If you want to start mountain biking, you are faced with a crucial question: How much does a good mountain bike cost? However, it is difficult to find a general answer to this question. How much you have to spend on your first mountain bike depends largely on what you intend to do with it. The days when there was just one bike for all purposes are over. Various types of mountain bike - which differ significantly in terms of suspension travel and range of use - have long since crystallised. So before you can answer the question of price, you need to address another issue:
How much suspension travel does my mountain bike need?
Regardless of how much suspension travel a mountain bike has, the basic idea behind mountain biking is as follows: you want to cycle through nature away from the traffic on a mountain bike. The fresh air should help you to take your mind off things. Cycling keeps your body fit. Those who indulge in the mixture of mental relaxation and physical exertion in nature are rewarded with happiness hormones. This need can already be satisfied with Hardtails - the simplest and most affordable type of mountain bike - be satisfied. Hardtails only have a suspension fork with 100 to 120 millimetres of travel. Compared to fullys, these simple bikes do not have a rear shock and therefore no rear suspension. This makes hardtails cheap, light and reduces maintenance costs. Hardtails that can be ridden on easy terrain are available from around 700 euros. In BIKE 4/2020 we tested hardtails for 1000 to 1500 euros. From the 1000 euro price limit, hardtails become so light that they can even be used for long tours in the Alps, which is why we have dedicated ourselves to this price segment with seven test bikes. A sideways glance at our test shows that cheaper bikes are not only significantly heavier, but also don't stand a chance against mountain bikes from 1000 euros in terms of comfort and off-road capability. Riding off-road is possible, but you won't have much fun off-road with such cheap bikes. The general downside of hardtails is too pronounced in this price range. Downhill, hardtails quickly reach their limits. If you want to flood your veins with adrenalin, you should consider buying a fully.
Mountain bike fully or hardtail: What's the difference?
Mountain bikes with a suspension rear triangle and a suspension fork are called fullys. The complete suspension on both wheels not only increases comfort, but also the possibilities for riding these bikes downhill. Fullys are divided into the following categories:
- Race/marathon fully: 100-110 millimetres of suspension travel at the front and rear
- Trail bike: 120-130 millimetres rear and front suspension travel
- All Mountain: 140-150 millimetres rear and front suspension travel
- Enduro: 160-180 millimetres rear and front suspension travel
The more suspension travel a mountain bike has, the more extreme descents and jumps it can tackle. In addition to the basic idea described for hardtails, race full-suspension bikes are primarily designed to increase comfort on long MTB tours. Trail bikes or all-mountain bikes also tame rougher trails with more suspension travel at the front and rear. They are ideal partners for singletrail tours or Alpine crossings. Enduro MTBs are downhill machines. Uphill, the generous suspension travel and high weight make you sweat, but downhill they crave speed and stimulate the body's own adrenaline production. Depending on what you want to do with the bike, the price of the entry-level bikes also changes. A detailed description with specific price and weight details of the individual categories can be found here.
In addition, we have a exemplary comparison test with the most favourable representatives of all MTB categories here.
Our tip for mountain bike beginners
We know from experience: Mountain bike beginners are the technical termsand the various mountain bike categories. Who knows whether a 29-inch bike with 130 millimetres or a 27.5-inch bike with 150 millimetres of suspension travel is the right bike for them if they have never ridden a mountain bike before? And beginners have another need: before you fully identify with the sport, you don't want to spend huge sums of money on a mountain bike. A simple hardtail costing between 1,000 and 1,500 euros is usually enough to venture into easy terrain for the first time and experience the feeling of the wind in nature. With one of the tested bikes from BIKE issue 4/2020 anyone who wants to give mountain biking a try will be happy. What's more, the test is embedded in a whole themed section for beginners. With this magazine, you'll be equally prepared for your first bike purchase as you are for the upcoming spring. So off to the newsagent, or order/read BIKE 4/2020 online here.
The entire themed special "Einfach biken" from BIKE 4/2020 is available as a PDF for 3.99 euros in the download area below.
Why not free of charge? Because quality journalism has a price. In return, we guarantee independence and objectivity. This applies in particular to the tests in BIKE. We don't pay for them, but the opposite is the case: we charge for them, hundreds of thousands of euros every year.
You can find this article in BIKE 4/2020. You can read the entire digital edition in the BIKE app (iTunes and Google Play) or the print edition in the DK shop reorder - while stocks last:
