Downhill mountain biking is a thrilling, fast-moving form of mountain biking taking place on steep trails and mountainous terrain, cycling courses, and off-season ski slopes.
Ridden at high-speeds and through a variety of rugged terrain, hardtail downhill bikes are exceptionally sturdy and feature extraordinary full suspension systems that function reduce shock and overall impact.
Much heavier in weight than traditional mountain bikes, downhill bikes are built for the most intense of riding experiences and are constructed to withstand a high degree of abuse. The frames found on downhill bikes are made from the highest-strength materials available for bicycles, including carbon fiber, titanium, and steel.
Downhill bikes are not versatile in nature and should be purchased by riders who will primarily use them for fast-paced downhill riding. Cutting-edge technology has provided downhill riding aficionados a wide variety of products to choose from, with state-of-the-art suspension systems, industrial-grade materials, and high-end performance elements that enhance lightning-fast downhill treks.
If you are interested in purchasing a new downhill bike and would like to find out the top models for purchase in 2017, read on below for comprehensive, information-packed reviews on the most awesome downhill bike models available on the market.
Kent’s KZ2600 Mountain Bike features a boldly striking aesthetic composed of royal blue, black, and silver accents.
With its state-of-the-art floating-beam suspension system, industrial-grade aluminum frame, and premium suspension fork, the Thruster is a force to be reckoned with.
Further enhancing the top-performance capabilities of this bike is the presence of Shimano shift control featuring a range of 21 speeds and a rear-situated derailleur, along with exceptionally strong aluminum wheelsets configured in a V-shaped formation.
Perfect for the rider looking to cut a striking figure on the downhill circuit, the Kent Thruster offers distinctive looks, high performance, and affordable pricing to boot.
Pricing | Weight | Dimensions |
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Around $200 | 20.1 pounds | 55 x 28 x 8.5 inches |
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Made specifically for women, the Mongoose Status is beautifully fashioned in a striking teal-colored body with lime green accents. High-performance elements such as an aluminum frame featuring hydro-formed tubing and a front-situated suspension fork make this bike built for performance with unparalleled durability.
A rear-situated Shimano derailleur provides riders with the smoothest of gear changes on lightning-fast rides while front and rear v-style brakes ensure the quickest of stops in rough terrain conditions.
Lightweight, super-durable alloy wheels contend with the roughest of environmental elements while the riser-style handlebars provide a secure grip throughout your downhill adventure.
Pricing | Weight | Dimensions |
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Around $200 | 42.5 pounds | 8.5 x 27.01 x 51.5 inches |
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Mongoose Impasse Dual Full Suspension bike is touted as enabling you to “breakaway on the impasse,” and leave behind life’s hassles and hectic nature by providing you exciting opportunities to engage in lightning-fast downhill biking for stress-reducing, exhilarating fun.
Making top-quality mountain and downhill-style bikes since 1974, Mongoose is one of the most trusted names in the business.
Their Impasse model features an industrial-grade aluminum framed suspension for optimal performance and comfort, while their 21-speed rear-located derailleur from Shimano enables riders to change gears swiftly.
For the most discriminating of buyers in search of a premium downhill bike, the Impasse is a worthy investment that will provide hours of entertaining fun.
Pricing | Weight | Dimensions |
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Less than $300 | 44 pounds | 57 x 9 x 31 inches |
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This red, white, and black downhill mountain bike is distinctive with its striking looks and boldly robust tires.
Its frame is composed of incredibly strong aluminum and alloy materials while performance elements include a Shimano drivetrain, 3x8 speed shift controls, derailleurs on the front and rear of the bike, and a Suntour suspension fork to provide riders with utterly smooth, reliable and quick shifting while traveling through a variety of rugged terrain.
With its large 29-inch wheels, this downhill mountain bike reduces resistance from rolling and also enables you to roll over a wide variety of obstacles such as rocks, logs, and other elements easily and safely.
A performance bike packed with tons of high-performance extras, the Diamondback Recoil Full Suspension Mountain Bike is an affordable option with quality on par with many higher priced competing models
Pricing | Weight | Dimensions |
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Around $200 | 20.1 pounds | 55 x 28 x 8.5 inches |
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Heralded as the creme de la creme in downhill mountain bikes, the Rocky Mountain Flatline Park is a bike suited for seasoned pros, expert riders, and the most dedicated of downhill riding aficionados.
With its breathtaking ebony-colored frame accented by artful accents of red, yellow, and blue, this bike cuts a dashing figure on downhill courses.
