The 4 Best Budget Mountain Bikes of 2023

Best Overall Budget Full-Suspension Mountain Bike

Norco Fluid FS 4

Wheel Size: 29" | Weight: 36 lbs 2 oz (tubeless, size XL)

The Norco Fluid FS 4 is the best budget-friendly full-suspension mountain bike we have ridden by a healthy margin. This bike exudes confidence on the descent and felt extremely composed and capable on difficult terrain. In fact, it was easy to forget we were riding a "budget" bike while we found the flow. The progressive geometry feels extremely modern, and the nice build kit features a long-travel dropper, which is rare in this price range. Testers had a blast riding this bike on all sorts of terrain but found it excelled on more aggressive terrain as opposed to rolling trails. Climbing abilities weren't exciting, but the Fluid provided a comfortable climbing position that was easy to get along with.

The elephant in the room is this bike's weight, a hair over 36 pounds set up tubeless. It should be noted this bike was an extra large frame, while most bikes we have tested were large frames, so this XL frame is naturally a bit heavier. Weight weenies, or riders concerned with maximizing efficiency, may want to look elsewhere. While the Norco was a solid and comfortable climber, it wasn't especially quick. While the build kit was largely stellar, the X-Fusion rear shock did not have a climb switch, a feature that would have come in handy on fire road or double-track climbs.

Read more: Norco Fluid FS 4 review

Most Efficient Budget Bike

Canyon Neuron 5

Wheel Size: 29" | Weight: 33 lbs 10 oz (size large, tubeless)

The Canyon Neuron 5 is an ultra-efficient trail bike that has a bit of a cross-country attitude. This 130mm trail bike has conservative (steeper) geometry than many bikes in this travel class, and the result is a very agile and crisp ride. While bikes with longer wheelbases and slacker front ends need a healthy amount of speed to come alive, the steeper and shorter geometry on the Neuron is incredibly responsive, and this bike is razor-sharp. Climbing efficiency is outstanding, and despite its 33.5-pound weight, we were flying uphill on this bike. It is very easy to ride and doesn't require an aggressive pilot. If you value climbing efficiency above all else, this might just be the bike for you.

The Neuron is a quick-witted bike with swift climbing abilities. That said, it doesn't love choppy or loose terrain. This bike felt a little twitchy and unsteady on rougher trails, while the 2.4-inch Schwalbe rubber clearly prioritizes rolling speed over outright traction. This bike can get overwhelmed in technical terrain; if you're looking to ride trails that are particularly rough or steep, we recommend looking elsewhere.

Read more: Canyon Neuron 5 review

Best Budget Hardtail

Specialized Fuse 27.5

Wheel Size: 27.5"+ | Weight: 29 lbs 14 oz (tubeless)

The recently redesigned Specialized Fuse 27.5 is easily the best affordable trail riding hardtail in this review. Specialized recently updated the Fuse's geometry, making it longer, slacker, and more capable than ever. This bike can handle a wide range of terrain, and our testers felt just as comfortable riding mellow trails at lower speeds as they did dropping into steep and rocky descents and letting it rip. Like any hardtail, the Fuse is quite efficient on the climbs, and the meaty 2.8" Specialized tires provide excellent climbing traction. Those same tires also help inspire confidence on the descents when pushing hard into corners and braking, especially when compared to the competition.

One of the best features of the Fuse are its tires. They can, however, feel somewhat sluggish when riding on paved or dirt roads. Our long-legged testers found that the stock 120mm travel dropper seat post was a little too short on our size Large test bike, which taller riders may want to consider. Besides that, we found little to complain about with this well-rounded hardtail, and the price-to-performance ratio is off the charts. If you're looking for a highly capable entry-level hardtail or want to add an affordable hardtail to your quiver, we've found the model for you.

Read more: Specialized Fuse 27.5 review

Most Versatile Budget Hardtail

Trek Roscoe 7

Wheel Size: 29" | Weight: 31 lbs 12 oz (size large, tubeless)

The Trek Roscoe 7 is a hardtail mountain bike built for adventure. Whether you want to ride your local singletrack, explore some old forest double track, or go on a bikepacking trip, this bike has you covered. The 29 x 2.6-inch Bontrager XR4 tires are fast, offer a surprising amount of traction, and they also allow for the use of a lower tire pressure which helps deliver a comfortable ride. Climbing abilities are impressive, and this bike is a fun descender on the right terrain. While this bike is capable on singletrack, the versatility of this hardtail is what makes it really stand out. This bike is a great choice for riders looking to get out on adventure rides and values versatility over outright singletrack charging.

As we noted above, the Roscoe makes its money for its adaptable personality and sense of versatility. Riders who want to push their limits on the trail should look for a more aggressive bike. While this bike is capable of riding singletrack, it hits its limits fairly quickly on aggressive blue or black trails. While the component specifications were largely impressive, our Shimano Deore 12-speed shifter failed out of the box. We have found Shimano Deore 12-speed components to generally be of excellent quality, but this was still a bummer as shifting suffered significantly.

