Nick Maher is a mountain biker who lives in the French Alps and rides a heck of a lot more than you do. Not only does he ride bikes a lot, but he also enjoys a good old adventure into the high mountains around the area where he lives and further afield.

Nick has recently taken hold of a Nukeproof Mega AM Comp, which he will be taking on a number of adventures over the summer and into autumn. Look out for Nick’s regular reports on where he’s been and how the bike has served him. By the sound of things it’s good on first impressions.

Nukeproof Mega AM Comp long term test

Words: Nick Maher

I feel a little sorry for my long-term test bike, a rather pretty Nukeproof Mega AM Comp.

When it came out of its box it was in front of some of the most cynical bike riders I’ve ever met (including myself I should add…), where every single one of its potential weaknesses was pointed out within seconds, bets were made on the first bits to break and it was bounced on skidded around and fork squished to the limits by all and sundry. It was then allocated to me.

While I fully maintain that I have a wonderfully smooth and calculated riding style, built on over twenty years of experience of all kinds of two wheeled devices and which is generally a joy to behold, I do somehow have a knack for ‘finding weak spots’ on a bike. Guaranteed if there’s one weak link in the component spec on a bike I’ll whack it into something, snap it almost immediately and whinge about it incessantly (sometimes for years…. never talk to me about 2008 Marzocchi 888s unless you‘ve got nothing in your diary for a while).

I live in Samoens in the northern French Alps, in the shadow of Mont Blanc and a stone’s throw from some of the best riding on the planet. Again, why I feel a bit sorry for the Mega, it’s going to get rinsed around here. I’ve only had the thing a few weeks and it’s already been to three countries, dangled off ladders, lifts, buses and cliffs and been subjected to literally tens of thousands of metres of climbing and descending.

In all honesty this is the first time in a while I’ve had a ‘do it all’ bike. I tend to have kept a full-on DH rig and then something for spinning around on, normally from the nineties with ‘18-speed’ written all over it! So it will be interesting to see how the Nukeproof copes with everything I can throw at her around these parts. So far so good.

My other bike is a Nukeproof Scalp: A bike I bought as a stop-gap and never sold because of how much I liked riding it… However, the Scalp has only been out on the hill once since the Mega arrived, so far, so good Mr Nukeproof!

Bike: Nukeproof Mega AM Comp
Price: £2599.99
More information: Nukeproof website

The testing process

Stay tuned for my tales of bike testing woe (or success) as I adventure around the Alps on a summer of voyage. All the while I’ll be giving you the reader an insight into the performance of the bike the capabilities of its components package. If my first experience is anything to go by, we’re in for a good ride.

Next week I’ll be reporting on the Tour du Mont Blanc and I’ll give you a little more insight into the bike’s vitals – just a light bike ride to warm up with then.