Dec. 30, 2024
If you're in market for a new MTB, there are loads of budget mountain bike options to choose from. So how do you decide which ones are winners and which are losers. Not just now, but further down the line when you're hooked on trail time and want to upgrade parts or replace bits you've worn out?
Our ultra-experienced bike test editor, Guy Kesteven, reveals the five must-have features you might not think about at first but matter way more than component brands and amount of gears in the long run.
And if you're unsure whether to actually buy a new bike or not, Guy has also written a guide to 6 crucial signs you need a new mountain bike.
A relaxed head tube angle equals a more relaxed steering feel so you can stay confident when things get crazy
(Image credit: GuyKesTV)
If the bike frame isn&#;t a good shape to start with, there&#;s nothing you can do to make it ride confidently so you can have maximum fun. Unfortunately, some cheap mountain bikes just re-use old, outdated frames to save money.
The really important number is the head angle. This is the angle the forks sit in the frame and the smaller that number is the more stable the steering of the bike will feel. For general trail riding, you want a 67-degree head angle or less. Otherwise, the steering will feel really nervous.
A generous reach &#; the horizontal distance from the center of cranks to the fork top &#; also helps stabilize the bike. My baseline numbers are 470mm for a large frame, 450mm for a medium frame and 430mm for a small frame. If you have to size up to get the reach you need, make sure you still have enough space under the saddle to fit a dropper post if you&#;re looking to upgrade to one in future.
Buyer beware...
To be clear here, we&#;re talking about the angles of the frame tubes &#; not the shape of the tubes themselves. They don&#;t really matter in the grand scheme of things, although be aware that big, square tubes will generally give a harder ride than skinny round ones.
Disc brakes offer much more consistent speed control than rim brakes, especially in the wet
(Image credit: GuyKesTV)
Thankfully it&#;s been a long time since I&#;ve tested a mountain bike with brakes that rub on the rims to eventually stop you. That&#;s because disc brakes give much more consistent braking in wet weather or on dirty trails and have become the industry standard. Ideally, you want brakes that use hydraulic fluid as they self-adjust for pad wear, but wire cable-operated disc brakes are still better than rim brakes. For more, see our article on mechanical vs hydraulic disc brakes.
If your budget doesn&#;t stretch that far then at least get a frame and forks that have the attachment points for disc brakes already built in.
Buyer beware...
Check with the shop what sort of replacement brake pads you&#;ll need for your brakes. Most budget brakes share standards with Shimano but some are a special shape which can be hard to find.
Large diameter bolted axles are much more secure and safe than skinny steel 'QR' skewers designed for road bikes in the s
(Image credit: GuyKesTV)
&#;Through-axles&#; that slide through solid ends in the fork and frame are a lot more secure than old road bike style quick release (QR) axles that sit in open slotted fork and frame tips. Ideally, you want them to be &#;Boost&#; standard which means 110mm wide at the front and 148mm wide at the back too. This makes the frame and forks stiffer for more accurate control and makes it much easier to upgrade with better wheels in the future.
Buyer beware...
Even at $1,000, some of the most popular mountain bikes still have QR skewers with a skinny steel rod, not a thicker through-axle. Don&#;t be fooled by &#;standards&#; like &#;Boost 141mm&#; either as they&#;re not a proper Boost fit and still use a QR skewer.
A skinny head tube with a straight rather than tapered fork steerer will make it almost impossible to update to better quality suspension in the future
(Image credit: Rich Owen)
Another future upgrade issue I still see hiding on some four figure price tag mountain bikes are skinny head tubes with skinny straight &#;steerer&#; suspension forks. To be honest, the performance of these forks isn&#;t much worse than other similarly cheap models so you&#;re not losing out much at first. However, all better quality forks and frames use a &#;tapered' steerer with a larger bottom bearing as that design is lighter and stiffer, so you won&#;t be able to upgrade in the future.
Buyer beware...
