Nukeproof Grows Kids' MTB Range with 14" & 16" Cub Scout & Cub Scoot Balance Bike

Nov 20, 2023
by Jessie-May Morgan  
photo
All Nukeproof Cub Scout kids' bikes get a low standover height and a height adjustable seat post

Nukeproof now offers a complete range of mountain bikes for young riders from 90cm tall up to 158cm tall. Joining the 20", 24" and 26" Cub Scout are 14" and 16" versions thereof. And, for the first time, an all-terrain balance bike joins the lineup; the appropriately named Nukeproof Cub Scoot.

While the 20", 24" and 26" Cub Scout come equipped with a suspension fork, the 14" and 16" offerings are entirely rigid. These, and the Cub Scoot, come with miniaturized grips and bars appropriate for the tiny human.

Well aware that any bike ride involving a 2-9 year old may well feature more walking than riding, Nukeproof looked to keep weight sensible while keeping the spec list MTB worthy. High volume, knobby tires are seen across the range, with mechanical disc brakes and super short-reach levers. Even the Cub Scoot balance bike can be equipped with a rear brake, once you're fed up of replacing your child's wrecked shoes (the OG brake).


Nukeproof Cub Scoot Balance Bike

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Small rubber lugs on the long footplates should help with grip
Cub Scoot Details
• Aluminum frame
• 12" wheels
• For riders 90-105cm tall
• Rear brake-ready
• 440mm wide bar
• Tires: Vee Tire Co Crown Gem 2.25"
• Claimed weight: 4.32 kg
• Color Options: Yellow or Red
• £229.99 GBP / 299.99 € / $249.99 USD
• nukeproof.com

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photo


Nukeproof Cub Scout 14" MTB

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Single-speed to keep things simple for the developing rider
Cub Scout 14" Details
• Aluminum frame
• 14" wheels
• For riders 95-110cm tall
• 480mm wide bar
• Tires: Vee Tire Co Crown Gem 2.25"
• Single speed
• Front & Rear Brakes
• Color Options: Yellow or Red
• Claimed weight: 6.69 kg
• £349.99 / 449.99 € / $399.99 USD

photo
Spokey Dokeys not included
photo
Short-reach brake levers and narrow 19mm grip area for small hands


Nukeproof Cub Scout 16" MTB

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The bike of a future world champion?
Cub Scout 16" Details
• Aluminum frame
• 16" wheels
• For riders 105-120cm tall
• 500mm wide bar
• Front & Rear Brakes
• Single speed
• Tires: Vee Tire Co Crown Gem 2.25"
• Color Options: Yellow or Red
• Claimed weight: 7.55 kg
• £399.99 / 499.99€ / $449.99 USD

photo
photo

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The red (faster) one.


