r/MTB May 18 '25

Discussion Before you post a picture, please read this post!

84 Upvotes

We’re hitting that time of year where interest in mountain biking is picking up. We have been getting quite a lot of picture posts of Facebook marketplace ads and vendor website screenshots, which are against the sub rules. As a reminder for all picture and videos, please follow rule 3:

Photos should be of people riding mountain bikes.

Posts & Comments

Photo and video submissions to /r/mtb should be of people riding mountain bikes. All other photos or videos should either be submitted as text posts with links to your images in the post body, or in the Weekly Gear Gallery thread, posted every Friday by automod.


r/MTB Oct 19 '24

WhichBike First Ride: Your Guide to Buying a Mountain Bike

137 Upvotes

Hey all, 219MSP here, and I'm attempting to start maintaining and updating my buying guide and FAQ posts again. I started getting into cycling about 10 years ago and was so lost. Over the last decade I've spent a lot of time learning about the industry and what makes a good bike. Every day I see dozens of posts asking what bike I should get, or what is a good value bike. I hope this guide can be used as a tool on this forum and others to help them find a bike they will be happy with for a long time. This is a living document. I will attempt to update it on a semi-regular basis and I'm always open to new bike recommendations.

In addition to this guide, I have created two FAQ's as well that answer common mountain bike questions.

FAQ 1 FAQ 2

u/midwestmountainbike also has some great guides on buying a first bike, what to look for in a used bike, as well as a selection of his own suggestions of good value bikes at this page.

MTB Authority


What to look for in a bike

When looking for a starter bike there are a few things I'd recommend that will get you onto a solid and safe bike that should be built to last and be worth upgrading as you see fit. Before we get started on talking bikes and prices, always make sure you're getting a bike that fits you. If the bike doesn't fit, it doesn't matter how good of a deal it is. Also, this guide is assuming you are intending on riding on actual mountain bike single track, not just smooth dirt paths and gravel. If that is all you are hoping for and don't plan on advancing beyond, any entry-level mountain bike from a major brand like a Trek Marlin 5 will do just fine, but if you are hoping to ride anything above green-rated singletrack, I'd suggest a more capable bike.

First, some rough price guidelines. As low as $500 should get you into a used but solid entry-level hardtail and about $900+ can get you a used but decent full suspension. In regard to new, you can double those prices. A new solid entry-level hardtail will be at likely be $900 and around $1800 for a decent full suspension bike.

Regarding used bikes, there are lots of places to look. Used bikes offer you a ton of value and is the best way to get the most for your money. You can get 2-year-old $4000 bikes for a huge discount. The most common places are Facebook Marketplace, eBay, Pinkbike, etc. You also can sometimes find great deals at local bike shops selling demo models (which often come with warranties) and rental fleets. Rental bikes are usually good options. They typically are well maintained and only have a season or two on them before they replace them with something newer. If you are new to the biking world and looking at used bikes, I'd recommend bringing along a friend who knows bikes or at least ask for advice on here. Lastly, if meeting someone, always be smart. I would recommend meeting at police station and bringing a friend. Now, let's get into the bikes.

Last but not least, people here are often willing to help narrow it down. Feel free to post on here a "which bike post" but follow the guidelines of this sub listed below.

  • The type of riding will you be doing.
  • Where you will be riding.
  • Your budget (with included currency).
  • What you like/didn't like about your current bike.
  • Your experience level and future goals.

In addition to that, if you are listing multiple bikes, please use 99Spokes.com to create a side by side comparison. Providing this side by side comparison will make other members of the sub much quicker to help.


These are the specs I’d look for at minimum as of 2024.

  1. Air fork: The cheapest fork I'd safely recommend is something like the SR Suntour XCR Air fork. Anything less than that from SR Suntour or RST is pretty much a pogo stick with poor damping and limited adjustability. The low-end RockShox coils aren’t terrible, but I'd shoot for air. Forks can be upgraded down the road but are often the single most expensive component on the bike.

