Mountain Bikes Reviews

The reviews below are assigned ratings by ConsumerSearch. These ratings are based on credibility in testing, evaluating and identifying the best Mountain Bikes. See our ratings criteria

For recommendations of best Mountain Bikes, see our Fast Answers page, which summarizes what these reviews say. A longer summary and analysis appears in our Full Story report for Mountain Bikes. Our Where to Buy page contains information on retailers and Mountain Bikes prices.

Where to Buy

Fast Answers

Full Story

All Reviews

Mountain Bikes Reviews Reviewed
Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Mountain Bikes Ratings Comments on Reviews
1. Mountain Bike Magazine	Bargain Beauties Editors of Mountain Bike Magazine 2005		With a price range of $500 to $2000, 'bargain' is a relative term here, but Mountain Bike Magazine editors have chosen five bikes that in their words, "offer you some of the trickiest, most up-to-the-nanosecond technology in the form of freeride, dirt jump, classic XC and all-mountain machinery ever gifted to mankind." Each bike is covered in detail with specs, component highlights and seasoned commentary. Although bikes are not rated against other models, the bikes are listed in descending order of price, including the Iron Horse MKIII Comp, Kona Stinky, Raleigh Phase I, GT Avalanche and Mongoose Ritual.
2. mtbREVIEW.com	Mountain Bike Ratings and Reviews Contributors to MTB Review.com As of Mar. 2006		This enthusiast Web site offers a vast collection of owner-written ratings covering full-suspension and hardtail bikes, components, frames, apparel, protective gear and more. All bikes are rated on a scale of 1 to 5; those models receiving enough popular support are given a "Choice Award" rating. Reviewers provide time of ownership, price paid, rate both strengths and weaknesses and give a summary. While the reviewers can sometimes display over-enthusiasm and lack of experience, this kind of grass-roots survey exceeds the range of any single publication's more focused analysis. While nearly ever model has at least one review, we found excellent ratings for two Ibex bikes, the Apogee and Ignition.
3. Dirtworld.com	Mountain Bike Ratings and Reviews Contributors to Dirtworld.com As of Mar. 2006		This is a thoroughly updated corporate Web magazine that offers a vast bike-review listing, in which (like MTBR.com) owners are able to submit ratings in star format (5 being best) along with comments including pros, cons, time used and recommendations. In addition, the main page offers links to professional reviews, trail search options and the latest industry news.
4. North Shore Mountain Bike (NSMB.com)	Mountain Bike Reviews Contributors to NSMB.com As of Mar. 2006		This e-zine is devoted to North Shore riding -- downhill category bikes ridden on wooded, obstacle-riddled trails. Ladder crossings, massive drops, technical terrain, and logs make up a bulk of this style. Owner-written bike ratings are plentiful on this site. Formatting is very similar to that of MTBR.com or DirtWorld.com with star-based consumer reviews ranging from full-component bicycles to individual hardware components. Trail riders, cross country, and hybrid riders will find little useful info here, however, as the content (including reviews) are slanted toward the North Shore style of riding.
5. Mountain Bike Magazine	2004 Buyer's Guide Editors of Mountain Bike Magazine Spring 2004		You may not see yourself in sync with the monikers, but the following editor-defined categories are covered: Race, Freeride, Women's, Casual Rider, Downhill, New Rider, Average Joe and Freaks. Within each section a top pick is given the most detailed description, and three alternatives are chosen. A broad range is covered, with prices ranging from $300 for a Schwinn Mesa in the "New Rider" section, to $6,453 for an Orange 223 IBS DH in the tech heavy downhill section. Other editor picks include the Gary Fisher Cake 3 (Average Joe), the Mongoose Wing Elite (New Rider), GT Avalanche 0.5 (Casual Rider) and the Titus Racer-X (Women's).
6. BikeMagic.com	Full Suspension Reviews Editors of BIKEmagic.com As of Mar. 2006		This UK-based site, despite association with the bike manufacturer Marin, offers coverage of other manufacturers through current model reporting in articles that focus on individual bikes, or in the case of Specialized, a summary of the entire product line. The emphasis here is on high-end, high-performance bikes, and all pricing information is in British currency. These are detailed reviews, often with multiple photos that focus on technical features, and plenty of knowledgeable subjective commentary on both the bike and how it compares to similar models. While there are no head to head comparisons or ratings, supplementary consumer reviews give a sense of product acceptance in the marketplace. Some of the reviews go back to 2000 and are too dated to be useful.

Mountain Bikes Reviews above this line are significantly better than reviews below.

