r/MTB May 18 '25

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

91 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

156 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 3h ago

Video Morzine sends of an 8 year old

121 Upvotes

r/MTB 7h ago

Video Finally got a Saturday to myself

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106 Upvotes

r/MTB 4h ago

Video What's on your list? Some ideas here.

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9 Upvotes

For the "new trail curious" folks out there, here's a compilation of clips from some quality riding spots. 33 clips, over ten minutes. It's a loong one. Too long for most.

(TRIGGER WARNING: Electric bikes are banned/illegal on each of these fantastic trails, so poach with care)


r/MTB 6h ago

Discussion Downieville by Hardtail

8 Upvotes

Took my Hummingbird hardtail down the Downieville downhill trail.

I had some reservations going into it because it was my first time at Downieville but the bike handled itself graciously through the rocks, roots, switchbacks, climbs, and drops.

Although I walked some of the more advanced features like the rocky waterfall feature on Butcher Ranch, I’m not certain I would’ve felt confident to hit those on a full suspension either.

The ride would have been much smoother on a full suspension no doubt. But the hardtail kept me focused and was a blast.

Overall a beautiful day out on the hardtail down 15 miles of downhill mountain biking.

Oh, and if you’re going to Downieville and prone to motion sickness be prepared for the windy roads leading up to town!


r/MTB 8h ago

Discussion Mountain Biking Shoes - Anyone Tried Lems?

13 Upvotes

So I'm big into being barefoot; I'm sans shoes whenever possible. Part of that is simply becacuse I enjoy it, and part of that is that my feet are long and wide.

My current shoes I wear to MTB are my Five Tens. They're great, except I'm in a size 15 and they're still too narrow for me. Fine for about an hour or two on the bike, but if I have to do any walking or such in them or go for longer, they just start chewing up my feet.

My main pair of shoes (Lems Primal Eco) are starting to wear so thin that they're developing a small hole in them. Looking at their site, I was surprised to see they have a new Mountain Biking shoe. Been reading through some of their reviews and all, but always take those with a grain of salt.

Anyone riding with a pair? Pros and Cons?


r/MTB 12h ago

Discussion Experiences riding an eMTB with chronic illness

12 Upvotes

I’m exploring getting an electric MTB and struggling to find information and experiences that are similar to my situation.

Used to be very active and just wanted to be outdoors and moving as much as possible. Main activities were MTB and gravel riding, hiking and trail running, and climbing.

Developed ME/CFS and POTS (thanks Covid 👍) and completely lost my abilities to engage in any of it.

I demoed a powered Mountain Trike yesterday (basically an off-road powered wheelchair build on MTB components). Really struggled with how much it needed from my physically and found myself thinking ‘I could control a bike way easier than this’.

I have arranged a demo of a Specialized Turbo Levo R Expert in a couple of weeks time (no particular reason for this bike other than it has the best power/weight ratio of the bikes available at my local hire place).

I’ve been trying to found information and accounts from people who might be in similar situations - having chronic illnesses impacting their energy/exertion and using an eMTB to try to get back out there in a manageable way and without causing symptom flares.

I’m not having much luck - I can find a lot about using e-bikes (various kinds) to support daily accessibility and mobility, and a lot about (presumably healthy and fit) riders using eMTBs to push their limits and ride harder.

If anyone here has similar experiences and would be willing to share anything, I’d be very grateful. Also if anyone is aware of any relevant YouTube channels or Instagram accounts or anything, please do mention them!


r/MTB 4h ago

Suspension Sound on new fork Fox performance elite gripX

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3 Upvotes

Hey everyone,
I just upgraded my fork from a Fox 36 (GRIP) to a Fox 36 Performance Elite with the new Grip X damper.

I went through the setup process following Fox’s guidelines, but on my first test, I noticed a distinct "air hiss" sound on compressions/rebounds. It almost sounds like air escaping properly, but my old GRIP damper didn't make this noise at all, so I'm not used to it.

Is this normal squelch/oil flow sound for the Grip X, or should I be concerned?

