Anyone who wants to start mountain biking is faced with a crucial question: How much does a good mountain bike cost? We answer this question in the Buying advice in this article. Because where the fun begins is just one question. Where it leads is another. We show three exciting mountain bike variations with unsprung rear suspension.
The new Orbea Laufey - versatile and comfortable
With the new Laufey, Orbea is focussing on comfort and riding fun. The low standover height, the short stem, the wide handlebars, the generous suspension travel (140 mm) and the 29-inch wheels should give the hardtail a smooth ride without losing manoeuvrability.
For a fair price of between 1299 and 1999 euros, Orbea has succeeded in creating an all-rounder with the Laufey, which can either accompany beginners on their first mountain bike experiences or even support advanced riders off-road.
The hydroformed aluminium frame designed for rigidity, the mount for an ISCG chain guide and the 148 mm boost rear triangle: the Orbea trail hardtail is designed for real off-road use and does not shy away from the first jumps. Orbea has developed a new geometry for the new Laufey. The higher reach, steeper head and seat angles and longer chainstays are intended to combine comfort, versatility and fun on the Laufey.
With the MyOLite programme, Orbea offers the possibility to equip your bike as you wish. Various forks, brakes, seat posts, handlebars and saddles are available for this purpose. This means that the hardtail can be tuned as desired and precisely adapted to any riding style.
Mullet Cycles Honeymaker Ti - the right mix
"Symmetrical wheels are outdated" is the philosophy of Mullet Cycles. The American manufacturer has specialised in bikes with different wheel diameters. The background to this is that cross bikes are also ridden with different wheels - large at the front, smaller at the rear - in order to function optimally over the widest possible speed range and on a wide variety of surfaces.
Mountain bikes with the so-called MX mix (MX: motocross) are also occasionally available from other manufacturers, but they were ultimately only able to establish themselves with E-MTBs. Mullet Cycles only offers bikes with the MX wheel mix out of conviction.
A titanium frame was developed for this purpose, which is specially adapted to two different wheel sizes. A 29-inch wheel runs at the front and a 27.5-inch wheel at the rear. The advantage of the mix: the Honeymaker Ti can utilise the advantages of both wheel sizes
According to the manufacturer, the hardtail remains easy to control even at high speeds, but does not lose manoeuvrability even at low speeds. The smaller rear wheel ensures agile handling, while the larger front wheel rolls over obstacles more easily. Thanks to this and the 140-millimetre suspension, even rapid descents in exposed terrain are a honey-sweet pleasure.
Incidentally, the geometry specifications from Mullet Cycles are the same for all frame sizes, regardless of whether frame size S, M or L (with free transmission):
- HT Angle: 0-60 mph (steering angle: up to almost 100 km/h)
- ST Angle: Your knees will thank you. (Seat angle: Your knees will thank you.)
- BB Height: What Rock Garden (Bottom bracket height: Which rock garden?)
- CS Length: Whip it good (chainstay length: Whip it good)
- TT Length: Ergonomically Correct (top tube length: ergonomically correct)
- HT Length: Beer Can (head tube length: beer can)
The Honeymaker Ti is available as a frame set, as a rolling chassis or as a complete bike. Prices are between 2000 and 5000 US dollars.
The Why Cycles Wayward V2 - bikepacking in comfort
Long rides or multi-day tours? No problem! With the Why Cycles Wayward V.2, you can go anywhere. The 29-plus hardtail from America is designed for stability and long-distance comfort. The geometry of the titanium frame is characterised by a bottom bracket lowered by 70 and a variable chainstay length of 435 to 450 millimetres at the dropout. The other key geometric data: seat tube 460, reach 465, stack 656 millimetres (size L), seat and steering angle are the same for all frame sizes at 67 and 73 degrees respectively.
With 120 millimetres of travel as standard, the bike is ideally equipped to have fun even on exposed trails. The filigree titanium fork is supplied as an option by our friend and titanium welder Sean Burns from Oddity Cycles. Although the truss construction also provides a little suspension, it is first and foremost like the frame: literally built to last.
However, according to the manufacturer, the very large frame bags popular in the bikepacking scene have to be dispensed with. Instead, there are numerous attachment points on the down tube and top tube where all kinds of luggage can be stored.
The bare titanium frame is available for 2449 USD, the frame and 120-millimetre suspension fork set starts at 3049 USD, and the complete bike with SRAM equipment is available from 4799 USD.
Our tip for mountain bike beginners
A hardtail costing between 1100 and 1700 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 sporty entry-level mountain bikes anyone who wants to give mountain biking a try will be happy. We also give you a Guide with tips and explanations to prepare you for your first bike purchase.