Packed full of the most desirable performance elements available, the Rocky Mountain Flatline features an all-alloy custom hydroformed framed body, hydraulic disc brakes, performance suspension fork, Shimano build elements throughout and much more.
We make every effort to ensure accuracy, but reserve the right to update specifications & prices
Pricing | Weight | Dimensions |
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Around $3000 | Varies by size | Small, medium, and large size choices |
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Mountain biking, especially those with suspension forks and a light aluminum frame, are great for kids of all ages. Though road bikes are great, a mountain bike is going to make it a whole lot of fun for your kids to get out and enjoy themselves with friends and with family. With so many different mountain bikes out there each featuring different wheel sizes, carbon fiber or aluminum frames, quality brake levers, as well as hardtail bikes and softail bikes, it can be difficult to find something that your children will really like and that be able to handle your child on some rough terrain. After all, you don’t want to be buying your child a bike every year from the local bike shop so you need something to grow with them and their skill level.
This bike is designed to make sure you have a great ride whenever you want to get out there with the large tires that provide additional comfort and suspension. The Specialized Riprock is great for getting off the trails rather than just riding down smooth sidewalks and it has mechanical disc brakes, which are designed for stopping quickly and easily. There are even seven different speeds to choose from, which is great when the terrain starts to get a little rougher and your little one wants to keep right on going.
Though a little expensive, this bike comes in several colors and makes riding a whole lot better for your little one, so they can learn to love bike riding with the entire family. They’re definitely going to want to be out there with you once they get a chance to look at this.
With this bike, you’re going to spend a little bit less and you’re going to get a lightweight bike, which is great since most kid’s mountain bikes are really heavy. The Cannondale Trail offers six different speeds, so it works great on different terrain styles and is easy to shift from one speed to the next even for younger riders. It offers 20” wheels and works great on rough terrain as well as smoother. It has hand brakes that are similar to those on any adult bike and even though they’re not excellent, they’re still going to get a great performance that’s safe and comfortable for your child.
Available in a couple different colors and both a girls and boys style, this bike has front suspension, SmartForm C2 Alloy frame and sets your child up in the ideal position for bike riding so they’ll be comfortable and prepared as they switch to a larger bike later.
The Diamondbak Sync’r is definitely a sleek looking bike that lets you go all over as a cross-country rider. It’s light, made with alloy, and it has a lower frame style that makes it really easy to ride whenever you want. It has a SRAM 1x11 drivetrain that’s found on a number of adult bikes as well as hydraulic brakes and a Suntour fork, also common with adult bikes rather than youth ones. All-in-all, it’s great for a child who’s really into riding and wants to get serious about it.
The 24” wheels are large enough and comfortable enough for anything and the seat makes it great for children who have grown past their first bike and are looking for something that promotes a little more adventure. More expensive than most of the other options here, it’s definitely going to make sure your kids enjoy biking and that they will continue doing it for a long time.
If you’re looking for something that will help your child go from a children’s bike all the way up to a full-size one then you’re definitely looking for the Rocky Mountain Reaper. Though it’s going to cost more than any of the other choices, it’s able to use both 24” and 26” wheels, which means you’re going to have no problem transitioning this bike to fit a growing child. It has tunable shocks that can easily be changed as your child grows and it has plenty of suspension and slack angles that will help your child perform on the roughest terrain.
This bike has all the features you would look for on an adult bike and can easily keep your child entertained for any length of trip through any type of terrain, which is definitely the point. They’ll be able to ride it and enjoy it as well because the features are what they would expect to find on any bike, including one for an adult.
Finally, the Transition Ripcord is right at the high end though not quite as expensive as the Rocky Mountain Reaper. It provides everything your child could possibly need from the 24” wheels to the slack head angle. There’s even a short chainstay which helps to make sure they can climb up hills or ride over rocky terrain. The low standover and the lower handlebar height makes sure that they get plenty of longevity out of the bike itself and it provides you with 100 mm travel shocks, which are great for more advanced but still young riders.
There are hydraulic brakes to make sure that you can stop fast and 1x10 gearing so that they can always get up that hill the way that they want as well. With a moderate weight, compared to other mountain bikes and especially youth bikes, this one is something you’ll definitely want to consider. It comes in several colors and has everything you need to ride for an extended period.
With any of these bikes, you’re going to have no problem getting your kid out there and wanting to ride. They all let your child experience riding not just on their sidewalk, but through the park and even in rougher areas, which really makes the experience more fun. If you can show them the fun places they’ll be able to ride that mountain bike, they’re definitely going to be more interested in riding it for themselves, and it’s going to give them more options for speed and how they want to ride too, which is definitely a great aspect.
