Photo from Unsplash

Originally Posted On: https://blog.listenonrepeat.com/blog/best-mountain-bikes-under-800/

Riding a mountain bike is a great way to improve your physique and fitness while enjoying some sports. Tons of awesome mountain bikes are not just affordable but also provide quality build, reliability, and high-performance. Now more than ever, you don’t have to spend a lot of money to get the bike of your dreams. If you are a beginner or new to sports, you don’t need a high-end bike to get started with. Any bike under $800 will provide you good performance while doing some trails around the corner.

However, there are a few things you might want to consider before buying a mountain bike. First of all, make sure the seating position of the bike fits you well. It’s going to be a whole lot more fun when the bike fits you well while riding on the off roads. The second thing you should consider while searching for bikes under $800 is to look for the suspension option rather than the hardtail. While hardtails are advantageous for beginners as it can teach you how to be better at riding, it’s difficult for the long run and you can’t travel hundreds of miles without a suspension. You rarely find suspension options in this price range but you can always check out for super sales that go on now and then. You might also want to opt for a bike that is specified with parts from brands like SRAM, Fox, Rockshox, and Shimano because all these brands produce a wide range of spare parts and you will easily find them at a lower cost.

Why do we listen to the same song on repeat – Psychological FactsRead more

Since you have understood some basic shopping strategies, here are the best mountain bikes under $800 in 2022 listed according to their popularity.

Best Mountain Bikes Under $800 in 2022

Airborne Seeker 29 

• Type: XC race
• Wheels: “29
• Price: $799

How Listening to Music Benefits You to Focus and CreativityRead more

The Airborne Seeker 29 is a classic mountain bike in the XC series offering high-performance. Beautifully designed and equipped with Vee XCV, a full SRAM X5 Gruppo and 29×2025″ tires make it one of the best training bikes for new beginners and any XC veterans. The Airborne Seeker 29 is however not equipped with any suspension option. The tapered 100mm RockShox Recon TK Gold Fork gives the bike an elegant design and smoothes out the trails. You don’t get to see many bikes that are fast and still provide a classic appearance at this price range.

The riding angle is what every veteran rider is mostly concerned about. You can see the XC character while riding the Seeker with a 109mm head tube & 71.5° head tube angle.  It is also equipped with a 74° seat tube angle and gives the rider a perfect riding position while maintaining the balance. Moreover, all these features at this price range make it one of the best values for money mountain bikes under $800.

Diamondback Line

• Type: Trail
• Wheels: 27.5″
• Price: $800

The Diamondback Line is known for its reliability and comfortability. It is equipped with steel chainring, Shimano hydraulic brakes, a chain guide, a Shimano 1×9 drivetrain, SR Suntour XCR 120mm fork with additional hydraulic lockout, 750mm wide bars, and a solid 45mm stem. You will never face any problems like losing grips or overheating with the 180mm front and 160mm rear rotors paired with vigilante 27.5×2.3″ treads.

The riding angle is comfortable with a 68 ° head tube angle followed by a 73° seat tube angle which can easily climb mountains and 430mm chainstays will help riders to get the bike off the ground. The overall features of this mountain bike value for money and you can easily upgrade your parts with a little cost.

Specialized Rockhopper

• Type: XC Racer
• Wheels: 29″
• Price: $799

The specialized Rockhopper is a classic reborn and an excellent choice as a mountain bike. The bike is known for versatility and highly recommended for new riders. The 29’er standard complements a hardtail and works perfectly for shorter riders. Almost all the components in this bike are from specialized house brands except the fork which is an SR Suntour XCM 29 coil springer. This bike is a modern classic with modern XC angles. The headtube angle is 69.8° and built with 80mm of squish and around 90mm to 100mm on other sizes of the bike. With a seat post of 30.9mm, the bike is ready to rock in the mountains providing excellent grip and an amazing experience making it one of the best mountain bikes under $800.

Giant Talon 29 2

• Type: XC
• Wheels: 29″
• Price: $750

The Giant Talon 29 2 is the best value for a money mountain bike you can own. There are sometimes when cheaper bikes take all the attention from expensive ones, maybe Talon 29 2 is one of them. The lightweight aluminum frame, tubeless tires, 2×9-speed drivetrain, and 100mm fork makes the Giant Talon 29 2 an ideal bike for any riders. You can enjoy racing, do some fitness workouts, or explore with this beautifully designed masterpiece. The bike weighs 29.5 lb and doesn’t offer suspension. However, it offers suspension RockShox XC30 suspension fork & hardtail are considered an excellent choice for riders wanting to try their hand at racing.

There is a gear indicator for both front and rear shifters and quick release levers which makes it easier to remove wheels much faster.  The internal cable routing sure looks good and you get bigger gears this time. There is so much this bike offers and can be your best choice if you are looking for the best bikes under $800. You can always upgrade your parts as your requirements but we are sure there is nothing you wouldn’t like about this bike.

Cannondale Trail 5

• Type: Trails
• Wheels: 29″
• Price: $750

With special features like Smartform aluminum frame and Boost QR standard for wheel strength and stiffness, the Cannondale Trail 5 is one of the most comfortable mountain bikes with a price tag of $800. Although it’s always hard to get a good suspension fork in this segment, the RockShox XC30 still provides competitive suspension with limited adjustments. The geometry of the bike has a split performance with a slack head angle and low bottom bracket but the seat position is a little tall.  The frame has an excellent feel and the ride quality is smooth.

The bike is a handful for any riders. The elegant design, the smooth ride, and cheap spare parts make it one of the best mountain bikes under $800. You can travel hundreds of miles on this bike and still feel like riding without getting tired.

So what are you waiting for? Choose your favorite bike, put on the music on your headphones, and start riding.