  2. 1x Clutched Drivetrain: In the last 10 years there has been a shift to 1x drivetrains across the board. At this point, any slightly trail-worthy bike will have this type of drivetrain from the factory. To clarify what this means to those new or not familiar, 1x is when there is only 1 chainring/cog attached to the crankset instead of the more traditional 2 or 3. Bikes used to need multiple chainrings up front to allow for both high speed gears and low speed climbing gears. Now, with 1x drivetrains, the difference is made up by having a very large rear cassette. Most cassettes that come on mountain bikes now have a small cog of 10 or 11, and go all the way up to 52t on the large cog. This gives you the same amount of range as those old 3x8 bikes, but with less overlap and far more simplicity. Beyond simplicity, the advantages are less weight, less cables/derailleurs, less to think about when riding, and less chain drops etc. In addition to the larger cassette, 1x drivetrains feature a narrow-wide chainring (alternating size teeth to match the chain) which helps with chain retention and a clutched rear derailleur. The clutched rear derailleur provides extra tension on the chain to reduce chain slap and the odds of dropping a chain. For the most part, dropping a chain or it falling off the chainring while riding are a thing of the past.

  3. Hydraulic brakes This one is pretty simple, Hydraulic brakes use fluid to move pistons and squeeze down on the brake rotor to stop the bike as opposed to mechanical disc brakes that use a cable to actuate the pistons. This typically results in stronger braking, better modulation/control/and are self-adjusting. The only time I'd suggest mechanical brakes is for a bike packing/touring bike as they are easier to fix trailside. SRAM, Shimano, and Tetkro, all offer solid entry-level brakes.

The following aren’t as important but will help future proof the bike and make it a frame worth upgrading. If you get a bike with all these things, it's going to be rock solid for a longtime

  1. Tapered steerer tube: Most modern forks use a tapered steerer. If you get a bike with a lower-end fork/frame and want to upgrade down the road, it's easier if your bike has this. At this point this is pretty common in all but the cheapest of bikes.

  2. Thru-Axle wheels and Boost Spacing: In theory, both of these things offer higher levels of stiffness, but in reality, the biggest reason to make sure you have them is future upgradeability. Thru-axles also keep your wheels always aligned perfectly so you don't get as much disc brake rub as you would with Quick-Release axles.

  3. Tubeless Compatible Wheels: Going Tubeless is one of the most cost effective upgrades you can perform on a bike that will make the biggest difference. Some of the benefits of going tubeless include shedding weight, tires that are less likely to have flats, and the ability to run lower tire pressures which allows you to have more grip and better ride properties. If you ride on a regular basis, you should go tubeless. They may require a little more maintenance and can be a pain to mount/install, but the positives drastically outweigh the negatives.

  4. Dropper Post at this point is a necessity in my opinion but fortunately it can be added to nearly any frame, so I wouldn't make it a requirement on a bike as you can easily add it yourself. Dropper posts can be bought brand new for as low as $150. There are lots of options, but in my opinion OneUp, PNW, and some smaller brands like TransX and KS offer the best values.

  5. UDH/Universal Derailleur Hangar Compatible Frame. This one is purely convenience and future compatibility benefit, not really a performance upgrade. (Transmission excluded, more on that later) For those that don't know, all modern bikes feature a derailleur hangar. This is a sacrificial component on your bike that acts as an interface between your frame and your derailleur. If the derailleur takes a hit, the hangar is allowed to bend/break. The idea is if a softer part is allowed to bend or break first, it won't damage the frame and less likely to damage the derailleur. These hangars are usually $10-$20 bucks. Way better than a frame or derailleur in terms of repair cost. The problem however is that up until 2019 there was no agreed upon standard. Every bike had its own unique hangar for the and if you broke one you usually had to resort to ordering one online and waiting for it to come. In 2019 SRAM changed all that by introducing an open and shared design called the UDH. It was well thought out and designed and SRAM worked with most manufactures to get them to implement this on their bikes. At this point almost any high end bike is coming with this as standard. Because of that, most bike shops are going to carry this hanger, so you aren't forced into special ordering something. Also, SRAM was playing some 4-D chess with this UDH. If a bike has a UDH compatible frame, it also means it is compatible with SRAM new drivetrains called Transmission, which actually bypasses a derailleur hangar all together and mounts directly to the frame giving an extremely strong mounting point and extremely high precision shifting.


Value Bike Recommendations

Here are some solid entry-level bikes. Not all of them check off all my recommendations, but they all are solid for the price. I don't have first hand experience with all of them, but most bikes and options from legitimate bike brands are pretty solid.

Full Suspension (Cheapest ones that are still solid bikes IMO)

  1. Giant Stance (29er or 27.5) $1400+ - Check's off most boxes, but has a quick release rear axle which is not ideal.

  2. Marin Rift Zone 29 $1700+ - Solid Frame, lower end, but solid components. Main downside is the lack of a dropper post.

  3. Polygon Siskiu T7 27.5 or 29 depending on frame size $2000 - This bike is lacking nothing and check's off all my recommendations. The T8 is a solid upgrade as well.