Posted In:
Reviews and Tech First Looks Kids Bikes Nukeproof Nukeproof Cub Scout


Author Info:
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Member since Oct 26, 2023
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88 Comments
  • 69 1
 So Nukeproof still exists?
  • 28 1
 They've not been Scalped yet.
  • 27 1
 still a chance of a Mega comeback
  • 17 1
 thought the industry nuked them
  • 17 1
 A pulse has been detected.
  • 5 1
 they are scouting other sectors for bikes. may even end up in wal-mart like iron horse
  • 5 15
flag Breeconay FL (Nov 20, 2023 at 6:01) (Below Threshold)
 They must truly be Nukeproof
  • 13 1
 @Breeconay: come on bree that was a horrible addition to this list of puns
  • 16 0
 @bikegrinch: don’t be an over-Reactor
  • 5 0
 @bikegrinch: I'd have to dissent with you on that one.
  • 3 4
 @Breeconay: another company will snap up the Nukeproof brand if and when the time comes.
  • 12 0
 I’ll be interested in seeing how Nukeproof will Wiggle out of the Chain Reaction caused by the Mega, or even Giga levels of destruction the Covid economic decisions created.
  • 1 1
 I certainly hope they get their warrranty depatrment picked up by someone else or everyone with a cracked frame is going to be rooked
  • 37 0
 I think that Vee Tire support for kid bikes gets mostly unnoticed, but those are the only sensible kid mtb tires for small wheels (excluding the 24 inch DH Maxxis) which are practically available (at least in the EU).
  • 19 0
 that's right, I bought an Early Rider14" mtb for my son and it also comes with the Vee Crown Gem tires. I think these larger tires make a lot of sense for kids bikes even when they don't shred the gnar yet, because they are much more forgiving than skinny tires, and don't get deflected as easily when they roll up a curb for example. And less rolling speed is actually a good thing with a three year old madman
  • 4 0
 The Vee tyres are really cool
  • 3 0
 @hardtailpunter: But can you do the cut spikes version on them?
  • 2 0
 Spawn make a great range of kids MTB tyres too.
  • 2 0
 For 14-20 inch the Vee tyres are pretty good, mummy kids are rolling on Maxxis MaxxDaddy tyres as a sort of intermediate between pavement, BMX/Pumptrack and dirt tracks but the plus sized Vee tyres on their new bikes are much grippier
  • 3 0
 Those little crown gems are great. Also shout out to SDG for making kid-sized lock on grips and nice flat pedals!
  • 3 0
 Yup, but Kenda recently came out with their tubeless 20/24/26" Boosters and Regoliths. Both tires are lighter than the Vee, but Vee started this segment for kids.
  • 1 0
 @bicyclejimm: Most kids bike do not come with tubeless rims anyway...
  • 1 0
 @bicyclejimm: Regolith in 20" sounds like a nice tire for a kids mtb. Had it for a while in "adult size" and it was decent enough
  • 1 0
 @CustardCountry: the MaxxDaddy is a great crossover tire I am running on my 7yo's 20". Perfect for his riding tendencies.
  • 1 0
 It's worth also noting that they do development in the space as well. The Gem is a great trail tire but more aggressive kiddos need some more meat especially on the front. At 24" that may mean you go to Maxxis but Vee spent time developing the Flow Snap which looks like a great option.
  • 1 0
 @Chipster5: they make a kid sized saddle too!
  • 1 0
 @Chipster5: I’ve just taken a pair of 2.6 Crown Gems off my kid’s Vitus 20+ to drop the overall height of the bike by about 30mm (he mainly rides groomed trails and pump tracks so some MaxxDaddys work fine for now).
Apart from being ugly skin walls they seem to be pretty lightweight and made from a decent compound and once he grows a bit they’ll be going back on.
  • 1 0
 @MichiganMachete: yeah, I just picked up a NP Urchin for my daughter’s bike for £15. Seems like a nice little saddle.
  • 29 0
 Huck to flat please.
  • 14 1
 These are awesome, good job Nukeproof!
  • 9 0
 WHAAT no Hope brakes? Outrageous.

…they should talk to Bo…in Joe Barnes’ excellent videos.
  • 1 0
 The brake lever is interesting. They did get the leverblade closer to the bars and also changed the leverage so that they don't need immense finger strength. The flip side is that you will have a good bit of lever throw between not rubbing and adequate brake power. Or at least, it will take some constant tweaking to get it set up just right. I understand you can't have this with an open hydraulic disc brake as you inherently can't have those without a free stroke. And closed hydraulic disc brakes are getting rare (and expensive), even though these would be ideal. Wouldn't a hydraulic rim brake get them a better performance than they'd get from these mechanical disc brakes? I can't see wheels that small go out of true and I can't see a toddler go "hold my beer".
  • 4 0
 @vinay: IMHO disc brakes on any bike smaller than 20" are totally unnecessary. My kid has a 16" steel bike from Cleary that came with cheap Tektro v-brakes and they are rock solid and super powerful. I run similar v-brakes on my 1991 Rockhopper that I ride around on light gravel trails near my house and they are also bombproof for that style of riding, which in all reality is very similar to what a small kid on a small bike is gonna be capable of.
  • 2 0
 @skyroach: until it rains.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: Hope. Adjustable.
  • 1 0
 @vercorin1: You mean to say Hope has an adjustable bite point or that they still have a closed brake system? They only one I know from Hope is the C2 but I think it has been discontinued. Brake Force One has a closed system and there sure may be a few more out there (for the trials people, probably) but it won't be cheap. So yeah as @skyroach mentioned, V-brakes will likely be adequate. Mechanical disc brakes won't get you better performance unless the rims are caked in mud. But if you want the kids to be able to get sufficient braking power with only one or two fingers, hydraulic rim brakes may be the first step from there. I don't quite see how an open hydraulic disc brake with an adjustable bite point is going to help as all adjustment these give you is to delay the bite point. You can't set the bite point earlier than where you'd be able to get it on a brake without such adjustment.
  • 1 0
 @vinay: Hope Tech 3 lever - adjustable bite point (screw 1), adjustable reach (screw 2). Excellent for Groms and Gromettes.
  • 1 0
 @vinay:https://www.mtb-mag.com/en/tested-hope-tech-3-e4-brake-review/

