The benefits of a wider tire include increased stability, greater trail comfort, and traction. Specialized wants you to think again. 29er Some cross over like Ghost’s Slamr, but you’ll need to stretch the budget slightly to the $2,100 Giant’s Trance 3 (140mm rear and 150mm front) to get a proper build. Most of the bikes are specced with SRAM’s mid-tier groupset such as the NX or SX Eagle. This lightens the load of this bike. If you want a lightweight bike to ride year-round, then the Wo probably isn’t for you. Just look at its geometry. For $1,599, you get a trail-worthy fat bike that’s ready to tackle snow, sand, or mud. Top 5 Full Suspension Mountain Bikes Under $2000. When held up against the competition, the RockShox Judy Silver fork doesn’t feel as plush, the entry-level Shimano hydraulic disc brakes don’t offer as much bite, and the WTB Ranger tires prioritize fast rolling over all-out grip. Just remember to use tire sealants for the tubeless setup! Designing and building a rear suspension is a very complex, lengthy, and expensive process—not to mention the cost of the shock itself. On the trail, the Cujo is thoroughly modern and pretty quick—2.8-inch tires smooth out small bumps while providing a surprising amount of traction. If you’d like to take it one step further, dive into the geometry chart, which shows frame dimensions for each size and can help you fine-tune your search. On the other hand, the Timberjack is more versatile and can pull double-duty for bikepacking. The best 5 mountain bikes under $2000. Lucky for you, bikes in this price range have made giant leaps in fun factor, capability and reliability in the past couple years. One of the very common questions I get is. And with nationwide access to REI stores and bike shops, it also comes with an extra degree of security in case of any issues.See the Co-op Cycles DRT 2.2. You have full right to get a full-suspension option with some additional features in your mountain bikes within $2000, like improved frame geometry and adequate bike … I spent a week riding Canyon’s Spectral trail bike in Sweden in 2015, … As such, total weight for bikes in the $2,000 class will generally range between 12 and 14 kg. Canyon Strive CF 6.0. The Laufey also offers some versatility with the frame capable of handling either 29” or 27.5” wheels. The 130-millimeter hardtail design just can’t keep up on downhill sections with the Marin above, no matter how hard you try. This sounds easy in theory—and it often is—but wheels can sometimes be tricky to line up correctly and pedals have reverse threads, which can be confusing for first-timers. And since 29ers are bigger, they also way more, which is negative on climbs. Its more limited suspension travel (100mm front), narrower tires (2.2 in. That said, the Stance will do the trick as an entry-level full-suspension ride.See the Giant Stance 2. One major factor to consider is where you typically ride: when the trails aren’t particularly rough, rear suspension isn’t necessary and a lightweight hardtail can actually be more fun and flickable. These bikes, highlighted by their bulbous and almost cartoonish looking tires, are able to float on top of terrain that would otherwise halt a standard mountain bike in its tracks. If shaving weight is one of your top priorities and you’re trying to stick to a budget, a hardtail is your best choice. At the other end of the spectrum, you may be required to cut the fork’s steerer tube, install the bottom bracket, and route cables through the frame—all of which require special tools and mechanical know-how. And one of the biggest downsides of carbon fiber is that it is not easy to recycle, which is a positive upside for old aluminum bikes. You’ll also be impressed with the components. Upgrading to the premium Salsa Timberjack above addresses most of these issues, but you’ll face a hefty $649 increase in price. (front) 2.4 (rear)Gears: 1 x 12What we like: One of the more capable full-suspension bikes for its price.What we don’t: 29er wheels and burly tires increase weight. Mountain bike pricing runs the gamut from downright cheap ($299) to eye-wateringly expensive ($10,000). How does the Fuse Comp 29 stack up with the Salsa Timberjack above? It can be a real mixed bag in quality and performance for full-suspension bikes under $2,000, but Marin has a real winner in the Hawk Hill line. Although the type of bike you’re looking for—hardtail or full-suspension—will largely dictate your buying decision, it really comes down to how much you’re willing to spend. In addition, Specialized uses its cross country geometry in this frame with a front end head tube angle of 69.8˚and longer top tube for added stability on downhill terrain. At the $2,000 price point, you are dealing with heavier materials, and its 29-inch wheels add weight and take away a little of its fun factor (the 27.5s on the Marin above are lighter and more flickable). The frame isn’t all to love about this bike. If your mountain biking gear budget has been stretched thin and you’re tempted to skimp on the helmet, don’t. Furthermore, the comfortable feel and 28-pound weight make it a fine choice for covering serious miles. Niner also incorporates SDG’s unique seat post technology with the Tellis Dropper, which allows the seat to be raised or lowered on the fly from the handlebars to facilitate a better position when climbing. It also has nice features like flat mount brakes and internal cable routing. Additionally, the Cujo’s RockShox Recon air fork offers much greater customization than the Roscoe’s SR Suntour. And as with many Cannondale bikes, the Cujo 2 features a high-quality aluminum frame with a