Nukeproof
Giga 290 Factory
Large
Kraken Blue

Purchasing Steps from BikeCo.com (The Bike Company)

Place Your Deposit
Our team will contact you to go over common questions including common part swaps / upgrades, tuning considerations, initial setup requirements, etc.
Your bike will be built and setup for you including delivery documentation to help you better understand and fine tune the bike’s performance.

Remainder of balance is due at pickup or prior to shipment.
Delivery consultation on-site or available by phone / video conference goes over FAQ on a new MTB or eMTB highlighting common questions on suspension setup, bedding brakes, bolt checks, cockpit and seating fit, etc.
Our team will follow up several times after delivery to help you better understand minute adjustments. And of course we’re always available by phone, email or chat!

Availability Definitions:

IN-STOCK and Available Now!
Typically ready for pickup or shipment within 2-4 business days.
Custom components may change this window (we will advise).

AVAILABLE: Secure this Bike
Shows in-stock at the vendor (stock updated as often as possible).
Order is processed & shipped to BikeCo (typically 3-7 working days), built by BikeCo (usually on the day the product lands at BikeCo) for pickup or shipment.

PRE-ORDER: Due 1st week of XXX
Part of a inbound BikeCo order or shows available in this time window.
May be later or earlier than predicted depending on product availability.
Bike is due at vendor, will be quality checked, processed and shipped. (typically 3-14 business days) Built by BikeCo for delivery.

When you buy a bike from BikeCo.com you’re not getting simply a forwarded box.

Our team goes through quality control checks, builds, tunes and provides a base setup for each bike. This allows us a better chance to find the rare mechanical warranty issue, to ensure that the linkage and bearings are properly setup.

A suspension setup guide is provided and our team will begin working with you to ensure as your riding develops with your new bike suspension settings, cockpit setup, tire pressures, etc are addressed to keep you progressing.

Since we build every bike we can also offer part swaps and upgrades our competition simply cannot!

Looking for different tires? Brakes? Cockpit or Seating? Not a problem. Our team is happy to help you. Chat with our sales team about during and after purchase incentives on riding gear and accessories as well!

Your new bike typically will arrive with an absolute minimum of work required to get you on the trails. Usually this involves installing the handlebars, adjusting the headset and mounting the front and rear wheel. It’s that easy – and if you have questions you have access to the sales team and a variety of videos from BikeCo.com to help you.

Questions? No problem. Hit us up.

Giga 290 Fork Travel Options

Stock from Nukeproof: 180mm

The Nukeproof Giga 290 is spec’d with a 180mm fork from the factory.  This provides the 63.5 degree headtube angle across all sizes from Small – XX-Large.

Air Spring & Volume Spacers

The FOX 38 provides riders a range of setup options using air spring as well as volume spacers.

Suggested sag is 15% for a firm feel and 20% for a plush fork. On the stock 170mm setup 15% equals 25.5mm of sag. 20% will use 34mm of sag.

Volume Spacers

The 170mm FOX 38 is factory spec’d with 2 volume spacers (bike manufacturers may or may not change this). The 170mm fork can carry a maximum of 5 volume spacers.

Do not install more volume spacers than the FOX advises. Installing more than the maximum volume spacers will result in  product damage and potential for injuries, etc.

Learn more about the FOX 38 on FOX’s Tuning Guide Here (opens in new tab)

FOX 38 GRIP2 Rebound Controls

The GRIP2 damper provides both Low (LSR) and High (HSR) rebound controls.

The addition of the High Speed or HSR control provides increased rebound control to account for the higher PSI produced by aggressive or heavier riders.

Typically riders will adjust LSR, Low Speed Rebound, to suit riding style and taste and refer to FOX’s guide for the appropriate HSR, High Speed Rebound, pairing.

FOX GRIP2 Compression Controls

The FOX GRIP2 damper provides Low and High speed compression controls to fine tune support.

Compression circuits hydraulically damp (or slow) the fork’s input assisting the air spring in providing appropriate mid-stroke and bottom out feel.

Low Speed Compression helps provide mid-stroke support. This allows a bike to ride taller in the travel in cornering while resisting brake dive, rider weight shift and other slow shaft speed inputs.

High Speed Compression works to fine tune bottom out feel as well as other high shaft speed inputs also known as square edge bumps. Example: if you sprint straight into a curb you’re likely to engage the High Speed Compression even if you’re not using full travel. This is due to the speed of the shaft moving oil to compensate for the hit.

Air Spring & Volume Spacers

The Nukeproof Giga 290 uses a 205x60mm shock.

