Brand New 2021 Nukeproof Mega Carbon 290 Custom Bike Build

This is my new bike and it has been some months in the making! Availability of parts is one thing but the build has also had to fit in around a busy work schedule, of course our loyal customers have had to come first.

But now it is fully built up, here is a look over of my brand new 2021 Nukeproof Mega enduro bike with details on which parts I have chosen and why along with some of my suspension set up.

So looks pretty cool right?! I am not really one for colour matching each component and bright anodised parts but I quite like the stealth look VS the silver components and spokes. Also the fact the Grey forks kind of match the frame was an unintended bonus as I actually thought the frame would be blue. More on the bike..

The frame is a full carbon Nukeproof Mega in size Large with 29” wheels and 160mm of rear suspension travel. I am 6’2 exactly and according to Nukeproof should actually fit slightly better onto the new XL size that the now do the Mega in. The geometry numbers of this frame however slightly better matched my old frame (an older Nukeproof Mega in large) so I was reluctant to massively upsize when I felt comfortable on the old frame. Yes this is a slight downsize in the grand scheme of things but the way bikes are getting bigger and bigger and most enduro tracks are still quite tight and technical on the whole, I decided a slightly smaller build would be more appropriate especially for the mostly steep and technical riding that I do.

Suspension forks… I have always been a fan of Rockshox Suspension for no particular reason other than I prefer it over Fox and most other brands I have used. The new ZEB for was the obvious choice for me and it is a bit cheaper than the Fox alternative also they look really cool.

This bike is designed to run with a 170mm fork upfront, however I decided to add 10mm and I run the ZEB in 180mm of travel. I have always been a Downhill rider and it pains me a little bit to not own a DH bike so bulking up my enduro bike seems to be the best alternative to me… Perhaps I should have gone for the Nukeproof Giga which has even more travel?? Either way I didn’t and now it is too late.

I am actually yet to take my own geometry readings to see how this longer fork messes with the bike’s numbers but I can confirm it does feel pretty good to ride.

Currently I run 83PSI in the fork with 2 volume spacers and 5 clicks of Low Speed Compression. The fork feels really supple but I have a feeling I will increase the air pressure once I have ridden it on some gnarlier tracks as I think it will ‘dive’ too much in steep turns etc.

While we are on the topic of suspension here is a bit about my rear shock… I run the Rockshox Super Deluxe Ultimate with the Megneg Aircan Upgrade. This shock has been taken from my old bike because I loved it so much so it is actually a year old now. I have serviced and fully rebuilt it for this bike and only slightly changed the settings from the previous bike.

I weigh 82KG and run the shock with 213PSI which runs at around 27% sag on this frame. I run the Megneg air can which allows you to further tune the negative spring of the shock, basically this means you can fine tune how the shock progresses through its travel to get it to feel nice and supple at the start of its movement, a little bit like a coil shock. I currently run 2 bands in the Megneg air can and I do not run any volume reduction spacers in the shock along with 4 clicks of low speed compression.

Drivetrain… The seemingly life long debate for any cyclist of which is better, SRAM or Shimano? Well I can’t really answer that but I can say I personally prefer SRAM as it looks better and in my opinion works better all be it this is up for debate in the long term.

I run a 12speed Eagle set up with a SRAM GX rear mech (which may change very soon to the wireless upgrade) an X01 Cassette and XX1 chain in black. EDIT - I can confirm I have now upgraded to the GX AXS mech and shifter! As you can see I have upgraded the jockey wheels to aluminium wheels along with a matchy matchy Silver Unite Components 32t front chainring. I also use a Unite Components chain device to keep weight down and secure the chain on bumpy trails.

While these bars don’t really match anything else on the bike, If you get Renthal handlebars you have to get them in the classic gold colour way! I am not a fan of carbon, believe it or not, so I choose Renthal 35mm clamp Fatbars with a 30mm rise and cut to 770mm. These are paired with a 50mm Renthal Apex stem to increase the reach that bit more.

The brakes were a slightly tougher decision between SRAM and Shimano. I really like both and power wise there is not really a lot in it. In the end I went for Shimano XTR brakes simply because I already had some matching Shimano XT rotors in 203mm. I have also become quite used the feel of Shimano brake levers which to me is the most important thing. I think that once you get used to how a brake works and feels it will perform better for you than something else even if on paper the other brakes are better… If that makes sense?!

