total and really good fun, technical but not impossible climbs with some great downs worthy of the good ol' lakes. Had a mint time in the Peaks and will definitely visit again as there is still so much more to discover.

Cheeky Trail fun

Since I awoke to a lovely sunny morning I thought it only right to go out on the bike, after a quick fork service I took off to the Lakes for a fun bit of trail i've not done in a few years. I won't say where it is as it's a bit cheeky but some folk will be able to work it out from the pictures (extra pics here).