Can a rider buying a full-suspension mountain bike get durability and peak on-trail performance for under $2,500? Vital MTBers, welcome to the third edition of our budget mountain bike comparison test. “Budget” is a relative word and $2,500 is a ton of money to spend on a bike you have to pedal yourself. Over the years, however, we’ve come to realize that if we want a full-suspension mountain bike that can withstand the rigors of lots of miles on legit trails, this is the price range to be in. Any cheaper and the bikes and their parts just don’t perform or hold up to real riding over time.
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We’re testing new bikes here, but never forget the used market, which can bring a lot of bang for the buck if you know what to look for. Additionally, new bike prices are constantly changing with some big sales and discounts to be found, so keep in mind that the prices reflected in this video may differ from what you find today.
We rounded up 6 full-suspension 29ers in the 130mm to 140mm rear travel range. These are considered trail bikes if you’re unaware of how mountain bikes are classified. A trail bike is made to do a little bit of everything, and hopefully do it pretty well. It has more travel than a cross-country bike and less travel than what’s called an enduro bike. Some of our test bikes are purchased at local bike shops, while the others are ordered directly from the brands online and prices here don’t reflect shipping costs or taxes. Bikes bought from a local shop will be assembled and ready to ride out the door, while direct-to-consumer bikes require some assembly upon delivery. All the direct brands we tested provide the necessary assembly tools in the packaging like hex wrenches and shock pumps.
Every bike in our test has 29-inch wheels, hydraulic disc brakes and a 1x drivetrain which means there are 11 or 12 speeds on the rear gear cluster and only one chainring at the cranks. While there are component similarities between the bikes, each model is definitely its own machine with unique fit and riding characteristics.
This year, for good measure, we threw in a Specialized Stumpjumper Comp Alloy which is currently on sale for $3,200. Would $1,000 price bump provide enough performance benefit to make our testers want to ignore the other bikes?
Join us for some fun as we put these bikes to the test near Reno, Nevada, and hopefully, you’ll get some insight about which bike may be best for you.
Video Contents
0:00 - Intro
1:42 - Bike Sizing, Testers, Overview of Test Fleet
3:40 - Bike Weight Challenge
5:18 - Marin Rift Zone 29 2 - $2,299
9:40 - Giant Trance X 29 2 - $2,280
12:39 - Rossignol Mandate Deore 11 - $1,499
16:10 - Polygon Siskiu T8 - $1,999
19:28 - Rocky Mountain Instinct A10 - $2,029
22:17 - Norco Fluid FS A3 - $2,249
25:19 - Would Our Testers Spend $1,000 More on a Nicer Stumpjumper?
We had a blast testing these wallet-friendly mountain bikes, and we hope that you’ve learned which bike may be best for you. Whether you’re spending $2,000 or $200 dollars on a bike, it’s all about the ride and all we want is that you get out on the trails and experience the joy a bike can bring. If you have any questions or comments, let us know down below and we’ll see you on the trails!
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1 июн 2024