BP screw on the fly adjustment
Reach screw on the fly adjustment
  • 1 0
 @vercorin1: Rode the rockhopper in the rain last week and it was very much able to stop. noisy but still had great brake power!
  • 1 0
 @skyroach: ah…V brakes do work…

Late 80s: cantilevers and U brakes - the ‘Terrifying Era’
Early 90s: handmade cants like Critical Racing and Pauls - the ‘No-so-terrifying but very scary Era’
Mid 90s: XT V brakes with XTR levers - the ‘Much improved but still occasionally mighty scary Era’
Early 2000s: Second gen non experimental hydro discs - the ‘I can actually slow down in the wet on a slope Era’
2000s on: Hope, SRAM, Big S, Formula - ‘the I can stop, anytime, anywhere, Era’

I have driven the Mulsanne Straight in a Renault 4. I’d rather be in a prototype.
  • 1 0
 @skyroach: we have a Hope Academy 16” bike with Tech 2 brakes and a Frog bike with rim brakes in the same size and they are light years better in the wet than the rim brakes.
  • 1 0
 @vercorin1: consider that i'm riding a 1991 fully rigid 26" rockhopper. my rockhopper does not need hydraulic disc brakes because i am not looking to send double black tech trails on this thing. i cruise around town and ride some gravel, singletrack, and some green/blue trails with some small tech. v-brakes are perfectly fine for this application.

my full suspension MTB has 4-piston hydraulic brakes front and rear and i wouldn't ride a full suspension modern MTB without good hydraulic brakes!
  • 8 0
 I can't get over the fact that they didn't name the kid's bike the Nukeproof Half-Life
  • 3 0
 These are pretty comparable to Spawn in price and weight. Although they still manage to be a few lbs heavier probably due to the tires and disc brakes. But still WAY better than the 30-40lb walmart kids bike (why are they so freaking heavy?). Now lets see if Nukeproof makes it...
  • 6 0
 They should be applauded for developing a range of great kids bikes, I am a Nukeproof fan since getting my Scout.
  • 2 0
 Holy crap that is so much money for a 12" kick bike. Just take the cranks off a used kids bike from a garage sale for $25 and put some grippy truck bed liner or tool dip on the chainstays if you're worried about grip but most kids just let their feet hang. Then when they're ready put the crank and chain back on...
  • 1 0
 These look great. It’s brilliant to see so many companies making good bikes for little kids nowadays. My only question is are Nukeproof actually going to have any of these for sale or is there an automated system somewhere just releasing their press releases at preset dates? I’ve just bought a pair of Vitus 20+ bikes for my kids so if CRC/Wiggle can survive and keep releasing these great kids bikes at good prices then I’ll keep buying them
  • 2 0
 Went with Kids Ride Shotgun's Dirt Hero. Same price with better build and Magura brakes. Kiddo couldn't be happier. Also 12"-14" convertible.
  • 2 0
 I'm so happy to see these with reasonable prices. I hate these kids bikes with $1,000+ price tags that make so sense for how they're equipped
  • 6 5
 You have to start them out young with understanding that there's no longer any warranty or product support because their newly purchased bikes company doesn't exist anymore.
  • 4 4
 Those vee tires are heavy. Spawn makes best kids tires.

Also, cable brakes suck for kids, most kids have to use multiple fingers to engage them. Prevelo comes stock with hydros; was a massive upgrade for my little dude.
  • 4 0
 I put Shimano hydros on my kids 20" Trek. It had Tektro mechs on it. Such an excellent upgrade, I was able to adjust the levers super close to the bars too, which is helpful for small hands.
  • 1 0
 They’re quite a bit more expensive here in the UK though.
  • 2 0
 Looks like they're fission for new markets.
  • 1 0
 There’s a bid in to buy Nukeproof?

Actually, they made great profits in 2023. Went over expectations. Per NP Rep.
  • 2 2
 In North America they might have exceeded expectations...