I love these wheels! These are hand built DT Swiss 240 Hubs and DT EX471 DH Rims. I have laced the wheels with silver Sapim Race spokes because I have always had the best results with Sapim and I just think silver spokes look better! The rear is a 32h 3 cross while the front wheel is 28h. Again using a 3 cross pattern but 4 less spokes. Some say to save weight but this may also be because the 32h front hub was not available for ages!

As I previously said, I am not the biggest fan of carbon, so I prefer a tough aluminium rim that is easily replaceable should the worst happen. I run these with Michelin DH22 tires 24psi front and 27psi rear. They are really heavy and draggy but I love the compound, they seem to grip well in all conditions and they also have a really tough sidewall so no cuts or flats so far! They are of course set up tubeless.

Finally the dropper. Probably the least flashy bit of kit on the whole bike, a Brand X Ascend 200mm cable actuated dropper seat post. While relatively cheap and cheerful, I have always chosen the Brand X post. This is because you more than get your moneys worth. It is not an over engineered design like many others and very easily serviced. I have run this exact post for nearly 2 years and it is as good as the day I fitted it all be it with a few new cables along the way.

Thanks for taking the time to read the bike check. If there is anything else you would like to know feel free to drop us a message.

How To Hold a Carbon Bike In a Bike Stand | Bike Hack

There are some horror stories out there of clamping bike frames in a bike stand only to crack or dent the tubing of the frame, effectively killing your bike. I have actually witnessed this happen to a customer’s bike when working in a well known bike shop (no it wasn’t me that did it!).

As bicycles, road bikes in particular, adopt carbon fibre frames and seat posts as standard, in addition to looking so aerodynamic that they look more like spaceships… Clamping the bike via the seat post in a conventional bike stand can prove quite tricky.

Of course a traditional post can be clamped safely in a bike stand, carbon or not, providing care is taken to ensure that there is not too much force applied. But what happens when you want to hold your super aero or carbon fibre frame safely to carry our maintenance without the risk or any damage occurring? We have a very cheap and easy trick to solve this problem and it is as simple a an old set of road bike handle bars with some bar tape applied. You simply clamp the old handle bars in the bike stand positioned so that they form 2 hooks for the bike. The bar tape will protect from any scratches and ensure that you do not risk damaging your bike with the stand.

How To Use A Bicycle Crank Extractor Tool | Simple Maintenance

Ever wondered how to take your cranks off, but you undo the bolt and nothing happens? You need to use a crank extractor! Here is our simple guide showing you how to remove your bicycle cranks using an extractor. Most older road and mountain bikes use cranks like this and a lot of Raceface cranks also use this system.

You Will Need For Removing Your Cranks:

• Crank extractor tool - Ice Toolz make a good, cheap one

• Spanner 15mm

• Allen Keys

• Sometimes a socket is required on older cranks

Firstly remove the crank arm retaining bolt. This is usually an 8mm allen or in some cases a 13 - 14mm socket.

Now inspect inside the crank and spindle. Offer up your tool to ensure that you are pressing against the spindle and not the crank you are trying to remove as this will cause damage to the crank. Notice how my tool has a hardened, shaped end to exactly fit into the crank spindle

Now fully unwind your extractor tool and thread the tool into the crank arm, nipping it up with your spanner. Make sure that the tools is threaded in with sufficient thread or you can risk stripping it out of the crank.

Now start to tighten the tool up to ‘pull’ the crank arm off of the spindle. This will sometimes require a bit of force but if it is extremely stiff it is likely that you have not aligned the tool properly. If so stop there and remove the tool and re evaluate the surface you are pressing against.

You should start to notice the crank moving away from the frame… Success!

How To Service Bike Pedals

Servicing bike pedals is not often something particularly high up on the to do list! This is probably because stiff or crunchy pedals are not as easy to notice as say wheel bearing wear for example. While pedals are built pretty tough, regularly stripping the axle out and re greasing the bushings can dramatically increase the life of your pedals, especially as they are in the brunt of the mud on bike rides this time of year.

Now, not all bicycle pedals are serviceable. Most pedals of any quality usually are though and follow the same, if not a very similar, process to the one we show on the Funn Ripper SPD pedals.

What You Need To Service Your Bike Pedals:

• Socket set

• Allen keys

• Rag & tissues

• Spray oil

• Grease

• Emery paper - Optional

Stripping down your pedals

Firstly remove your pedals from your bike. Remember the left hand (non drive side) pedal has a reverse thread so will loosen when turned clockwise! There is usually an end cap on the outer shell of the pedals, this is to protect from mud. Remove this to expose a smaller nut, pictured here, that holds the axle in to the pedal.

