FIRST LOOK – NUKEPROOF’S ALL-NEW MEGAWATT

Hot on the heels of the SRAM Eagle Powertrain launch, Nukeproof has launched their all-new carbon-framed Megawatt E-bike. Over two years of development, Nukeproof worked with SRAM to design the new Megawatt Carbon around the Eagle Powertrain system into what they claim is a tailor-made and cohesive E-bike package.

The carbon-framed E-enduro sled is built around a mixed-wheel setup, with 170mm of rear-wheel travel paired with a 170mm fork, and is now available in 5 sizes (S-XXL) and two build kits. From the previous version of the Megawatt, the new carbon version sees a slight increase in the seat tube angle to 77.5 degrees on sizes SM and MD and 78 degrees on sizes LG through XXL, which Nukeproof says was done to optimize weight distribution while in the saddle. With the steeper seat tube angle comes longer reach numbers, starting at 435mm on the size SM and growing in 20mm increments to 515mm on the XXL. New to this bike is a new storage compartment under the motor cover to house spares and trailside essentials, as well as improved internal cable routing that enters the frame in the head tube (and thankfully not the headset).

As we stated above, the new Megawatt is powered exclusively and was built around the SRAM Eagle Powertrain system and features their all-new Auto Shift and Coast Shift functions. This makes for a clean and tidy cockpit, with all shifting, seatpost, and motor duties handled by the two AXS pods. The drive unit puts out 90Nm of torque and is paired with a 720Wh battery, with a claimed total bike weight of 53lbs for the RS build kit and 53.6lbs for the Pro build kit.

Chainstay length remains a constant 447mm across all 5 sizes, and the head tube angle was slackened out to 63.5 degrees. The leverage ratio was bumped up slightly to a 24% progression (compared to 22% on the previous model), resulting in increased beginning and mid-stroke suppleness, and anti-squat numbers have also increased to 102% at sag to help with pedaling efficiency.

There are two build kits available, the RS and PRO, both fitted with RockShox suspension, SRAM Transmission drivetrains, and wireless AXS seat posts. The RS model will be available at the beginning of October, with the PRO model arriving by the end of the same month. All of the details can be found on the Nukeproof website!

Check out our other coverage of Nukeproof products here!

Be on the lookout for our full-length review of the new Megawatt Carbon!