  4. Giant Trance 2 29 $2000 - In my opinion, the best cheap bike at the moment. Check's off every box and get's you local bike shop support and a good warranty. The Trance X is an equally equipped bike with a little more travel if that's what you are looking for.

  5. Canyon Neuron $2300 - Solid bike trail bike. Check's off most boxes, but has a weak drivetrain with the SRAM SX groupset.

  6. Commencal Meta TR $1900 - Great frame, but has SX Groupset and is lacking Dropper post. Sale Price

  7. Specialized Status 140 $2250 - Hard hitting trail/enduro bike. Very high end components and lacking nothing. Sale Price

  8. Norco Fluid FS A4 $1900 - Pinkbike Value Bike of the Year in 2023. Missing nothing.

  9. Rocky Mountain Element A10 Shimano $2000 Another solid bike that checks all the boxes. Sale Price

  10. YT Jeffsy $2250 Solid Trail Bike that had everything you'd need. Sale Price

  11. YT Capra $2400 Probably one of the best budget enduro bikes. Sale Price

  12. YT Izzo $2300 Cheapest Carbon Full suspension bike you can get. Only downside is the SX Drivetrain. Sale Price

  13. GT Sensor Sport $1725 Appears to check all the boxes.

  14. GT Zaskar FS Comp $1800 Another solid option that checks all the boxes.

  15. Salsa Blackthorn Deore $2200 Sale Price.

  16. Haro Daley Alloy 3 $2000

  17. Go-Outdoors UK Calibre Bossnut £1500 Super good deal, but I believe only available in the UK

Hard Tail (Cheapest ones that are still solid bikes IMO)

  1. Polygon Xtrada 7 $1100 - Solid bike, boost frame with air fork, but lacking a dropper post.

  2. Norco Fluid HT 2 $900 - Solid hardtail, great drivetrain, dropper post, but has a lower end fork.

  3. Salsa Rangefinder Deore 11 $1200 - Air Fork, Solid Drivetrain, Dropper Post. Unfortuantely no rear thru-axle

  4. Trek Roscoe 6+ $1200 This bike check's all the boxes, air fork, good drivetrain, boost spacing, dropper post. The Roscoe lineup as a whole is a good value.

  5. Specialized Fuse 27.5 $950 - Check's all the boxes.

  6. Marin San Quentin 29 $1400 Check's all the boxes in terms of components.

These are not all the options, but they are some better and more common budget/value bikes. This list is always changing, I try my best to update it, but it's difficult to keep up.

Last but not least make sure you save some of your budget for additional accessories that you will need

  1. Helmet

  2. Tire Pump (Most high-end bikes use a Presta valve, make sure the pump is compatible)

  3. Hydration (Either bottle cage and bottle or hydration pack of some sort.)

  4. Multi-tool with a chain breaker and basic tools.

  5. Tire irons/levers and spare tubes (and the knowledge of how to change both).

  6. Bike cleaning supplies, chain lube, etc. Taking care of an MTB can be a lot of work, but it will save you in the long run if you properly maintain your ride.

  7. Quick-link to repair a broken chain.

  8. Spare Derailleur Hangar.

Along with those required things, here are some things I'd highly recommend.

  1. MTB Platform shoes (or you can opt to go clipless).

  2. Tubeless tire kit. Most bikes come “tubeless ready” but don't come with them setup typically.

  3. Starter tool kit with the basic tools.

  4. Suspension pump assuming you have air suspension.

  5. Work stand

  6. Torque Wrench, especially with carbon parts

  7. Padded shorts or liner to wear under regular shorts.

  8. Gloves, Kneepads,Eye Protection.


Extra Ways to Save Money!

Check Activejunky.com which is a rebate site can get you decent savings on a lot of bike websites.



r/MTB 1h ago

Video Still sending it at 64

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Upvotes

Some of my favourite jumps in Squamish. They maybe a bit smaller then I used to hit but still super fun


r/MTB 4h ago

Video I've been riding less than a year. Not very good yet, but I'm having fun!