Now holding the axle in place using an 8mm Allen key, undo the smaller nut. Note this nut on the right hand (drive side) pedal may also be reverse thread!

It may be a bit stiff, but with this small nut removed the axle should pull out. As you can see… mine is pretty grim!

Now thoroughly clean out the pedal casing and axle. Spray oil into the pedal and clean by pushing in some tissue or thin cloth.

Now wipe down the pedal axle. You may find some particularly tough grime on the axle like mine in the picture. If this is the case, spray on some oil and rub with a very fine emery paper.

Be careful not to overdo it, simply use the paper to remove the grime, not score the axle!

Now apply grease to the axle and pedal body. I put quite a lot on and any excess is force out the end when you re fit the axle.

Now re fit the axle and tighten the locking nut, again remember the drive side may be reverse thread. Then refit the end cap from the pedal.

Job done! Just got to re fit them to the bike. This is a simple job and it makes a real difference to the resistance of the pedals when spinning on the axles. Some pedals may have slightly different process but generally if they are serviceable pedals it will be very similar to the method described above.

Thanks for reading, feel free to get in contact with any questions.

DIY Bike Cable Clamps & Routing | Quick Fix

This is a bit of a random bike fix but I have found myself in this situation a couple of times throughout my bike mechanic times so thought I would share this simple cable clamp & cable routing repair. Here we have a bike that had absolutely no gear or brake cable guides left in the frame, nor did I have any to replace them with… Perhaps they wobbled loose or were stolen by a previous owner etc. etc. Either way here was my quick fix to get the cables re routed neatly.

While what I have used here isn’t the most aesthetically pleasing fix it gives you the general idea and hopefully some inspiration to create your own cable guide clamps for your bike.

You will need for your cable clamps

• Large penny washer or similar

• Bolts to fit your frame recesses (m4-m5 usually)

• Plastic cable tidys

• Hammer

• Hacksaw

• File

• General workshop tools will be helpful no doubt

• Vice

Making Your Cable Clamps:

Start by cutting off the edges of your penny washer so it is more of a rectangular shape. Then tidy up the cut edges with a file, removing any burs.

Now pinch one rounded side of the washer in a vice and hammer until the edges are kinked. Rotate the washer and do the same to the other side. Again tidy up any sharp edges with a file to avoid any damage to your gear/ brake cables and bike frame.

Now moment of truth! Once you are happy with the shape of your cable guide, get your bolt and carefully thread it into the recessed hole in your bike frame. Align each of the cables appropriately underneath your new cable guide and tighten. Make sure you only pinch the bolt tight and do not crush your brake or gear cables.

Finally you may find it useful to clip on some cable tidys to keep the cables running where you want them. Finally once you are happy take it for a test spin to see if everything stays in place.

As I said earlier this instance was only a very quick fix so isn’t the best looking. With some thought you could use coloured washers of even spray paint to match your bike!

How To Bleed a Shimano Hydraulic Disc Brake

Shimano have made it fairly straight forward and simple when it comes to maintenance and bleeding of their disc brakes. Detailed here are the steps required to fully bleed a Shimano brake, which will be required after a hose replacement for example which we have also previously covered in this blog.

You will need for a Shimano brake bleed:

• Shimano Bleed Kit (supplied with syringe and reservoir pot)

• 7mm Spanner

• Allen Keys

• Brake Cleaner

• Bleed blocks (or something similar to keep the pistons back)

• Tissue

Bleeding Your Brake:

Firstly adjust your brake lever to so that it is horizontal and the bleed port bolt is upright. Also remove the pads incase of any spillage and replace with bleed blocks.

Remove the bleed port bolt on the lever with an allen key, be careful not to loose the rubber o ring off it. Then carefully thread in the Shimano Bleed Reservoir, the threads are plastic so can be easily damaged just be patient and tighten until it bites. Then fill the pot with a small amount of Shimano mineral oil and remove the bung (long stalk in the center). Now fill your syringe with mineral oil and push on your syringe hose to the bleed nipple of the calliper. It’s a good idea to stuff some tissue in around the bleed ports to catch any excess oil.

Once you are happy everything is set up, loosen the bleed nipple of the calliper with your spanner by a few turns. Carefully apply pressure to the syringe and observe oil filling the Shimano pot on the lever. The oil will bubble and may be discoloured, if this is the case keep repeating the process until the oil runs clear into the pot. If you need to refill the syringe, make sure you nip up the bleed nipple before removing.