If you are familiar with the world of mountain biking, you'll know that the Gary Fisher collection is far more than a mere bicycle brand. He's thought of by some as the "godfather" of mountain bikes. After all, he was the one who came up with the name 'mountain bike' and evolved the concept of biking off road.
Nowadays, Gary Fisher still remains one of the most recognizable names in the mountain biking world. If you take your mountain biking seriously and are active enough, you've definitely seen at least several Gary Fisher Mountain Bikes roar by. Although they are no longer being manufactured, they are still considered top of the line when it comes to mountain bikes.
Gary Fisher mountain bikes are now under Trek and are called the Gary Fisher Collection. They have a history going back several decades.
Fisher himself was at the helm of the company from the 1970s into the 90s when it came upon a few bumps in the road and was consequently taken over by Trek. Presently, the partnership that exists between Trek and Fisher is unusual, being one that seems ideal for both parties. Trek manages the daily business and governs any investing in new technology or materials. This arrangement allows Fisher to do what he is famous for besides bike racing: Create and produce innovative designs that keep changing the standards of the industry.
Gary Fisher mountain bikes can be relied upon to have excellent specs and frames when placed side by side with other non-budget brands and plenty of bicycle shops carry them because of this. Fisher bikes have a geometry that’s quite unlike other accepted designed brands and when you first experience it, you will need some time to get accustomed to the feel.
It's highly recommended that you go to a professional bike shop for a fitting and trial ride before you choose this bike as the brand for you. However, once you get used to the Genesis and Genesis 2 geometry, which partners slow speed agility with stability at fast speeds, it's likely that you won't regret purchasing this bike.
Be forewarned, though, that some riders do say that the bikes are somewhat twitchy. On the other hand, others declare that they appear to handle line changes more smoothly going either uphill or downhill. The main theory behind Genesis Geometry is to raise the fork offset, so the position of your hand moves back and thus weights the front part of the bike better.
Back in 2002, Fisher moved into 29" bikes and apparently gave the 26" market to Trek. The concept behind having larger wheels is to provide a swifter, more stable, and easier ride. While Gary definitely wants to be the leader in the 29" field, he's now also involved with road biking and has been designing new bikes in that area. The Fisher line further builds a hybrid, commuter/lifestyle, cycle cross and bikes for kids.
Testing innovative designs like the first suspension system for bikes is a Fisher trademark. He tried out the use of tandem drum brakes, motorcycle brake levers, thumb shifters, and cables, the uni-crown fork, and a whole host of other ideas.
As for Fisher today, he shows no signs of slowing down. He still races and was inducted into the Mountain Bike Hall of Fame, and named the "Founding Father of Mountain Bikes" by Smithsonian magazine in 1994. He also does talent scouting for the company in the sport of mountain bike racing.
Gary Fisher Bikes introduced the 29er mountain bike to their line-up in 2002 and in the years since have worked to obtain a better response time and improve low-speed handling. These things are frequently problematic when it comes to these bikes with bigger wheels.
These bikes feature the G2 geometry that shrinks the handlebar reach and the size of the cockpit, which helps improve the fit difficulties that are a major problem for riders of smaller stature who want to purchase a 29er.
Here are some characteristics of the Gary Fisher 29er mountain bikes:
GarFisher also produces three full suspension mountain bike 29ers:
Gary Fisher mountain bikes also have among their 29ers a group of hardtailers:
So, while like Gary Fisher himself, the Gary Fisher brand hasn't gone away; it has now become a classic and still has fans worldwide. Most bicycle shops still sell the Gary Fisher mountain bikes and there is still a rock solid customer base for them. People even purchase them on eBay or directly from sellers online if not for themselves then to initiate their children into the Gary Fisher fan club.
Things at the company may not be like they used to be, but it was worth all the energy and effort that was expended to turn this into a top brand. Now it will live on and certain bikes have already become collector's items.
With new fans coming onto the bandwagon every day and old fans that stay loyal and true, this brand will be around for a long time yet. And it deserves to be because it still ranks among the best mountain bikes ever created.
Nowadays, there are so many different mountain bikes on the market. There are hardtail mountain bikes, dual suspension mountain bikes, full-suspension mountain bikes, ones with slim tires and other with super fat tires and so on. In fact, there are so many mountain bikes now that even some of the more experienced riders can become confused with what is available. What’s more, if you were to go to your local bike shop looking for the best mountain bikes available, the salesman will happily show you bikes that are anywhere from $2,000 to over $4,000. What he won't tell you, however, is that you can buy an excellent beginner mountain bike or a budget mountain bike for less than $1,000 that will still tackle some seriously rough terrain. Here is a list of the 10 best budget mountain bikes you can get that are $1,000 or under for 2017 and get on the first step to becoming a seasoned mountain biker:
This bike has a lightweight aluminum frame with a sleek and fashionable design to it. The really great thing about this bike is that the parts are of good, solid quality. For example, it has a SRAM drivetrain which makes for greater reliability.