The spec’d Fox Float Factory X2 is the most popular based on its wide variety of setup options.

SAG is adjusted by PSI – typically Enduro riding styles gravitate to 25-30% sag. This would measure about 18.75mm for a plush setup.

Volume Spacers

Volume spacing provides fine tuning options to support the air spring.

By adding volume spacers, thus reducing the volume, you increase the air spring’s ramp rate for improved bottom out support and pop.

Conversely removing volume spacers produces a more linear feel as the air has more volume during shock compression per mm of travel.

Do not install more volume spacers than the FOX advises. Installing more than the maximum volume spacers will result in  product damage and potential for injuries, etc.

Learn more about the FOX Float X2 with the FOX Tuning Guide Here (opens in new tab)

FOX FLOAT X2 Rebound Controls

The X2 rear shock provides both Low (LSR) and High (HSR) rebound controls.

The addition of the High Speed or HSR control provides increased rebound control to account for the higher PSI produced by aggressive or heavier riders.

Typically riders will adjust LSR, Low Speed Rebound, to suit riding style and taste and refer to FOX’s guide for the appropriate HSR, High Speed Rebound, pairing.

Low Speed Rebound is located near the Compression Controls and 2 position switch. High Speed Rebound adjustments are made on the opposite end of the shock near the eyelet.

FOX X2 Compression Controls

The FOX X2 provides Low and High speed compression controls to fine tune support as well as a 2 position OPEN or FIRM switch.

Compression circuits hydraulically damp (or slow) the fork’s input assisting the air spring in providing appropriate mid-stroke and bottom out feel.

Low Speed Compression helps provide mid-stroke support. This allows a bike to ride taller in the travel in cornering while resisting brake dive, rider weight shift and other slow shaft speed inputs.

High Speed Compression works to fine tune bottom out feel as well as other high shaft speed inputs also known as square edge bumps. Example: if you sprint straight into a curb you’re likely to engage the High Speed Compression even if you’re not using full travel. This is due to the speed of the shaft moving oil to compensate for the hit.

The FOX X2 provides 16 clicks of Low Speed Compression adjustment as well as 8 clicks of High Speed Compression controls.

PSI / Spring Rate

MTB suspension must accommodate a wide range of rider weight. To achieve this nearly all forks and rear shocks use an adjustable air spring.

By varying air pressure riders set a desired sag, or percentage of travel that the bike “sits into” under neutral loading.

Modifying this sag percentage will change small bump compliance as well as bottom out characteristics.

Learning how to Pre-Charge your suspension pump will help you make finite adjustments to sag.

Typically 15% sag is for a firm setup and 20% sag is considered plush.

Air Spring Fine Tuning Control(s): Volume Spacers & Compression

Volume Spacers
Air springs ramp rate, sometimes called Spring Rate, is based on how air compresses in the containment cylinder. As the air is compressed the PSI increases according to the decreasing volume of the containment. This is done via non-compressible volume spacers in the air chamber.

Compression.
Hydraulic damping assists air spring providing support in mid-stroke and bottom out.

Opposing Control: Rebound.
Higher spring rate will drive the suspension back to neutral with more force than a lower spring rate. To keep the bike from skipping across trail rebound damping is utilized.

Volume Tuning

As suspension compresses (travel reduces) a piston moves closer to the end of a sealed container. By decreasing the volume of the container the PSI pushing back on the piston is increased.

By adding or removing non-compressible volume spacers riders modify the air spring’s ramp rate which directly changes the amount of support and bottom out feel of the fork or shock.

By removing volume spacers a rider increases the available volume in the suspension. The larger volume compresses less per mm of travel resulting in a lower PSI per mm of travel. This creates less support and is utilizes more travel.

Adding volume spacers decreases the available volume. With less air volume the PSI per mm of travel increases providing more support and greater resistance to bottom out.

Opposing Control: Rebound.
Rebound may need to be adjusted for volume tuning depending on how drastic of a PSI change is being tuned in or out of the suspension.

“Helping” Control: Compression.
Compression provides additional support and bottom out resistance.

Compression

Compression controls provide damping to slow suspension travel as a load is applied and the suspension is compressed. (easy one right?)

When riders have found sag and volume spacing preferences compression controls provide minute adjustments to dial in performance. Adding compression provides more support allowing the suspension to ride taller in its travel which is important when dialing in a bike’s personality in corners, etc.

With too little compression a bike will sit deep in the travel. This compromises cornering and braking force resistance. Headtube angle, bottom bracket height, front to rear weight bias, etc are modified as a bike goes through its travel. Maintaining control of the use of travel is paramount for good performance.