Review Ratings	Citation	CS Credibility Rating	Mountain Bikes Ratings Comments on Reviews

7. Mountain Bike Action >> Details/Subscribe	MBA 2006 Buyer's Guide Editors of Mountain Bike Action Mar. 2006		This buyer's guide doesn’t actually contain any recommendations, but there's a huge listing here of nearly every current mountain bike, listed in order of price. Components are also listed, so this is a good way to compare bikes in a given class and price range.
8. Mountain Bike Action	Bike Tests Editors of Mountain Bike Action magazine As of Aug. 2005		Mountain Bike Action is mostly a print publication, but it archives some older bike reviews. Each model lists nine performance and value factors, each given a letter grade from A to D, along with "test highlights", "best quote", and MBA's bottom line", which together provide a decent evaluation. Unfortunately the site reviews haven't been updated since 2002, and are no longer very useful.
9. Mountain Bike Tales	Mountain Bike Tales Bike Reviews Contributors to Mountain Bike Tales As of Mar. 2006		Product tests include a small handful of mid to high-end bikes. Reviews are written by enthusiasts, but unlike MTBR, the reviews are presented as editorial content rather than an open public forum. Notable models include Cannondale Jekyll, Giant stp1, and the Marin Mount Vision. However, few comparisons are made, and there are only a few reviews.
10. About.com	Bike Reviews Kevin Tisue and Brandon Arnold As of Mar. 2006		Improved since our last update, About.com offers a fairly small resource or articles, reviews and links to other sites. The K2 Lithium 4.0 and the Titus Switchback are reviewed by Kevin Tisue. Brandon Arnold writes about the Specialized Enduro Expert. Also noteworthy are a helpful beginner’s guide and a women’s biking guide.
11. Singletrack Magazine	Singletrack Bike Reviews Editors of Singletrack Magazine As of Mar. 2006		There are a number of expert bike reviews published in this leading UK mountain-bike print magazine, but most are very dated. Singletrack is generally regarded as superior to US magazines, and the online version of the print magazine makes the information available without the high cost of international subscription rates. Reviews cover the Specialized Enduro, Santa Cruz VPP XC and K2 Razorback RSX.
12. GearHead.com >> Details/Subscribe	Full Suspension Mountain Bike Reviews Contributors to Gearhead.com As of 2004		With reviews reaching back as far as 1999 (up until 2004), this is a very thorough listing although many brands have merely a handful of consumer comments. We wish there was more current information on this site.
13. BikeMagic.com	Hardtail Reviews Editors of BIKEmagic.com As of Mar. 2006		This UK-based site that is associated with the bike manufacturer Marin surveys five bikes. Unfortunately, Marin models get top billing and are the only products reviewed for 2005. Some other bikes are covered in detail, but these reviews are old, without direct comparison to other bikes. The site links to additional consumer reviews, much like the ones found at MTBreview.com and other sites.
14. Money.com >> Details/Subscribe	The Wheel Deal Ben Hewitt May 2005		Reviewer Ben Hewitt says he reviews around 50 bikes a year for various cycling magazines. For this article, he tests around 20 bikes, though only Hewitt's six "winners" are highlighted. Hewitt says that cutting edge technology from just a few years ago can now be found in bikes costing much less, so you now get a lot for your money. Among mountain bikes, Hewitt recommends the Marin Northside Trail for novices, saying this full-suspension bike has quality components and more give in the suspension than most. The Cannondale Prophet 600 is his pick for serious riders. Hewitt says it feels "indestructible," and best for "aggressive riders."
15. Bicycling Magazine >> Details/Subscribe	Mountain Bike Reviews Editors of Bicycling Magazine As of June 2005		Dating as far back as 2001, there are five pages of reviews ranging from brief summaries (with five alternatives listed), to a full review credited to a single writer. No class favorites are named, and hybrid/city bikes are included in the listing as well. If you see a bike model you already have in mind on the list, it's worth a click for the background info.
16. Consumer Guide.com >> Details/Subscribe	Mountain Bike Reviews Editors of Consumer Guide As of Mar. 2006		Consumer Guide's mountain bike ratings seem to be slowly coming up to date, with an emphasis on mid to lower-end bikes. This site gives a look at front-suspension-equipped bikes from the $250 Jamis Citizen, to the $1400 Dakota XC. Full-suspension bikes are found under their own heading. But we're not really sure who is reviewing these bikes. No comparisons are made to other bikes.
17. Epinions	Mountain Bikes Contributors to Epinions As of Mar. 2006		Of the dozens of bikes listed here, most get only a single owner-written rating. Some of the older bikes from the 1990's have a small handful of comments. Overall, a bike-centric source like MTB Review.com is a much better place to find owner ratings on bikes.