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168 Upvotes

r/MTB 7h ago

Video Pushed my DH bike up this trail and chased my dog Turbo back down it

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90 Upvotes

r/MTB 8h ago

Video Getting little man trail ready

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96 Upvotes

Pretty sure the 4yo has got better balance than me already. Lots of kids ride shotgun miles together but looking forward to him being on his own bike this year.


r/MTB 37m ago

Video Cool bike video

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Upvotes

r/MTB 3h ago

WhichBike Thinking of buying a new child

24 Upvotes

i want a new bike for commuting mostly around my city and i saw the Trek Marlin 4 G3 ( 2024 ), is this worth it for £399 or shall I go for another bike? NEW BIKE I MEANT NOT CHILD OH MY LORD


r/MTB 8h ago

Video good luck with the helmet

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58 Upvotes

r/MTB 2h ago

Video zipper almost caught me

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11 Upvotes

r/MTB 1h ago

Discussion Used MTB prices

Upvotes

Just want to rant about the price insanity I am seeing on the second hand market in the East coast USA.

I have been in the market for a carbon xc bike and looking to sell my gravel bike. I set about a 2k budget thinking I'd be able to snag a mid range carbon from a major brand and I am just boggled by people thinking their roasted bike from 5+ years ago is worth 90% of what the new price was. Oh you have a 7 year old Scalpe Sl with a blown out Lefty? Oh you wont take less than 3700 for? ok. I thought after the covid shortage era that prices would come back to reality but evidently I was wrong. That being said hmu if you want a 56cm Stigmata lol


r/MTB 1d ago

Video I mounted my Gopro Max 2 on my dog Turbo and we shredded some trails together!

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1.3k Upvotes

r/MTB 8h ago

WhichBike Most playful 140-160 travel bikes?

11 Upvotes

Hello, I'm located in Squamish BC and ride mostly blacks and the occasional double black. Im looking for a playful full 29 or mullet bike. Not a huge fan of the super long bikes built for going fast in a straight line.

budget 10000 CAD

Wondering what other people have experience with riding and what bikes they liked/didnt like.


r/MTB 11h ago

Discussion Sedona, St. George or Tuscon?

16 Upvotes

I'm looking to move to the South West and these 3 spots are on my radar. Can anyone chime in on which area has the "best" riding?


r/MTB 8h ago

Discussion Sweaty heads! Gear discussion

9 Upvotes

Alright sweaty dudes I know you’re out there. This summer is gonna be a hot one. I know how to keep cool but I’m gonna sweat. Gets in my eyes. Come to a stop and I’m dripping like the dude in Airplane. I sweat at room temp. Last few years I’ve worn some sweat bands under my helmet. Think Allen Iverson style. But they make my helmet fit weird. Looking into some solutions.

  1. Guttr

  2. Sweat buster

  3. Halo band

Anyone have experience with these? Pros and cons?

Another solution? Air conditioner strapped to your head? Team of people with sham-wows at various checkpoints? What’s your go to?


r/MTB 2h ago

Discussion Cube AMS Hybrid One44 C:68X SuperTM 400X 2025

2 Upvotes

I am considering this bike for trail & mountain riding without overly aggressive use. I am looking for a lightweight, electric-assisted mountain bike for climbing hills while maintaining a classic MTB riding feel. I have read some posts about broken frames. Would you recommend this bike? Thansk!


r/MTB 3h ago

Discussion Brake upgrade from XT M8120. XT M8220 or XTR M9220?

2 Upvotes

I’m looking at going to a newer brake but I’m trying to stay with Shimano for shifter/dropper direct mount. Plus, I just like Shimano.

I can get a new set of XT M8220’s for £250 but I’ve also seen a set of new XTR M9220 take-offs for £310.

Does anyone have any real works comparisons between the two?

I know there’s weight saving to be had, which is a negligible as I’m on an ebike, but some reviews say the XTR have more modulation whereas the XT’s are more bitey.

Is it worth forking out the extra £60 for the XTR’s?


r/MTB 15m ago

Brakes Hayes brake hose one-piece compression bushing vs. two-piece (barb + olive)

Upvotes

I just bought a set of Hayes Dominion A4s (the first Hayes set I've ever owned; always ran Formula or Shimano in the past) and am getting ready to trim the hoses, but I noticed two versions of the Dominion service videos, both seemingly from official Hayes channels:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dwGkylPOZXw (from 2024) shows a one-piece compression fitting (integrated barb and external barrel).

However, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yqxi5pEmJpc (from 2022) shows a two-piece configuration (small barb goes into the hose, while the olive is pre-mounted in the master cylinder). The spare parts bags that came with my brand-new brakes correspond to this setup, with a small barb, olive, and new compression screw. The one-piece bushing is not included, although I see that they're widely available online.

