THE NUKEPROOF DIGGER FACTORY: THE MOUNTAIN BIKER’S GRAVEL BIKE

What even is “gravel”? Some sort of 1990’s love child born of a ménage à trois between a mountain, cyclocross and road bike?

It all started as a (slightly) intoxicated conversation with mountain bike legend Sam Hill. That conversation led to one thing, which led to another thing, and ended up as Nukeproof’s cult-loved take on a gravel/adventure/drop bar bike — the Digger.

The Digger is built as a do-it-all training bike, commuter and all-terrain explorer. It’s designed with the soul of a mountain bike and specced more similarly to a trail rig than your average gravel bike. Downhill-focused geometry, wide bars, a dropper post and a 1x drivetrain all come together to give more confidence on variable terrain and to be more versatile on long adventures.

HOW IT RIDES

The Digger’s 6061-T6 aluminum frame has been completely redesigned with new tube profiles, a 2-degree slacker head tube angle and increased reach. This gives the bike a more mountain bike-like feel and allows for the use of shorter stems, improving rider confidence and giving more control in corners.

We’ve also reengineered the fork using T800 UD carbon fiber, enhancing handling and creating a more responsive and direct ride. The frame will also take a 31.6mm diameter post and can accommodate the insertion depth of longer mountain bike-style droppers.

We put an emphasis on backcountry usability when designing the Digger, including integrated mount points for pannier racks, fenders, fork bags, accessory mounts — you name it. Tire clearance was designed to ensure a 700x45c gravel tire would still have 7mm of clearance for even the filthiest rides, and the new tube profiles make the frame stronger and more reliable. It’s the perfect bike for the most rugged, far-flung backcountry adventures.

THE NUKEPROOF DIGGER FACTORY COMPONENT DETAILS

• Digger carbon fiber fork
• Shimano GRX RX-810 1x11-speed drivetrain
• Shimano GRX 810 disc brakes
• DT Swiss G1800 SPLINE 25 700c tubeless wheels
• Schwalbe G-One BITE 700x45c tires