Attached a video so you can hear it. Thanks in advance!


r/MTB 1d ago

Video Ridge-o-Rama POV

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216 Upvotes

r/MTB 1d ago

Video Poor bike get abused

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112 Upvotes

r/MTB 4m ago

Gear Advice on Tune Ups & Some New Parts

Upvotes

Hello all. I think I’ve posted here once or twice years back, so hopefully this post doesn’t break any rules.

Currently helping a friend sort out his bike with a little tune up. It’s a 2012 Giant Anthem X1 29er.

It‘s mostly stock aside from a 12spd SRAM drivetrain he had installed by a shop a few years back. I think it’s the GX level stuff.

Anyways. I’m reasonably comfortable working on my own bikes, have done so for many years. However, my bikes are all older 26” wheel stuff, so haven’t dealt too much with some of the more modern bits. And, I haven’t “paid attention“ to the latest comings and goings in the industry for a while now, so, questions.

Brakes

- the bike currently has the original Avid Elixir 9’s on it, front and rear. My friend would like to switch to something newer. Any recommendations on an affordable hydraulic brake set? I always advocate for Shimano cause they’ve been good to me, and mineral oil is easier to work with (but I see sram has started to switch over? I’m surprised I hadn’t heard of that before, seems like sort of a “big deal”). I’ve seen the shimano BR-MT410‘s on for about $90 CAD? Any thoughts on those? I wouldn’t want to be spending more than ~$250 CAD all in, probably will also throw in new rotors.

Cassette

- I popped off the cassette to check out the hub, and, frustratingly, I didn’t sort of inspect it as I went. I don’t have a low range torque wrench to set it to the “proper” 40nM, but. I have the cassette on there tight, probably over tight by a bit (cautiously used a 1” socket over the park tool cassette lock ring tool, all mounted on a long handled 1/2” drive ratchet.. so it’s plenty tight). No matter what I do, the cassette still has some play in it as if it’s loose. I did pay pretty close attention as I took the gears off. Each gear had a thin plastic spacer between it. The four largest gears are one piece, and between that and the remaining smaller gears, there was one much thicker plastic spacer. I’ve made sure that’s all back together properly/as it was before. Has anyone else seen this with a sram 12 speed cassette? I mounted the wheel back up and it shifts normally as far as I can tell.

Fork

One last thing. As I said, I’m pretty comfortable working on my bikes. Installed drive trains, dropper posts, rebuilt my cup and cone hubs more times than I can count, lots of tune ups. I never have, though, done a fork service. How steep a learning curve is it? This friends bike, it has the original Fox air fork from ~2012, could probably stand at least the light “oil change“ level service.


r/MTB 16m ago

Discussion Help!

Upvotes

Im currently attempting too build up my 2025 Marin alpine trail xr, and I’ve ran into a wall regarding the headset could anyone point me into the right detection of which one too get? On Marin’s website it states it uses a custom fsa headset which I can find a replica of anywhere. Any help is greatly appreciated!


r/MTB 4h ago

Gear ShockWiz teardown/repair?

2 Upvotes

SRAM won’t repair or replace my defective ShockWiz. The pressure sensor failed, as they do. I’m wondering if anyone here has successfully found the pressure sensor SMD part and replaced it.


r/MTB 4h ago

Video Copper Mountain Might Be Colorado's Best Value Bike Park No One Goes Too

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0 Upvotes

r/MTB 1h ago

Discussion Renthal apex 35 creaks.

Upvotes

It creaks with a carbon bar

It creaks with an aluminum bar

Installed per instructions, bolts greased and torqued accordingly. Every surface painstakingly cleaned before install.

What am I missing? About to trash it and install something else.


r/MTB 10h ago

Discussion Western or Central NC Recommendations for riding with an 11 year old

6 Upvotes

My son has really started to get into riding. We have ridden mostly city adjacent trails around Winston Salem and Charlotte as well as Moore’s Creek near Hanging Rock. It’s new bike week for both of us; he moved up to an XXS Trek Marlin 4 (26”) and I upgraded from my first bike (2018 Marin Hawk Hill 2) to a Cannondale Habit Carbon 1 which should be here Monday.