Read more: Trek Roscoe 7 review

Compare Products

Compare select up to 5 products to compare

	Score	Product	Price
	84	Norco Fluid FS 4 Best Overall Budget Full-Suspension Mountain Bike	$1,899
	77	Canyon Neuron 5 Most Efficient Budget Bike	$1,799
	71	Trek Roscoe 7 Most Versatile Budget Hardtail	$1,899
	70	Specialized Fuse 27.5 Best Budget Hardtail	$1,250
	64	Cannondale Habit HT 2	$1,450
	60	Rocky Mountain Growler 40	$1,359

Why You Should Trust Us

Our team researched the best bikes you can buy for under $2,000 and purchased 6 of the most compelling options for this side-by-side comparative analysis. After building and weighing each model, we took to the trails and rode these bikes as much as humanly possible on all types of terrain. We pedaled each model for hundreds of miles on familiar trails and test loops while focusing on their key ride characteristics. Each bike was ridden as hard as the next, and sometimes back to back for a direct comparison to see how each performs in all situations.

Editor Pat Donahue leads our budget mountain bike test. Pat has been testing and reviewing mountain bikes since 2017 and has ridden a disturbingly high number of bikes over the past several years. Donahue started riding mountain bikes in 2003 in the wet woods of New England and loves old-school, natural trails. You can find him engaging in every mountain bike discipline, from ripping bike parks to all-day epic rides. Coming in at 6'2", 195 pounds, he is an excellent tester of component durability. He is especially hard on wheels and tires.

Analysis and Test Results

Our budget mountain bike testers spent months riding these affordable mountain bikes throughout the Lake Tahoe region. Each model was ridden for hundreds of miles and tens of thousands of vertical feet. We didn't take it easy on them, either. Instead, we pushed each to—and sometimes beyond—their limits while evaluating each on fun factor, downhill performance, climbing performance, and build kit. Our testers were pleasantly surprised and impressed by the performance of these inexpensive mountain bikes. Carry on for a detailed comparative analysis of the models in this test.

Related: How to Select the Right Mountain Bike

[pricevalue]

Value

All of the models in this test are a decent value. In fact, we chose them for this test because they are the budget mountain bikes that we could find. The bikes in this review range in price from $1,250 to almost $2,000, and all are suitable for getting out and exploring the trails. Two options stand out as particularly strong values.

The Norco Fluid FS 4 is one of the more expensive bikes in this review. That said, it is by far the most capable. We were able to charge hard on this bike while forgetting that we were testing "budget" bikes. The Specialized Fuse 27.5 is another stellar value, given its winning combination of a low price tag and well-rounded performance.

Fun Factor

In addition to being a great form of exercise, we ride mountain bikes because it's fun. Getting out in the woods and riding trails on just about any bike is more fun than not getting out at all, but some bikes are just more fun to ride than others. We based our fun factor ratings on the size of our tester's smiles at the end of a ride as well as their general assessment of how good of a time they had while riding each bike.

The Editor's Choice Norco Fluid FS 4 was incredibly fun. You could ride this bike very hard, and it felt like a more expensive bicycle. This bike had the highest speed limit, most capable geometry, and the most confidence-inducing performance of any bike in this test class. While this bike was happy to get airborne and play on the trail, the real reason this bike was so fun was the ability to cut loose and ride as fast as you wanted.

Our testers had a blast riding the Specialized Fuse 27.5. This new hardtail has modern geometry that helped it easily outperform the other hardtail models in this test. It climbs with all the efficiency you'd expect from a hardtail, and when you point it downhill, the slacker head tube, dropper post, and aggressive 2.8" wide tires combine for a very fun experience. Testers were thoroughly impressed with how hard this bike could be ridden.

The Trek Roscoe 7 was a fun bike thanks to its high level of versatility. While it definitely had a preference for mellow to moderate terrain, it has an appetite for adventure. This bike could easily be taken on a bikepacking mission, on a commute to work, or on an evening hot lap. This adaptable and versatile attitude is pretty darn fun. The Canyon Neuron 5 was also a blast to ride. The conservative geometry made it very responsive, and any rider could hop on this bike and have fun.

Downhill Performance

So how do these budget mountain bikes perform on the descents, you ask? All of the bikes in this review will get you down the majority of downhills you'll encounter on everyday mountain bike rides, and a few of them will do it more comfortably and easily than the others. The downhill performance of these bikes is affected by their suspension, geometry, and components, and they are all a little different than the next. A few of these bikes proved to be far more capable on the descents than we expected.

The Editor's Choice Norco Fluid FS blew our minds in this metric. The progressive geometry and killer suspension kinematics, paired with a long, 200mm dropper post, really unlocked the shred. This 130mm 29er was far more comfortable than any other bike when the trail got fast, steep, or rough. When things got chattery, the suspension remained calm and composed. The slack geometry provided a high level of confidence on steeper trails. Simply put, this bike could be ridden significantly harder than the rest of the "budget" bikes in our review.

