Sam Hill’s move to CRC-Nukeproof late last year left the world’s keyboard-botherers in a state of shock. What the hell was the Aussie downhill star thinking, swapping a proven superbike, the Specialized Carbon Demo 8, for an alloy rig that had only seen action under a few up-and-coming Brits and perma-injured Finnish racer Matti Lehikoinen?
Well, not only does Sam’s new ride – the 2013 Nukeproof Pulse – look pretty darn sweet in the new team-issue colours unveiled today but he’s been putting it to good use, winning all three rounds of the Australian Gravity Cup. We can’t wait to see what he does on the World Cup circuit this season!
The bike seen here isn’t actually Sam’s – as a member of SRAM’s elite BlackBox development programme, his ride will be dripping with mum’s-the-word prototype kit. It’s his teammates Matt Simmonds and Joe Smith who’ll have to console themselves with the top-end bits seen here! The rear shock will also be upgraded to the new RockShox Vivid R2C when it arrives.
Check out the photos below – you can find more on the CRC Hub – then turn the page to see Sam in action at round 3 of the Gravity Cup series, along with a full spec list. You can read more about the bike itself in our launch article. Thanks to Chain Reaction Cycles for all the pictures.
Page 1: Photos
Page 2: Video and spec