However

"The UK group, which is held under the name Mapil Topco Limited and covers both Wiggle and Chain Reaction Cycles web stores, recorded a loss before tax of £97,041,000 in the year to 30 September 2022. This was a significant increase from the previous year, when it lost £14,555,000. "

www.cyclingweekly.com/news/wiggle-chain-reaction-cycles-records-pound97m-loss-as-brexit-and-pandemic-fallout-hits

www.cyclingnews.com/news/wiggle-enters-administration
  • 4 0
 @tom666: You realise that’s the whole group, but just Nukeproof?

From what such I’ve heard from people in NP, the brand is not loss making and is likely to be bought by one of the bigger players in the industry.

Wiggle will be bought by Halfords, but I think Nukeproof will be sold as a separate entity.
  • 1 0
 *not
  • 1 0
 @Jprestidge: Currently they are being sold as a group I believe.

Where have you seen that they have been split for sale? - It may happen in the future if someone buys the group and decides they don't want Nukeproof etc but doesn't look to be right now.

And its impossible to say if Nukeproof is profitable in reality when it shares many of its business undertakings with CRC / Wiggle / Hotlines, standing alone it may not be as profitable.
  • 1 0
 @justanotherusername: It's a bit like when Tata wanted to buy Land Rover and Ford said yes but only if you buy Jaguar too. Buy the group to get the thing you actually wanted.
  • 2 0
 @somebody-else: the problem here is Mike Ashley or Halfords will want wiggle / crc but won’t want nukeproof, so hopefully if they can sell Np separately rather than turn it into a shopping centre level brand….
  • 3 1
 That Commencal Ramones kids bike tho
  • 1 0
 A selling point is that all the bikes have height-adjustable seat posts, eh?
  • 1 0
 Please don't bring back the clip on spoke bead noise makers for adult bikes....
  • 1 0
 They look cool but pricier than the Commencal Ramones 14 I picked up a while back.
  • 1 0
 A Stryder bike is $90, having one with a Nukeproof sticker on it is $250... SMH
  • 1 0
 For all the dads who need their son to learn to ride because their buddies can't afford bikes anymore
  • 1 0
 Or I mean parents who need their kid to learn to ride because their franz can't afford bikes anymore
  • 1 0
 Doubt wiggle/CRC/nukeproof brand will go, just will be purchased.
  • 4 0
 No doubt Wiggle / CRC will be purchased and Nukeproof alongside it, nobody knows yet if Nukeproof would continue under new ownership though. Maybe it would be packaged and sold up separately, we will have to wait and see.

If mike ashley buys the group - can you really see them keeping Nukeproof going as a product development / engineering team, highly unlikely.
  • 3 0
 @justanotherusername: if Mike Ashley buys it Nukeproof and Vitus will just become another shit Sports Direct brand like Karrimor and No Fear, etc.

It would be nice if someone who gave a shit bought Nukeproof.
  • 1 0
 @CustardCountry: can only hope that if Ashley does buy it they then choose to sell nukeproof on as say to someone who wants to run it as what it is rather than butcher it into a diamondback situation.

Problem is, who has the cash right now?
  • 1 0
 @justanotherusername: I think the dream scenario would be for the guys running Nukeproof now managed to buy it and kept it going themselves as a small bike company. Mike Ashley would ruin NP and just start knocking out Nukeproof BSOs
  • 1 0
 @CustardCountry: That's a dream that ain't likely to ever happen unfortunately, Nukeproof as a business will require fairly deep cash reserves get going again after all of its stock has been liquidated by CRC / Wiggle.

Imagine how much cash you will need to re-order bikes and stock for 2024/25 when you have almost zero incoming cash flow - Difficult to see how things go forward unless someone has millions to throw at the brand.
  • 1 0
 @justanotherusername: I know. That’s why I said it was the dream outcome.
  • 1 0
 @CustardCountry: fantastic.
  • 1 0
 ~3kg weight difference between 14" and 16" ? Mistake or Magic?
  • 1 0
 Gonna need to see some geo charts
  • 2 1
 Is this their last hurrah?
  • 1 0
 Goes to show that bikes don't need any pedals and brakes!
  • 1 0
 A fine line of dirt tools for the well-heeled grom Smile
  • 2 0
 Great naming
  • 1 0
 Finally a properly slack head angle!
  • 2 1
 Grim donut vibes.
  • 1 0
 They look awesome.
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