Mountain bikes are easy to find especially when the budget is not your constraint, but if you need lightweight mountain bikes that can quickly climb the sturdy and rough terrains, then finding the best mountain bikes over 1500$ is a task. The mountain bikes are expensive especially if you look for quality whether you buy your first mountain bike or upgrade the existing one for better performance.
There are full suspension bikes, hardtail bikes that are sturdy and meant for hardcore performance. Read in detail how to choose best mountain bikes over 1500$ to dig deeper into the best mountain rocky mountain bikes to have the perfect mountain biking experience.
Mountain Bikes: Why Are They So Expensive?
The first thing to understand if you plan to buy a mountain bike is that these bikes are expensive even if you plan to invest in the entry-level models. The whole mechanism of the mountain bikes involves the complicated suspension system along with the braking system to function with precision especially when the bike is so lightweight. Also, the manufacturing of the frame requires substantial material that is costly.
Equipped with a massive cost of warranties and marketing policies, the prices of these mountain bikes scale up to 3000$ with all features. You can opt for Diamondback Bicycles Mission 1 Complete All Mountain Full Suspension 27.5″ Bike that is rated among the best full suspension mountain bike under 3200$. The maximum price of the high-end model of mountain bikes would cost you around 8000$.
But, if you prefer to buy the inexpensive models, then you can opt for the best affordable mountain bike that includes best mountain bikes under 1500$, 1000$, 500$ and even 200$. You can opt for Mongoose Dolomite Fat Tire Mountain Bike, that is categorized among the best mountain bikes under 500$.
How to choose Best Mountain Bikes Over $1500
There are plenty of mountain bikes available in the market that may appeal to one and not suitable for other users. So, there is a need to consider desirable factors for choosing the best mountain bikes over $1500 that are mentioned below:
Bike styles
Mountain biking is becoming a preferred recreational activity that attracts people to get fitter and healthy while pursuing this adventure sport. So, if you are keen to take your biking passion to a more realistic plan, then it’s important to know more about the bike styles and make up your mind about them. As perfect choice such, the bike styles are segregated into five different categories incorporating trail bike, all-mountain bike, fat bike, downhill bike, and cross-country bike.
What’s more interesting is that you look out for best mountain bikes for women as you can go for Huffy Mountain Bike Summit Ridge w/ Shimano & Trail Tires available at less than $200. There are also the best kids mountain bikes. There is 20″ Huffy Summit Ridge 6-Speed Hardtail Mountain Bike for girls that are available at less than $200 and Roadmaster 24″ Granite Peak Boys Mountain Bike, Green for boys and is highly cost-effective with pricing that falls under $200.
Suspension Type
Whether you prefer to opt for a rigid mountain bike full-suspension bike or a hardtail bike is entirely a matter of personal preference. The rigid suspension bikes are meant for someone who prefers to have a traditional bicycle experience while hardtail bike offers a mix of flexibility and robust quality.
The full-suspension bikes are designed for more comfortable transitions from simpler to advanced trails. But, the most recommended mountain bike would be hardtail bikes as they are lighter on the budget and provide the ruggedness while climbing the mountains.
Low Maintenance
If you look out for a bike with low-maintenance, then hardtail would be perfect for long term performance without any hassle. One of the best hardtail mountain bike 2021 is Diamondback Bikes Sync’r 27.5 Hardtail Mountain Bike that is acknowledged among the best mountain bike over 1500$. As the full-suspension bike needs more maintenance owing to its rear linkage that also makes the bikers opt for hardtail bikes.
The user requires to work on maintaining pivots, bearings, and brushings with regular cleaning, re-greasing and protecting them from rusting out. Also, the users can keep off the trail with the bike especially when the body is covered with mud, so it becomes effortless to do the cleanup task.
The famous bikes like Santa Cruz Chameleon or Cannondale Cuzo are great for mountain bike enthusiasts as these bikes can keep pace with full-suspension bikes and are a lot easier to maintain. So, if you need a single bike to help you go through the toughest terrain, then the full-suspension bike is all you need to have for extreme mountain bike experience.
Tire Size
Tire size is another important criteria while selecting the bike as currently 2.35 inches of tires are recommended for hardtail bikes. But, the hardcore mountain bikes also feature the tires having the size of 2.4, 2.5 and even 2.6 inches for maximum precision. Also, the users tend to have a lot of traction and less of a smoother ride with wide tires, especially when going uphill and there is more resistance for best results.
