You can get a great hardtail mountain bike for under £1000 but for those doing more adventurous mountain biking it is worth considering a slightly more expensive bike. The reason for this is down to the capability as the terrain gets more technical as you require more predictable handling and a high-quality fork. Within this price range, you will likely get an air fork for smoother compression and customisable settings to rider weight and preferences. Below, we take a look at the best mountain bikes between the £1000 and £2000 price points.
Whyte 901 2023
The Whyte 901 is an incredibly capable hardtail mountain bike that is very comfortable when the terrain gets gnarly. The introduction of an air fork is the big difference here to the sub-£1000 MTB’s. Air forks offer a smoother ride over rougher terrain and are customisable for individual weights and preferences. In this case, the Rockshox 35 Gold gives good lateral rigidity for predictable handling and braking. A super-wide 11-50 SRAM Eagle cassette will get you up the steepest ascents and the TRP hydraulic brakes give exceptional stopping on the way back down.
Merida Big Trail 600 2023
The Merida Big Trail 600 is for those who want it all. Modern trail bike geometry mixed with a slack enduro inspired front end results in a bike that is happy going up and coming down. Marzocchi Z2 air fork gives confidence rolling over rough terrain and gives confidence under hard braking and cornering. Shimano Deore 12-speed gives smooth and reliable shifting and Shimano 2-piston hydraulic disc brakes give powerful stopping power in all conditions. Finished off with a dropper post for when you need to shift weight when descending.
Giant Stance 29 1 2022

What? A full-suspension mountain bike under £2000? Hard to believe but true! The Giant Stance 29 1 is a fun and affordable full suspension MTB offering more forgiveness on the downhill sections. The 29-inch wheels offer a very stable and fast straight-line speed and paired up with Giant’s own Crest forks makes for an excellent cross country full suspension machine. SRAM Eagle 12-speed gives gearing for the steepest ascents and Shimano hydraulic brakes for confidence inspiring stopping power.
See our blog about full-sus vs hardtails for more info on the differences.
Specialized Chisel 2022
The perfect bike for cross country mountain biking due to its exceptional climbing ability and speed over the terrain. With relatively short travel at 100mm, this adds to the efficiency, particularly uphill but has enough compression to take on cross country descents. Well specced with SRAM SX Eagle and Rockshox Judy fork, this is an extremely fast and capable bike.