The Canyon Neuron and Trek Roscoe 7 have more conservative geometry that provides a quick and agile ride but doesn't inspire confidence in the steeper terrain. These bikes were more eager to change directions and less apt to muscle through the tough technical terrain.

The Specialized Fuse 27.5 was a standout among its hardtail competition on the descents. This bike is in another league than the Rocky Mountain Growler 40 thanks to its longer wheelbase and reach, slacker head tube, and burly 2.8" Specialized tires. The Fuse was capable and comfortable tackling just about everything and was limited only by its lack of rear suspension. The modern geometry inspired the confidence to get into steep and rough terrain, open it up, and let it rip on the straightaways.

The Trek Roscoe 7 couldn't quite inspire the same speeds as the Fuse but was surprisingly adept. The 2.6-inch Bontrager XR4 tires provide a sneaky nice blend of traction, damping, and rolling speed. This bike prefers life on the ground, motoring down smooth trails.

Climbing Performance

All of the models in this test performed relatively well on the climbs. The weights of these bikes range from 30 to 36 pounds, and they all come with 1x drivetrains that offer adequate range for most uphill scenarios. You'd never confuse any of these bikes with super lightweight and efficient XC race bikes, but they all do a reasonable job of getting you up to the top of the hill, regardless.

The standout performer on the climbs was the Canyon Neuron 5. On the very first test ride, one of our testers snagged numerous uphill Strava KOMs on this bike. It wasn't expected, but it quickly became apparent that the Neuron is fast-rolling, comfortable, and very efficient when aimed uphill. Despite weighing a few pounds more than some other bikes in this review, the fast-rolling Schwalbe rubber paired with a breezy Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain had us scooting uphill with ease. The suspension platform was on the firm side and made the most of rider energy. The conservative geometry allowed us to negotiate tight switchbacks very easily and find the best line through technical problems. This bike's steeper geometry and shorter wheelbase provided crisp steering and excellent performance in tight spaces.

It came as no surprise that all of the hardtails in this test performed admirably on the climbs. Hardtails are known for their direct power transfer and climbing efficiency, and the Trek Roscoe is an absolutely perfect example. This bike was extremely efficient and made light work of singletrack, fire road, or gravel climbs. The meaty 2.6-inch rubber provided a large patch of traction while still rolling exceptionally fast. This provided a dialed blend of efficiency and traction that was hard to match. Being a hardtail bike, the Roscoe couldn't quite hold its own against its squishy competition on ledgy or technical climbs where the rear wheel would bounce around. That being said, soft knees and legs go a long way when piloting this bike over rocks.

Build

These bikes are all on the lower end of the price spectrum, and their builds, or component specifications, generally reflect that. After all, they are budget mountain bikes. While this price range of bikes continues to feature better and better components, they will always be budget builds. Still, some bikes feature far nicer drivetrains, tires, and brakes than others.

The top-scoring Norco Fluid FS 4 has an impressive build. While it uses a Shimano Deore 11-speed derailleur and shifter, it uses a SunRace wide-range cassette that offers essentially the same gearing as a 12-speed drivetrain. 11-speed drivetrains at this price point are often more crisp and consistent as opposed to some lower-end 12-speed drivetrains. The suspension duties were performed by a RockShox Recon fork and X-Fusion 02 rear shock. While these parts weren't flashy, they were effective. The Norco used powerful Tektro brakes, a 200mm dropper post, and surprisingly good Goodyear tires.

The Canyon Neuron was another standout in terms of its build kit. This bike used a Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain, which is a true workhorse. Shimano brakes and house-brand wheels round out this build. The Schwalbe Nobby Nic/Wicked Will combination is a curse and a blessing. This fast-rolling rubber really compliments this bike's best assets. People who ride difficult trail surfaces might want to upgrade to more aggressive rubber.

The Trek Roscoe 8 sets itself apart from the other hardtails in this review with its quality tire specification. The 2.6-inch Bontrager XR4 tires roll fast while also allowing riders to run a fairly low pressure, which creates a more comfortable ride. This bike also ran a Shimano Deore 12-speed drivetrain with Shimano brakes.

Conclusion

Sure, you can spend upwards of $10,000 on a brand-new mountain bike, but you can also spend a fraction of that and still get out on the trails and have a great time. Whether you're looking for your first mountain bike, upgrading from an older model, or stepping up to your first full-suspension bike, there are more quality, affordable options on the market than ever before. The number of bikes available can make shopping feel overwhelming, and when buying a budget model of anything, you want to make sure you're still getting a quality product. We hope that this review helps narrow down your choices and helps you with your purchasing decision. Your next mountain bike is out there, and we hope this helps you find it.