One of the things that is best about the Diamondback Line Mountain Bike is the fact that it has 120 mm front suspension. Once the price of a bike hits $1,000 they usually have 12 cm front suspension and 9 gears. That boils down to having one ring at the front and 9 on the rear.
The handlebar on this bike is the widest of most bikes at 785 mm.
Now, this is the best fat bike for under $1000. Nowadays, the number of fat bikes purchased is steadily increasing because of their adaptability. They offer serious endurance and enable you to ride in all weather conditions, even snow and mud.
The frame of the Alton Mammoth 2.0 is made for 26" wheels. The weight of the bike is around 43 lb, which is heavy for a bike, but all other fat bikes weigh about the same amount and the many advantages to owning one are a lot greater than this one minor fault.
The Alton Mammoth 2.0 has 27 gears that rate entry to mid-level and are dependable.
Disc brakes are also a welcome part of this package and make stopping and controlling the bike a whole lot easier.
Too many gears. Around half the time fatbikes have only rear derailleurs, which is just fine.
Like all of the bikes in this range, the frame is 6061 aluminum. The front fork is an SR Suntour Raidon with 100 mm of travel and lockout/Rebound control. Its one flaw is that it doesn't allow a lot of adjustment. But it's still a great fork.
The components are basically SRAM. The rear derailleur and shifters are SRAM NX, mid-level components.
It has 29" diameter rims made by Weinmann. This size is quite popular. But Weinmann is known for making low to mid-level products and the rims are heavy.
The Rocky Mountain Soul 27.5 has an aluminium frame with a riding position that permits more trail riding. Because the frame is coil-sprung instead of the usual air-sprung, the fork allows this bike to be used for more rugged riding and gives it more durability as well.
While there isn't anything special to point out with this bike, there aren't any negatives either.
It provides a low price tag to go with a lot of cross country power. The Rockhopper Comp has both Shimano and SRAM on the drivetrain, plus 29” wheels. Also, the geometry of the bike is geared mostly toward trail riding. The end product is a bike that can tolerate a good, hard XC race every now and then and can also cope with the needs of a beginner.
The Specialized RockHopper Comp 29er has both Shimano and SRAM on the drivetrain.
There’s no real downside to this bike which is well worth the money.
Trek has teamed up with the man affectionately known as the grandfather of mountain biking, Gary Fisher, to produce some of the fastest cross country mountain bikes you can find. The G2 fork offset located on Trek's 29er bikes is the main reason for this. It serves to make the X-Caliber 8 feel comfortable at fast speeds, yet allows it to still perform great at low rates.
There is no real downside to this bike and it's offered at a great price too!
Now, the Scott Scale bike is created for speed and actually looks sharp and fast prior to ever hitting the trail. The fork is able to be adjusted to meet the special needs of every individual rider and also the internal cable routing is a nice plus to the sharp, fast look.
The reason the Motobecane Fantom 29 Elite brand is so impressive is that they have actually turned the creating of affordable spec bicycles into a style of art all their own. This particular bike has an aluminium frame and provides a host of amazing features.
The RockShox Recon Silver fork ranks high compared to most of the other available forks that cost about the same. It provides better legs, more freedom to adjust, and there is also a remote for the lockout that is placed on the bar.
In truth, this bike has so many positives about it that there really aren't any negatives to point out. So, if you're looking for a reasonably priced mountain bike, give this one a try and you might just find it's right for you.
The best feature of the GT Verb Comp—and there are many good things to say about it—is that it has full suspension but costs just $1,000. With an aluminium frame and ProMax Solve Hydro brakes, you get your money's worth with this bike and then some.
There aren't any negatives to report about this bike either.
One of the best features about the Marin Pine Mountain 1 bike is the plus-size 27.5" tires, sometimes called simply 27+. They are very wide and offer lots of traction and a nice, easy ride. This is one of only a few bikes that were built from chrome steel. It’s the perfect material for a mountain bike because steel takes up the bumps and isn't as stiff as a standard aluminium frame.
This bike is reasonably priced at just under $1,000 with durable frame material.
This bike has no suspension.
All in all, most of these road bikes may be a bit pricey, but they are all great buys for children who are just getting into riding. Give one of them a try today!