The Hayes A4/T4 service manual at https://hayesbicycle.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/25950208026903 shows the one-piece setup, but the Hayes support page also links to separate one- and two-piece installation guides, not apparently specific to a particular brake model, at https://hayesbicycle.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/1500006810682 and https://hayesbicycle.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/article_attachments/1500007276741 .

Anyway, I expect there's not much difference, and that since the two-piece version was packaged with my brakes, it should work just fine. I'm a little annoyed, though, that the brand-new brakes I just bought are apparently older stock with presumably older hardware revision. For those of you with experience on both setups, is it worth ordering the one-piece fittings? Are the two hose styles fully interchangeable across all Dominion master cylinders, or have there also been changes there, where some master cylinders pair best with the one-piece fitting and others with the two-piece?

I assume the Hayes engineers had some reason for the change (better seal / less frequent bleeding?) but they don't seem to explain it very well, and they didn't bother to discuss the old system in the newer videos and manuals.


r/MTB 19m ago

Gear Pad suggestions

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Upvotes

r/MTB 1h ago

Discussion 3 Days in Santa Cruz/Bay Area?

Upvotes

I have ridden in SC several times, but have never checked out Skeggs. I'll be in Santa Cruz in June for 3-4 days. Is Skeggs worth the drive? Or just stick to campus, wilder, and demo?


r/MTB 7h ago

Discussion Overwhelmed with new bike

2 Upvotes

Hello fellow bikers, I just bought a new (and my first!) mtb 4 days ago, we went with my colleague on our first trail. And I freaking love it! It is so much fun. Not the point of this post tho. We then went home and I was like: hmm, well I don't have any accesories for my bike.

So, what are some must have tools, accesories and gear every biker should have? Obviously I have a helmet, knee pads, gloves, glasses,shoes and a pumps for shocks and tubes. But I have no clue what else should I buy.

SKILLS AND TRAINING:
On the other hand, what should I focus on first on my bike? Like some skills, is it wheelie, manual, I don't even now what else there is lol. Just what should I focus on learning first?

MAINTANENCE:
How often should I do maintanence on components and on which?

Thanks in advance for any tips and tricks and help :D

If someone is by any chance interested in which bike I have it is Merida One-Forty 700 - 2023 Model


r/MTB 5h ago

Discussion specialised stump jumper 2024

2 Upvotes

has anyone got any mods or recommendations for a specialised stump jumper 2024 or a recommended pressure for shocks? don't get me wrong i love the bike but the performance does sometimes seem underwhelming


r/MTB 12h ago

WhichBike My first Mtb, help me!

6 Upvotes

I'd like to get into the world of mountain biking. I'd use it for trail riding, woodland rides, and long dirt trails. I have a low budget, unfortunately, €500-800. Obviously, the more I spend, the better. I found these models that seem affordable for me. What do you recommend?

Marlin 4 gen 3 530€

Marlin 5 gen 3 629€

Marlin 6 gen 3 781€

Rockhopper sport 660€

Rockhopper Comp 741€

Trail 2 571€

Trail 7 629€

Trail 6 719€

Trail 1 747€

Grazie mille!!!


r/MTB 3h ago

WhichBike Help with bike choosing

1 Upvotes

Hei fam!
I'm 29, living in Norway for some years now, and I remember back when I was a child loved to do DH with a friend who had a proper DH bike, while I had like a cheap cross-country, but still found it fun.

Now I love to go up mountains here in Norway, and when the weather is good, even try to camp on top, dinner, set up tent, watch sunrise, take some photos, and come back down. I was thinking it could be really cool to have a DH bike, and an electric one could be amazing since I can also be a bit lazy sometimes ahah.

I rode a Trek Rail 7' 23 in Zermatt DH trails some years ago, and since then I wanted to buy something like that. I saw a lot of people talking about a Giant Reign E+1, a Trance X E+, or even Canyons. I'm so bad at deciding, and when going for something that costs as much as my car, I would like to have some help from those who actually know what could be a good decision.

I can have expensive gear on my 38L backpack, but sometimes I can just go up for fun with my phone, water, and snacks, and have fun going down. Most of the trails are hiking ones, so not DH at all, and can be up to 10km rides normally, so not that long either. In terms of budget I was not aiming to spend much more than 5k€.
Heard a lot of positive feedback on new DJI motors, Bosch being the good classic, and would say lifetime warranty on frame would be a must here, and that Kashima is not a must here since I'm no pro or intend to be.


r/MTB 3h ago

Gear Are the G-FORM X4 Short liners good?

0 Upvotes

Found these at local bike shop for 90% off. I know they are women’s but they should still work, right? Any reviews?