Wheel Size
Earlier mountain bikes were designed with 26-inch wheels, but with time the changes have been introduced, and now 27.5 inch and 29-inch wheel sizes are preferred. The three different sizes of wheels have their pros and cons. The 26-inch wheel is considered a standard size for all bikes offering much better control. It becomes the preference of novice riders for choosing the 26-inch wheel for their mountain biking experience.
But, the 29-inch wheel size is designed for hard-core fitness enthusiasts to have a more dynamic biking experience. It must be understood that large-sized wheels intend to provide much higher speed to offer a smooth way through tough terrains. It is this feature that most of the mountain bikers look forward towards having momentum and facing the challenging trails with maximized performance.
The 27.5-inch wheels offer a perfect middle ground between the two extremes as the 26-inch wheel is best for casual riders and 29-inch wheels are meant for hardcore biking enthusiasts. All those mountain bikers who prefer to have a standard wheel size that is relatively more than that of beginners and less than that of high-level of the aggressive bikers can opt for a 26-inch wheel. These wheels provide the benefit of amazing mobility on the rough terrains while offering stability and control over challenging terrains.
Drivetrain and Gears
Having a good number of gears in bike say 20 gears appears amazing as compared to that of having the 12 gears in a bike. But, it must be understood that handling a bike with 20 gears is more challenging to handle as compared to the bike having less number of gears. Once climbing, the user requires to make quick changes to respond to the ascents and descents on the way.
Also, the transition from big to small chainring on the front is challenging as it involves complexity and excess weight. 1×11 drivetrain is the current favorite of the manufacturers as it helps the bike to handle the ascents and descents with the budget-friendly price range. The manufacturers prefer to keep the cost down with the use of front derailleur like Giant Stance having the value of $2000.
But, with the modification of technology, the use of larger rear cassettes in Salsa Timberjack NX Eagle is adopted while the use of a front derailleur looks completely obsolete even in the models of bikes over $1500.
Weight
While searching for a mountain bike over $1500 weight is the area that you have to compromise a bit. As with the advancement of technology, bikes become lighter in weight and higher on the price criterion. The weight of the mountain bike appears to be a minor concern especially for the casual riders, but if your biking terrains involve single tracks or rough climb up fire roads, then excessive weight can be a matter of concern for a biker.
The manufacturers keep the bikes on the lighter side of the weight as they don’t have to incorporate costly rear shock and linkage for effective results. The weight of the bike is reduced owing to the shift to tubeless set-up. When the tubes set-up is not included in the bike’s components, then a substantial rotational weight is reduced from the design of the bike and that too without incurring extra cost.
The lower PSI further adds to the traction and convenience without having a fear of flatting. There are many bikes which have tubeless tires, but it’s important to check the compatibility of the rims. There can be set up of the standard rim tubeless, but initially, the process may require some time to set up.
Frame materials
The aluminum alloy is considered as a most preferred frame material for the mountain bike owing to its light-weight and durability. In the expensive mountain bikes usually, the better quality aluminum alloy is used for adding years of performance. With the advancement of technology, the lighter aluminum is manufactured that helps to reduce the weight of the frame and preferably used in the high-end models of the mountain bikes.
Steel is quite sturdy and inexpensive, but still, it is not used in the frame of mountain bikes. The reason is that steel appears to be too heavy for a mountain bike and it virtually becomes tough to run the bike on the rough terrains with a heavyweight bike. There are other materials like carbon fiber and titanium that can be used in the frame of the mountain bikes.
These materials are sturdy and lightweight, but they are too pricey to use in the bike. Bikes are using this material like Le SuperBike but then this bike ranges too high on the price that makes it a bike with a limited number of users.
Trails You Want To Ride
It is essential to decide on the kind of terrains that you plan to ride your bike that makes an integral part of your choice of the bike. So, you can check out what type of trails are found in your towns like trail hardtails, short-travel trail bikes, mid-travel trail bikes, cross-country bikes or enduro bikes. Also, you need to decide your bike by considering the factor of how often you would prefer to go biking.
It’s time to choose…
If you prefer having the adventurous days of biking on the harsh terrains of the mountains, then you need more than a regular bicycle. All you need is to have a mountain bike that is equipped with advanced features to go through the tough challenges of risky and dangerous mountain areas.
Conclusion
Having the perfect mountain bike is key to experience the great mountain bikes with rough terrains. But choosing the best bike depends upon your preference, kind of trails in your area and understanding the key features of a mountain bike help in making a sound decision. To sum up, mountain biking is a great adventure sport that keeps you happy and thrilled with loads of excitement.
Many brands in the market offer different mountain bikes having cost-effective bikes to the high-end bikes that are compact and lightweight. So, considering the factors mentioned above help the users to make an intelligent choice depending upon their usability and requirement.