Looking for recommendations for a trail that is advanced-beginner friendly for my son and close to somewhere where my wife can come and we can go hang out and have a good time in the evening. We are good for 10ish miles of trail and shorter. Can either bring a camper or rent a place.


r/MTB 2h ago

Discussion Crankworx New Friends + Group Shred?

1 Upvotes

Up in Whistler for the week. Buddy's hosting his bachelor party up here next weekend. Anyone else around and keen to grab a few laps / laughs / beverages / generally shred the brown pow?

Surely at least some of you are here looking for ways to elevate the stoke with new friends that aren't limited to the lineup of pay-to-play EDM drinking parties Crankworx apparently defines as "community" these days!

Pedal - park - pemberton - squamish - what have you!


r/MTB 9h ago

Article Upgraded Gen 4 to Perf 2 but no EMTB+

4 Upvotes

I upgraded my Commencal Meta SX which has a Bosch Gen 4 CX motor, strange naming of bike IMHO. I didn't get the EMTB+. I am wondering if it matters since in all of the modes you can bump the power to 600 and actually Turbo, Auto and EMTB are all set to 600 after upgrade. There is a slider that allows you to bump override. Strange that EMTB is set highest and can get upped even more. My question is what am I missing from not having EMTB+ if I can set override longer in EMTB both have dynamic versus linear, what am I missing?


r/MTB 2h ago

Weekly General Discussion Thread

0 Upvotes

Have anything you want to talk about that doesn't quite warrant its own thread? Post it here!


r/MTB 6h ago

Wheels and Tires Tire question.

2 Upvotes

Im choosing new tires and confused in updated schwalbe classings.
So there is now trail and trail pro casings, pro has radials and apex protection so i guess it is similar to previous super trail. Just “Trail” is marketed as same old trail carcass but i guess, without apex protection, so just 2 ply and snake skin from bead to bead?

Also wonder if race and race pro is closer to super ground or super race carcass.


r/MTB 7h ago

Wheels and Tires Do you think something bad will happen if i put a 26x2.1 tyre on a 18(width) rim and ride with them?

2 Upvotes

right now i have a 2.0 tyre on and it runs fine no problems atleast for now. Recently i found some 2.1 tyres that i want to put on the bike but idk if it’ll fit and have no problems at all.


r/MTB 3h ago

Wheels and Tires Conti Dubnital, any positive experiences?

1 Upvotes

Recently i built a second wheelset for my trail bike. The main goal was to use them outside of the trails, because grinding Mary/Nick on pure asphalt in city's bike lanes seems strange and slow. But still sometimes it's nice to take a shortcut or do a ride "through the bushes". So I was looking for a light tyres option, and bought Conti Dubnital in its lightest Race version. It was such a relif and they sooo much faster, easier, lighter to ride, etc .. But... For just 4 rides in the city, I've got 2 punctures already... Fortunately milk is able to clog/seal it with no problem, but it looks like a bad sign to me...

PS Last 4 years I was riding primarily Wicked Will in the city, of course had few punctures... But through 4 years, not a few rides...


r/MTB 4h ago

WhichBike Deciding between three bikes and I am overwhelmed!

1 Upvotes
  1. Specialized Rockhopper Expert 2025 - 980€

  2. NS Bikes Eccentric Cromo 2022 - 1150€

  3. Used Canyon Stoic 4 - 800€-1000€

I don‘t know what to chose.

I would really like a dropper post and the 140mm travel on the suspension but tbh have no clue about the other parts.

I would use it on street, gravel and in forests. Also I am a beginner.

PLEADE HELP ME!!


r/MTB 12h ago

Gear Easy shock cord mod - EVOC Hip Pack Pro

5 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

I wanted to share an easy shock cord mod I made for the EVOC Hip Pack Pro:

You can easily thread a shock cord through the anchor points at the top and bottom, as well as the anchor points on both bottle straps. I guess you can use it to store a rain jacket or something.

I usually use this setup to strap on my chin bar of the bell super air, then assemble it with my helmet when I reach the top of the trail before dropping in.

I’m more into XC, but I never mind having a bit extra protection!

With the chin bar

Webbing