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Only $10 for all 2026 SX, MX, and SMX series.
My suggestion is to look in the "all Mountain" or "trail" ranges, which usually have about 5 inches of suspension travel. That or the "enduro" category, which is more like 6 inches.
Fatboy with wide Renthal bars. Fun bike.
Specialized makes a good bike and they have a price in your range depending on the model.
The local bike store will be able to give you the best advise for your area and what riding you want to do.
The Shop
DeCal Works Huge Plastic Inventory of UFO and Polisport kits.
Luxon 4-Post Bar Mounts
$189.95 - $239.95
i was unsure whether to buy a 26" or 29" so i demo rode each, i think it was $50 per demo. the money i paid for the demos went towards my purchase if i bought from them. glad i did the demo for both because before riding both i was pretty dead set on the 26", but after riding both on my local trails the 29" was the clear choice for me.
everyone is different and every trail is different, so i would strongly recommend demo'ing a couple styles and brands before you pop-off and buy a bike.
as for bikes, Specialized makes a great product but are a big name so they get either love or shit on the trails. i went for the Stumpjumper 29" FSR Comp. bike is amazing on everything i take it on.
also something to consider is what you'll be wanting to ride. if you want to do a mix of XC and downhill, an Enduro type bike or All-Mountain would be the way to go. XC only, get something with less suspension. DH only, obviously get a DH only bike. i would recommend what i did, get an Enduro/All-Mtn style bike and use the shit out of it on everything.
I ride both road and mtb and enjoy both for different reasons, but the most fun ride I do is our weekly Wednesday night
group road ride. Sprints for all Stop Ahead signs, town limit signs and the top of a couple climbs on the route. That ride is so much fun. Can't wait for April when they start up again.
This style of frame is a game changer in mtb'ing and much more fun for someone with an mx background.
A would also highly recommend getting a bike with 140mm travel Rockshox Pyke or Fox36 forks and a dropper seatpost.
Paid $700 for a stumpjumper fsr comp in like new condition. Haven't had any trouble getting tires.
you said you want to buy for exercising, so just keep in mind that going downhill most of the time won't help you much in that area. so I'd probably lean more towards a full suspension xc bike rather than a all mountain bike. but again, check the trails first and speak with your local bike shop.
If you are looking for general trail riding for fun, just trying to beat your buddies every now and again id recommend a bike with 120-140mm of travel. 27.5" or 29" wheels, pick your poison. It will still climb well, not too heavy, and keep you out of trouble in most everything but the gnarliest of downhill sections. These bikes jump well and can safely do drops 4ft. or less.
If you think you want to be the fastest guy on the trail get a 29" hardtail with 100mm travel fork. Nearly every ounce of power your legs apply to the pedals moves the bike foward. It will haul ass on the flat and smooth parts of the trail and climb like a billy goat. But when the trail starts getting really rough or pointing downhill the bike can feel sketchy. With good bike handling skills you can ride almost anything on one but its gonna get scary. These bikes typically jump like shit and any drop more than 2ft your gonna be looking for your teeth on the ground.
If you wanna huck big jumps to flat, nail 6ft drops, and charge rock gardens without slowing down much a 27.5" wheeled bike with 150mm+ travel is what you want. These bikes are essentially mini downhill rigs and are super capable. There is almost nothing that cant be done on a bike like this. But dont fool yourself, they are heavy compared to the other bikes and all that travel really soaks up your energy on climbs. This kind of bike is typically out of the budget you have set for yourself.
The wheelsize issue is hotly debated. There is the decades old 26", the relatively new 27.5" or 650b, same thing, and the 29" wheel. Each have their advantages and disadvantages. A 26 wheel is lighter and stiffer, accelerates quickly, handles quicker, and jumps good. Its biggest downfall is probably technical trails where the smaller wheel tends to fall into holes and between rocks easier, killing momentum. This wheelsize has been around since practically the beginning of mountain biking but has been all but phased out on modern bikes. A few manufactuers still produce 26" bikes but they are scarce.
The 29" wheel has been around for a while. It is heavier than the other two, flexes more, and accelerates slower. The upside is great roll over obstacles, killer speed and momentum once you get it there and stability at speed. 29ers were once loved by very few but recently the bikes have got so much better the downsides are much less noticeable.
Finally the 27.5" wheel or "650b" is only a few years old but have all but replaced the 26". Basically it is a mish mash of the strong points of both the 29er and 26.
All in all its really down to what you looking to do on the bike. The choices are practically endless.
I ride a Norco Nitro 9.2 29" (hard tail, decent components, decent fork). My bike is the cheapest in the group I ride with (by a fair margin) the other guys all have these "enduro" bikes, and I'm the only 29er.
I really enjoy my bike, your mx experience pays off to close the gap of bike differences.
When we do fairly rough downhill, I am on their rear tires, looking for a line around at times, so yes a hard tail can descend good, at an amateur level it's dependent on the rider. The 29" wheels help me with the rough stuff (they go up and over without loosing momentum).
Climbs: Exactly what "wrench" says, my bike is a billy goat, I out climb everyone in the group, I set it in the right gear and up I go... They now pull over if I'm riding sweep and let me go up before they start the climb.