Once your oil is running clear into the pot, tighten the bleed nipple, remove the syringe and clean up any excess oil at the calliper with brake cleaner and a rag. With the calliper end all secured, cycle the brake lever several times until there are no more air bubbles being produced in the pot. Once you are happy replace the bung and remove the pot again making sure you retain the o ring on the thread. Be fairly swift in replacing the lever bleed port bolt to ensure you don’t leak any oil.

Finally before you put any tools away, its a good idea to replace your pads and rear wheel and cycle the lever are few more times and check the brake is biting where you want it too and that its not spongey. If so then there is still air in the system.

If this is the case fit the pot onto the lever with some oil and again cycle the brake until more air bubbles come out. This should then solve it.

How To Wire In a Front Bottle Dynamo Light

I’ll start by saying I am no electrician! To be honest I often find the whole electronics thing a little bit daunting. But as a bike mechanic it is something Ive had to embrace over the years, what with the progression of electronic shifting etc.

We’ve had a recent refurbishment project of an old Pashley bike that had been left in the rain and the dynamo light, a real classic, was totally perished and corroded. So here’s a very simple guide as to how to fit and wire a new bottle dynamo front road bike light.

You Need For Your Dynamo Fitting:

• Bottle dynamo and compatible light (I bought it as a kit here’s what was included pictured above)

• Wire cutters

• Stanley Knife

• Allen keys or spanners for attachment

Installing your bottle dynamo and light

Firstly its a good idea to test the light works, in this case I bought it new so assumed it would but there’s no harm in testing!

Attach the positive wire from the light to the positive of the battery, in my case there is only one wire already wired to the lamp this is the positive.

Then touch the lamp to the negative terminal of the battery to complete the circuit and hope the bulb lights up! If there is a negative terminal or wire on the light, it’s the same process just using the wire.

Next it is time to fit the light, there is usually some sort of adaptor included with the light that you can get to fit with a few spacers and bolts. Bottle dynamos are designed to run on the tire or rim so will mount to the fork leg, The bike here has mounts dedicated to the dynamo however you can buy mounts that clamp to the fork, It is worth checking your bike before ordering the kit so you know what you’ll need.

Also note the bottle dynamo should be mounted as ‘straight’ as possible to the centre of the hub, this ensures the dynamo is working as efficiently as possible with minimal drag.

Now we have to attach wires! Heres a picture of the dynamo as you can see there is a clear positive terminal, this needs to attach to the positive from the light or the wire already wired into the lamp in my case.

Carefully route the cable down to the dynamo ensuring it is out of harms way and not obstructing any other components.

Now moment of truth… Provided you haven’t used any rubber spacers in the installation process, the circuit will be complete via the metal frame of the bike. Note the additional terminal on my dynamo is for a rear light.

If you have a negative terminal on your front light and dynamo then you will have to connect these up in a similar fashion as the positives in order to get a complete circuit.

While this is a very basic example we hope it inspires and at least gives you the confidence to give the dynamo light a go, it’s a great addition to any bike especially suiting vintage steel frames.

How To Service Cup and Cone Bike Hubs

Cup and cone bearing hubs are found on road bikes, hybrids and mountain bikes. It is more common on modern fairly basic stock wheels however, Shimano use a cup and cone system on all of their hubs.

A decent quality ball bearing or cup and cone hub will last a long time if serviced properly and regularly. Also you may find that as you ride your bike over time your hub needs some re-adjustment to keep your wheels running smoothly but without any annoying wobble!

In this video we show you how to; remove your axle, cone and bearings, properly service the hub and then correctly re adjust the hub tension afterwards.

You need for your cup and cone hub service:

- Grease

- Rag or tissue

- Brake Cleaner

- Cone Spanners

- Magnet

- a Small Pick

- Dish

Icetools make a pretty cool combi style cone spanner set, they aren't the best quality of spanner but good for the infrequent user: https://www.merlincycles.com/icetoolz-cone-spanner-set-44518.html?source=PHG

Trouble Shooting and Tips:

1. On a rear hub it is best practise to start non drive side. This is because you will find it difficult to get a spanner onto the cone on the hubs drive side, it tends to sit inside the free hub body.

2. Most often achieving the correct tension on the cones and bearings is the trickiest part. The idea is to tighten the cone just enough to stop any side to side movement, but also ensure minimal friction between the cone and loose ball bearings so your wheels turns freely. In the video we outline how this is done but bare in mind it does take some practise to get it right.

if you are having any difficulties or just need some further advice do not hesitate to contact us and we will be happy to help… Good Luck