Best Entry Level Mountain Bike

In order choose the best low priced entry level mountain bike, one should first set his priorities and decide the parameters upon which he wants to judge the bike. Today, there are mountain bikes available in the market with prices ranging from a few hundreds dollars to those costing even thousands. Different bikes are manufactured, keeping in mind the needs of different types of riders. One should choose the bike that suits his needs the best.

What is Mountain Bike?

A mountain bike is a type of bicycle used for off-road cycling on steep declines, logging roads, dirt trails and other unpaved paths. People started using mountain bikes with the introduction of the sport of mountain biking in the 1970s. Nowadays, many different mountain bikes have been developed from the original ones. These bikes are used in different sport competitions such as cross-country, freeride-biking, endurance biking and downhill mountain biking. The four different types of mountain bikes are - hardtail, fully rigid, soft tail and the full suspension bike. The hardtail bikes don't have a rear suspension, but have a suspension fork in the front. The fully rigid type of mountain bikes don't have a suspension at all. The soft tail bikes have a little bit of rear suspension which is activated by the flex and not the pivots.

Entry Level Mountain Bikes

Mountain bikes come in different varieties. Before buying a mountain bike, one should think about his needs, the purpose of purchasing the bike, and also the budget. One should decide whether he wants a bike for weekend riding, off-road mountain biking or both. For the entry level, a 24 speed aluminum bike would be ideal. The price range for entry level mountain bikes would be between $600 and $800. However, bikes that are cheaper or even more expensive than the above mentioned ones are also available in the market. The bikes such as the Woodstock, Fezzari and Ibex bikes are considered to be ideal for the entry level. The under $500 price range of these bikes make them ideal for purchasing.

Ideal Mountain Bike

The weight and position are the crucial factors that one should consider while choosing a bike. An ideal mountain bike should have a forward leaning body. The bike should be light in weight and must give the same riding experience, both uphill and downhill.

Let us have a look at a few bikes that are suitable for beginners.

Trek 3900: The Trek 3900, a hardtail bike with an aluminum frame is a good trek bicycle. Although this bike is designed for off-road use, i.e. on gravel trails and dirt tracks. It is not meant for a rugged terrain. One should not use it for jumps also. The smooth shifting and rigid frame of this bike are its plus points. One should however spend a little amount in order to upgrade its disc brakes. The Trek 3900 is priced at an economical $480, which makes it a cheap entry level bike.

Kona Kula: The Kona Kula is a hardtrail bike which costs around $1,300. This bike has a frame that weighs 26 pounds. The bike was introduced in the market about 10 years ago. It is mostly used for cross-country.

Specialized Hardrock: The specialized hardrock bikes are priced around $500 and have a strong frame. The riding position too is very comfortable.

To buy a specialized bike in the beginning itself would not be a smart thing to do. An entry level mountain bike would allow you to understand your interests as to which type of biking you want practice. The different types of mountain biking activities have specialized requirements. Thus, an entry level bike serves as a tool to experiment with and then proceed further.