The fast/flowy stuff, my bike rips, and it turns hard, I can basically pump my way through this type of stuff while my buddies on their full suspension set ups are pedaling. However, I'm the only MX rider in the group, and being used to picking out lines at higher speeds, cornering faster with a much heavier bike sets you up well to just get on a mtb and rip if your legs can push ya.
I pick through the rock gardens with no issue, as all inputs on the hard tail are direct and immediate, and the 29" wheels carry over everything.
Yes, I'm limited on big drops/jumps, and my xc geometry doesn't help as the high seat height prevents me from getting my butt over the back end to level the flight, and this also sort of hurts with really steep, slow descents. However, a dropper seat post would really help with this.
If you're on a smaller frame like me, the 29" wheels arc in to the path of the pedals at certain turn radii, so I have to make sure my inside foot is the forward foot on the tighter stuff, and sometimes I have to pedal half a turn, pedal backwards to re-set and then pedal again so my foot doesn't hit the tire (the pedals don't actually hit, but my toes will)... However, if I come in to this situation I will usually either wheelie around the corner, or ride the front wheel and lift the back tire off to the side in a controlled stoppie (I can't do this if I think about doing it, but on the trail it sort of just happens).
So my suggestion is if you get a hard tail, get a 29" tire, it helps to minimize the disadvantage of not having the rear cushion.
For the $, I have the most fun. My bike was $1500 new, my buddies bikes were $2700, $4000, and $6000.
Obviously, it's great training for moto and a great time out with the guys!
If you have 2000 USD to spend, you will be able to get a pretty nice pre owned enduro bike with suspension that locks out(means it will climb as good if not better than a hard tail). Anybody who says they are "decending" on a 29' hard tail and smoke their buddies(who are good riders ?)on their enduro style bikes must be invited to Red Bull Rampage next year. I own both a mid price hard tail and a really nice enduro dual f/r bike, my hard tail has not come off the rack on the garage wall in three years except to steal parts off it to get me going/repair my enduro in a pinch. My hard tail bike will be parted out this spring as I'm going to build a rigid framed single speed dirt jumper out of the parts I need after stripping everyhing off the frame.
The hard part about classifying "mountain biking" is if you are really "off road biking" and calling it "mountain biking". Some people call riding a bicycle off road in a ballerina suit and street bicycle helmet in trails that do not even change in elavation 200ft "mountain biking". Thats like a guy who cross country skis in Michigan giving a down hill skier who lives in Whistler advise on what type of skis to buy, they are not the same fucking thing. If I try to ride my hardtail down( and by down, I mean steep and fast enough trails that I'm constantly on the brakes so I do not KILL myself) the same trails as I "push" the envalope on my enduro I'd be fucking dead or the bike would be pounded into dust. Even on ski resort smooth flowy trails with medium sized tables and gaps, I'd have to downside all the kickers perfectly on my hardail and my chain is flapping any my rear derailure needs adjustment after every run, on my enduro I can "SEND IT", or come up short and ride away in one peice, and also my bike only needs a chain lube at the end of the day.
if i don't have at least 2000 feet climbing then i don't consider it a decent ride and i never hit a lift to get to the top. 2000 feet up means a very fun 2000 feet down.
different strokes for different folks.
Pit Row
Transition TransAM, Kona Explosif or Honzo, NS Eccentric or Surge, Chromag, Trek Stache, On-One 456, Ragley Blue Pig, etc.
Trust me. You'll have more fun on one of those bikes than any of the people passing you on the trail on their carbon featherweights that they have to buy every other year...
You can rent a lot of Cannondale Claymores at Boyne with the money you'd save by buying a hardtail...
We have great riding around here in Calgary and area, but once in a while we drive out to Golden B.C to Kicking Horse resort. Its 4100ft top to bottom, my first ride there I had to spend $ 500 to upgrade my brakes or I was going to die(pure fade). KHR is 3 hours from my house but worth every penny, changed my riding, all I can think about is park/resort riding now...
just clearing up my original opinion and making it a point to add that DH isn't the only form of "mountain biking" out there
Yes, on the downhill single track stuff the back end is kicking around, chain is slapping etc etc. We aren't "sending it" on these, and if it was required, my hard tail just couldn't do it, I know this. I've tried to follow my buddies off some of the stuff they can drop from, and it is was too sketchy. We have a lift hill here, and there is no way my bike is appropriate for that, so while they can go, I have to rent... But we only go a handful times per year. Not worth the extra bike cost.
A buddy is the same size as me, we traded bikes for a day (he has a Giant Trance Advanced), and I missed the nimbleness of my bike. There really wasn't any time I preferred it other than when there were things to be jumped.
Obviously, I'm not epic enough to know anything since I'm not doing Rampage anytime soon, but I do know what "real" mountain biking involves.
For most riders, if you want new, on a budget I would go with a hard tail with better components than a cheaply spec'd out dual suspension bike... If I had a few grand to spend, then yeah, maybe I'll shop around, try out a bunch of bikes and buy an enduro with lock outs, but personally, I would rather spend that money on a used 250t2 to set up as a woods bike and enjoy my cheap MTB eating up the guys on the bikes they are making payments on.
Guys kid rode it down the driveway, turned around, and said I want a BMX bike. Basically got a brand new bike for 600 off retail.
I'm checking into some equipment on BTO... anyone have experience with the FLY shoes or mtb helmets?
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