Speaking of cheap forks, coil-sprung versions can feel great if you&#;re between 70-80kg in weight. However, if you&#;re lighter or heavier than that try and get a fork with an air spring that can be adjusted to your weight or how hard you ride.
Fat 27.5in tires actually make a lot of sense on cheap hardtails with hard riding frames. You might struggle to get replacement tires in the not too distant future though
(Image credit: GuyKesTV)
The final item on my wish list for budget mountain bikes is probably the most controversial one. Unless you&#;re buying an XS frame I&#;d say always go for 29-inch wheels if you can. Partly that&#;s because they roll a bit smoother and easier than 27.5in wheels so your bike will make you feel like a slightly better, fitter rider. You&#;ll generally find 29in wheeled bikes will have more up-to-date geometry too.
However, yet again the main issue is upgrading in the future. That&#;s because decent quality 27.5in wheels and tires &#; particularly front ones &#; are getting increasingly hard to find as most bikes switch to 29in.
Buyer beware...
The big issue with saying that you should always buy a bike with 29in wheels is that some of the best budget mountain bikes available now &#; like the Calibre Line or Jamis Faultline &#; still come with 27.5in wheels. Just to be really awkward, they often come with all the essential features listed above while some 29er bikes don&#;t. So in this case, feel free to ignore me about wheel size, just be sure to buy some spare tires while you still can (and while they&#;re being sold off cheap).
There is an endless list of accessories with which you can adorn your mountain bike, but only some of them will really improve your mountain biking experience.
Whether you&#;re riding downhill or cross-country, there&#;s always tantalising new tech being brought out, promising to save weight, time and maintenance &#; but not all deliver on their claims.
For more information, please visit Future Electric Vehicles.
Here are five must-have accessories, as selected by our mountain bike tech team&#; and five you can definitely do without.
You can listen to their in-depth reasoning in the latest BikeRadar Podcast, but we&#;ve put together the following list for the visual learners among you.
If you have to live with wet, muddy trails in the winter months, mountain bike mudguards are essential.
Fork-mounted mudguards have become a common sight on mountain bikes, especially in the UK. Despite their modest size, they do an excellent job of keeping your body dry and goggles free of mud.
It almost goes without saying, but the longer the guard, the more protection there is because more of the debris from your tyres is intercepted.
Rear mudguards give your bike that canal towpath aesthetic. - Ian Linton / Our MediaLess common are rear mudguards, which provide greater protection from the ground-based elements but are often avoided due to their unappealing appearance.
Waterproof socks are one of the best remedies for cold-weather riding and can add all-season ability to your summer mountain bike shoes.
A membrane in the sock keeps water at bay, while insulation built around it should keep your little piggies toasty warm on even the coldest day.
Barriers on the cuff of a sock stop water seeping in through the top. - George Scott / Immediate MediaThe best waterproof socks will keep your feet warm and dry, while enabling perspiration to escape, avoiding the damping caused by condensation.
Plastic bags worn next to the skin can also work as vapour barriers. - Jack Luke / Our MediaDIY versions can be made with varying success, but our favourite iteration involves slipping your pre-socked tootsies into a plastic bag before pulling your shoes on &#; though we take no blame for any development of Stink Foot.
If you can&#;t tell already, this article comes at the end of a pretty horrendous winter, so wet and cold rides are very much on the top of our tech team's collective mind.
Keeping your extremities warm in the winter can be difficult, but a good pair of winter cycling gloves should keep the chills at bay.
Some days, you can't have enough insulation. - Russell Burton / Our MediaNothing is worse than cold hands when you're out on a ride. With numb hands, braking and changing gear become monumental tasks requiring high levels of mental tenacity.
The best winter cycling gloves will keep you warm, while not limiting your dexterity.
Waterproof gloves, much like waterproof socks, can keep your hands dry on even the wettest days out on the trails.