Since compression hydraulically slows the suspension’s use of travel it therefor lowers the air spring’s PSI. Properly setting compression controls will help ease the load on the rebound system by controlling the air spring’s push back onto the rebound circuit.

Too much compression will cause a bike to feel harsh and not use appropriate amounts of travel.

Generally, compression settings are fine tuned after sag and volume spacing have riders “in the ballpark.”

Low speed compression controls mid-stroke as well as support in cornering and against brake dive.

High speed compression helps with bottom out and high shaft speed inputs.

3 positions switches are a type of compression circuit with Open the most plush, Mid providing some additional support and Firm for climbing. If you climb in firm remember to put it back to plush for the downhill or you’re in for a potentially rough ride.

Rebound

Rebound damping controls a suspension’s shaft speed returning to a neutral position. Or, how fast the air spring pushes back as the load changes.

More rebound damping slows the suspension by decreasing the amount of fluid allowed to pass through the hydraulic design.

Less rebound damping allows the suspension to return faster with less hydraulic restriction on the damper.

Rebound setting is based on weight, ground speed, terrain and aggression. Setting the rebound properly means finding the right frequency or feel for your riding.

If your rebound is too fast, or doesn’t have enough clicks of rebound, the bike will tend to skip and suffer poor small bump compliance.

When the rebound is too slow, or you have too many clicks of rebound, the suspension may “pack up” creating a harsh ride as each bump uses progressively more travel forcing the suspension deeper into the travel, which will have higher spring rates.

Opposing: Air Spring PSI / Spring Rate.

“Helping” Control: Low & High Speed Rebound.

Some suspension is designed with 2 rebound circuits. The High Speed Rebound circuit is designed to provide additional control resisting increased PSI late in suspension travel.

Typically High Speed Rebound settings are used as the Low Speed Rebound controls edge towards closed. Example: you might not use any clicks of High Speed Rebound until you reach “X” clicks on the low speed.

Nukeproof Giga 290 Factory Spec:

Frame:
Nukeproof Giga 290 Carbon, 170mm Travel

Fork:
Fox Float 38 Factory Kashima 180mm, 44mm offset, 29”, 110×15

Shock:
Fox Factory Float X2 205x60mm

Wheels:
DT Swiss EX1700 Spline 30

Front Tires:
Maxxis Assegai 29×2.5″ 3C MaxxGrip DD

Rear Tires:
Maxxis Minion DHR II 29×2.4″ MaxxTerra DD

Brakes:
Shimano XT M8120 4 piston

Brake Rotors:
Shimano 203mm Front / 203mm Rear

Cranks:
Shimano XT M8100 170mm, 30t

Chain Guide:
Nukeproof Guide with Bash

Rear Derailleur:
Shimano XT M8100 SGS

Shift Lever:
Shimano XT M8100 12sp

Cassette:
Shimano XT M8100-12 10-51t

Chain:
Shimano XT M8100 12sp

Headset:
Nukeproof

Grips:
Nukeproof Sam Hill Signature

Handlebar:
Nukeproof Horizon V2
M = 25mm Rise 780mm Wide
L/XL/XXL = 25mm Rise 800mm Wide

Stem:
Nukeproof Horizon 45mm

Seatpost:
BikeYoke Divine Stealth with Brand-X Remote
M: 160mm, L-XXL: 185mm

Saddle:
Nukeproof Black

Giga 290 Factory Build Frequent Swaps

Below are some common swaps for the Nukeproof Giga 290 Factory Complete

Giga 290 Factory Build Frequent Swaps

Common swaps:

Brakes: Magura and TRP are the most common changes here. Magura has more modulation while the Shimano come on a bit stronger. Riders who like Modulation may gravitate to the revised Hope 4 options which bring notably more power to the Hope lineup. TRP brakes are gaining traction for riders who like the Shimano feel but may want a touch more modulation from the longer brake lever.

Wheels: Onyx silent hubs, Chris King hubs, and Industry Nine are at home on a build at this level. We work with a range of carbon rims to allow you to fine tune rim width and stiffness as well. Wheels are a BIG part of a bike’s personality so chat with our team to get it right the first time!

Cockpit: If you have a cockpit you like let’s get it on the bike. Or upgrade to a carbon bar or 35mm combination to find tune your build.

Seating: Like cockpit, if you have a saddle or seatpost you love its a common change across all the builds.

SRAM Wireless Shifting: Upgrade to wireless shifting at time of purchase.