The bike world is a little mad at the moment. There are freeride bikes that can pedal, and XC whips that you might want to take to a bike park. Heck, there’s even a $3,000 aluminum Ibis and a boutique long-travel 29er from Giant. By comparison, the 130-millimeter travel, 29-inch wheeled Nukeproof Reactor might seem a bit … boring. Except, of course, that it’s a 130-millimeter travel 29er that feels like it wants to be ridden foot-out flat-out by Sam Hill. But yeah, pretty boring.
The original Reactor was a hardtail with a proprietary linkage fork way back in the ‘90s—certainly a radical bike for the time. Fast forward nearly a quarter-century and you have the new Reactor, which shares the same trail-bike intentions as its namesake but is executed in a very different manner. The new Reactor comes in 27.5- or 29-inch flavors, with 140 millimeters or 130 millimeters of travel, respectively. In both wheel sizes, it has a 65.5-degree head angle and 75.5-degree seat angle in the low (or ‘Rail’) position, and in the XL size tested it’s a whopping 1,271 millimeters long, with 440-millimeter chainstays and a 514-millimeter reach. There’s a bit of a gap down to the large at 480. That’s on a 130-millimeter travel 29er—for reference, the Reactor is almost 10 millimeters longer than a Yeti SB130 in reach, wheelbase and chainstay length. It’s over 20 millimeters longer in the effective toptube as well. It makes you wonder what the heck this bike might be for. It’s longer and slacker than the average trail bike, even edging into enduro-bike territory.
[continued...]
From Bike Mag
Bike Magazine showcases the sport of mountain biking like no other publication. It captures the sport's personalities, trends, and issues with a style all its own. With insightful features, columns and gear reviews coupled with the best photography, Bike is sure to make you want to get outside and ride.