lifetime warranty. But with a $900 difference in price and fairly similar on-trail performance (the Hightower is slightly more capable and refined), the Commencal makes a very strong case for itself. As with suspension systems, it’s usually better to go with a bike with all-around good parts that sacrifice quality for carbon. Category: Trail/all-mountainSuspension: 130mm (front) 130mm (rear)Tires: 29 x 2.5 in. Learn more. When the going gets rough, however, the Procaliber comes up short. An upgrade here includes wheelsets that are tubeless compatible. Sneaking just under $2,000, it’s a great starter XC race bike or a nice option for longer, less demanding trail days. These rigs typically feature 140-160 millimeters of suspension travel (front and rear), large grippy tires, and slack geometry—a nod to their descending intentions. Any list of the best mountain bikes, no matter the price tag, would not be complete without at least one model from Cannondale. See the Commencal Meta TR 29 Origin. But Cannondale’s Cujo impressed us from a value standpoint with smart component choices and just enough cush from its “plus” tires. At first glance, it may appear that having more gears is a good thing—20 is better than 12, right? Bikes in this category will be heavier than the trail bikes described above and as a result, won’t climb hills quite as well—but they’re a whole different beast when the trail points down. TheGeekyCyclist.com is participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. The Cujo 1 is also fitted with tubeless-ready Maxxis Rekon tires and WTB STX i35 rims. If you love bike racing, then you might be looking for a new bike … The Pro Caliber 6 frame incorporates Trek’s patented IsoSpeed technology, which uses a decoupler at the top tube/seat tube joint for shock absorption at the rear of the bike. Here are some of the common features you’d expect in a mtb under $2,000. As mentioned above, Co-op Cycles typically takes a conservative approach to design, and the DRT 2.2 is no different. While fat bikes typically aren’t the most versatile rigs out there, they are undoubtedly fun on the right type of terrain. Our team of professional mountain bike testers rode these bikes … In the end, the Slamr is a bit more capable than the Hawk Hill but less playful, which is why we drop it slightly down our list.See the Ghost Slamr 2.9 29". 27.5 (or 650b) You’ll still find mostly aluminum alloy at this price point. Consumer-direct brands like Canyon, YT, and Commencal have been gaining a lot of momentum in the U.S. market over the past few years. Sadly, It could get very tiresome at times. It’s no coincidence that all eleven bikes to make our list have an alloy frame. This fat tire bike is equipped with 4.6” wide 45NRTH Dillinger 5 tires, ensuring that you’ll fly through the white stuff on this bike. The Salsa Mukluk’s geometry is designed to place your weight over the back wheel in order to minimize spinouts when you’re accelerating or climbing. And if that isn’t enough for you, Competitive Cyclist has a comprehensive fit calculator which should more than satisfy the most discerning riders. If you’ve never heard of Germany-based mountain-bike specialists Ghost then you’ve been missing out. And carbon fiber is actually known to be stiffer than aluminum, which is a boon for efficiently transferring power. We really like the Kona for its well-rounded spec package and competitive pricing. Should descending rough trails at speed be in your future, we think the Marin above or Ghost below are better long-term investments. You also don’t get a dropper post with this entry-level model (the upgraded $2,599 “Ride” version has one). A bike like the Trek Procaliber 6 is great for XC racing and long days of riding, but can’t match an all-mountain or downhill bike on steep, techy trails. Carbon fiber bikes are not new to the world of cycling, but they are certainly popular and often the center of attention on group rides. The brakes are Shimano MT201 hydraulic. As with many bikes at this price point, Trek incorporates SRAM’s NX Eagle 1×12 drivetrain into the Caliber 6 along with high-performance Shimano hydraulic brakes and their proprietary Bontrager mountain bike saddle. But for the rest of us sad souls, we’d be better served by the increasingly more capable all-mountain/enduro bikes described above.Fat Bikes There’s a lot to like about the Slamr 29 including a JD dropper seat post, SRAM SX Eagle 1×12 drivetrain, and Shimano hydraulic disc brakes with 180 mm rotors. It’s also possible to set up a standard rim tubeless, but the process can be a little arduous the first few times. Not that you’d want to do that now that the Santa Cruz Chameleon has adopted SRAM’s brand new SRAM SX Eagle groupset, which offers a full 12 gears. In addition, you get the same 1 x 12 SRAM SX drivetrain and TransX dropper as our top pick. It means you can swap out the bike’s stock 27.5″ wheels with massive 2.8″ Maxxis Rekon tires for 29ers and even change your drivetrain to a single speed. Riders looking for a playful bike that is easy to maneuver and responds eagerly to quick inputs will likely prefer the 27.5-inch wheel design. Hardtails are suited for the most common type of mtb riding, which is cross-country (XC). While downhill rigs are an absolute riot to ride, their lack of gearing and heavy weight render them useless when the trail points any direction but down. The Best Electric Mountain Bikes under $2000. And as an indication of its more serious intentions, you get Maxxis’s all-mountain-ready and very desirable tire combo of a Minion DHF (front) and DHR II (rear). 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