About

Nuke Proof Industries is the brain child of founder John Muenzenmeyer. He started it started life in 1990 in the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan. As a passionate rider, John’s aim was to create desirable, innovative and reliable solutions to meet the demands of the emerging 90’s mountain bike market. Nuke Proof Industries was pioneering in its design with the use of materials that were exotic at the time such as titanium and carbon fibre. They were best known for stunning high end carbon/aluminium hubs.

Nuke Proof Industries went on to produce titanium frames, carbon fibre handle bars and other innovative components, represented at races by athletes such as James Bethea, a local courier with an appetite for winning with a unique attitude to boot.

After the American bicycle boom of the 90’s, came a dramatic decline in the market and Nuke Proof Industries struggled to continue trading. In 2004 Northern Irish downhill racer and long term admirer of the brand, Michael Cowan, saw the chance to save the brand. He set about acquiring the trademarks with the aim to re-invigorate the iconic brand. A leading and influential mountain bike racer himself, Michael put in place a product development team of experienced and passionate riders.

In 2007, Nukeproof re-launched with a new home in Belfast, Northern Ireland. These were shortly followed by more gravity led products; Titanium Springs, 760mm and 800mm handlebars, which were a rare sight at the time.

The development of Nukeproof frames was conceived with racing in mind. The first bike to launch to the public was our now legendary "Mega". The Mega was developed to take on the famous French endurance race; The Megavalanche. The Mega underwent a 3-year development program to blend the benefits of a short travel trail bike with the descending prowess of a Downhill bike (a category that went on to become "enduro").

Simultaneously, ex Downhill Masters World Champion Nigel Page was assembling a race team to compete in the UCI Downhill World Cup. Nigel chose to work with Nukeproof to develop components to meet the teams’ exacting standards. After years of testing and showcasing our components at the highest level of the sport (standing on the podium at the team’s first race) we took the decision to go all in. At the 2010 Interbike show in Las Vegas, Michael and Nigel decided the time was right to design and race our own bike. This Paved the way for the development of Nukeproof’s first downhill frame: the Scalp.

Nukeproof has a history of supporting numerous teams and athletes to compete around the world including at the highest stages; the UCI Downhill World Cup, Enduro World Series, Crankworx and Red Bull Rampage. Our teams and athletes are integral to the development and testing of all new Nukeproof products including ridewear, components and bikes. Since 2013 Nukeproof has sponsored the iconic 3 times Downhill World Champion and 2017, 2018 & 2019 Enduro World Series Champion Sam Hill (The EWS world titles won abord his Nukeproof Mega, fited with Nukeproof components).

Sam is a key figure in the development of new Nukeproof products. Along with his long-term mechanic Jacy Schumilak, he has developed a signature series of Nukeproof components developed specifically for his exacting requirements. Along with extensive development on the worlds sporting stages, Nukeproof products have gone on to receive some of the highest recognition from the international mountain bike media.

As from 26 February, Nukeproof has joined the portfolio of Belgian Cycling Factory (BCF) alongside Ridley Bikes and Eddy Merckx Bikes. It is BCF’s goal to further build the Nukeproof brand while staying true to its race-winning performance and durable design.

BCF is committed to preserving the Nukeproof legacy, and to write a successful next chapter. This will happen by investing in innovation, and by ensuring that both existing and new riders continue to get the best. It is an exciting new chapter, and we’re looking forward to building the future of Nukeproof together.