Scrimping on a multi-tool can be a false economy &#; invest in a good one. - Nick Clark / Our MediaDoing your own maintenance saves a lot of money, but there&#;s a balance to be struck when considering the price of tools.
While it can make sense to buy cheaper tools in the short term, they can sometimes cause more damage than they&#;re worth.
Inaccurate hex keys, for example, can round bolts, not only ruining your components but leaving you pleading with a smug bike mechanic &#; a fate worse than death.
A quality multi-tool can save you a heap of trouble out on the trails. - Alex EvansThe principle of &#;buy cheap, buy twice&#; definitely applies to tools, especially multi-tools, where cost-cutting can leave you with a long walk home.
Quality tools are also more enjoyable to use, making jobs easier and faster, which might make you consider doing more maintenance.
One of the first upgrades to your riding kit should be the shoes you wear.
Skate shoes and walking boots may provide some grip or protection when hitting the trails for the first time, but they are no match for proper mountain bike shoes.
Bike-specific flat shoes are designed to generate the most traction from the pedal interface, with soft rubber soles morphing around pins for added security.
These shoes also have built-in safety features such as reinforced toe boxes and ankle support to avoid injuries associated with mountain biking.
While carbon fibre components promise weight savings, efficiency increases and rust resistance, we think their aluminium counterparts are often just as effective and are a fraction of the cost.
Carbon fibre components can often be too stiff, with handlebars transmitting too much from the trail below, which can add to discomfort on longer rides.
This isn&#;t the case with all carbon handlebars, with manufacturers such as One Up building flex into their bars for added compliance.
The jury is out on whether or not carbon bars are more prone to snapping than aluminium bars, but many riders still fear them because damage is harder to identify.
As with carbon handlebars, carbon wheels aren&#;t something you really need for mountain biking.
There&#;s no doubt they save weight, making them the lust of many cross-country racers, but for trail and enduro riding this is less of a perk.
Carbon mountain bike wheels are much stiffer than alumnium equivalents, resulting in a more direct feel under power, but a harsher ride on rough terrain.
While carbon rims can be made stronger than aluminium rims, when they do fail there's little you can do to fix them.
Pliers can bend aluminium rims back into shape. - Russell Burton / Immediate MediaAluminium, on the other hand, can be bent back into shape, giving you a couple more months of riding before changing the rim.
Tyre inserts theoretically enable you to run lower tyre pressures, while protecting you from pinch punctures.
In reality, there is very little that can be done to avoid pinch punctures if you&#;re not using a gravity-spec sidewall, and inserts can lull you into a false sense of security, leading to you ripping the tyre on janky rocks.
If you have ever installed an insert, you'll also know how difficult it can be to sit the bead once it's in the tyre &#; and imagine dealing with that on the trailside.
Better tyres reduce the need for a tyre insert. - Andy Lloyd / Our MediaThe best way of limiting pinch punctures is by using gravity tyres with strong sidewalls, such as Maxxis&#; Double Down protection.
We&#;re lucky to have access to some of the best clothing on the market, often made from exclusive fabrics with claimed high levels of waterproofing and breathability.
While these clothes may look and feel great, they all end up thrashed after a season of riding, with pedal pins cut into trousers and waterproof jackets delaminating.
If you&#;re going for a pedal in the woods, you might be better off accepting you&#;re going to get wet and dressing to keep warm.
We are torn on waterproof trousers, because riding in a wet chamois brings on a type of early-years nappy nostalgia most would like to forget.
Tracking your rides can be helpful if you&#;re training for an event, or even if you're just curious as to how many miles you&#;ve covered in a year.
But lining up at the top of your local enduro trail as if it is the World Championships isn&#;t necessary, and we think it somewhat kills the vibe of what mountain biking is all about.
You can also end up doxing trails, which builders who have put their own time into making may want to be kept secret.
Contact us to discuss your requirements of Mountain Bikes. Our experienced sales team can help you identify the options that best suit your needs.
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