For mountain bikers, it matters a lot to know what the company they are buying a bicycle from represents. This may be the history, ethos, background, latest news, and reviews of the company. While there are loads of brands to choose from, serious mountain bikers are basically entrusting their wellbeing to these brands. This is why it matters a lot to choose one you fully rely on. As for the price, well the sky is the limit. You can buy anything from $500 to $12000 when it comes to proper, almost dream level, mountain bikes. As a rule of thumb though, we would recommend going for a $500 bicycle. A sweet spot for a lot of enthusiasts is from around $1000 to $2000 as it gives a reliable quality and longevity for the product at hand.
As already mentioned, there are a multitude of companies releasing mountain bikes. Starting from value-oriented companies like Diamondback to carbon-only super reliable Giant Manufacturing. Here we will briefly go through some of the manufacturers that represent the best of the industry.
1. Trek Bikes
Trek Bikes is one of the biggest brands in the industry. This is a Wisconsin-based manufacturer, which produces one of the highest quality bikes across every price point. The most well-known series from Trek are road bikes popularized by Lance Armstrong in his Tour de France competitions. However, their mountain biking lineup presents are a huge variety of bicycles that are of top quality in the industry. The most well-known bicycles in the category are called Trek Fuel EX presumed by most of the people to be the jack of all trades. In fact, the popularity is pushing the boundaries of just about anything starting from overall professional cyclists to even some of the online casinos like Spinia.com showcasing these models as a warm-hearted gift to people who win their moderate jackpots.
While Trek is far away from the cutting-edge innovators of the industry, it has always remained relevant in the hearts and minds of the cycling community. They have supported and sponsored a lot of different athletes like Brandon Semenuk and Emily Batty. Additionally, what grows confidence in their products is the lifetime warranty on their frames, which they are known to honor fully. Trek is also one of those brands that let you fully customize your bike with their Project one online bike builder. Freedom is much appreciated by the community. This is why Trek is my favorite brand to this day.
2. Giant Manufacturing
Giant was founded in 1972 in Taiwan. Giant Manufacturing is one of the most popular brands out there working for numerous top cycling brands. There are not many bike manufacturing factories and Giant is the largest source out there. Their most known in-house brand is simply called Giant, which was started up in 1981. The most known bike they have manufactured is called Trance Line, which is one of the best all-around bikes from the company. The geometry may be a bit out of date, however, there is no comparison when it comes to price over the value. It does not matter whether the cyclist is a beginner or an experienced rider Giant has it all for everyone at any price point. The Trance line is usually the go-to for people who want the best all-around bike as it has always been a trail/all-mountain concept since it was created 15 years ago.
While Trek gets the most worldwide brand recognition, Giant is still one of the biggest fish in the industry. While they are not at the forefront of innovation, they always end up giving the best value for the buck. As a good addition, Giant Manufacturing also launched a sub-brand called Liv Cycling, which is a women-only cycling brand with the motto for women by women. In general, the quality of Liv meets exactly the same standards as the Giant itself so it is a great option for any female interested in picking up mountain biking.
3. Specialized
Specialized is a brand founded in 1970 and can be credited with jump-starting the popularity of mountain biking in the United States of America as a whole. Although the firm manufactures its bikes in Taiwan (which is already an industry standard at this point), the brand is deeply rooted in California. The most popular model in their lineup is a Stumpjumper. It was introduced in 1981 and is officially the first mass-produced mountain bike across the world with the company offering more than 20 different full-suspension variations to this day. The brand in general has anything for anyone whether you are a starter or already a professional cyclist Specialized will not disappoint.
Specialized is one of those companies that always strive to innovate. They have been developing e-bike, Turbo Levo, for years already while other companies are still picking up the phase. Not only that but Specialized is also on top of the accessory market as well with their SWAT Technology or “Storage, Water, Air, and Tools,” which is an all-around accessory sold separately or sometimes even with specific bikes.
Overall, Specialized is among the most notorious bike manufacturers out there with all good and bad that comes with it. Most recently in 2013, they have issued a cease-and-desist letter to a small bike and cafe shop in Canada because it shared the same name as their bicycle, Roubaix. Interestingly it is also a popular biking destination in France. However, due to the community backlash, the legal team came to senses and reversed the course saving the reputation of the company.
4. Diamondback
Diamondback was founded back in the 1970s and was primarily focused on BMX bikes. However, as time passed the company has moved into the market and became more of an all-around bike manufacturer. It used to be very popular back in the day with some notorious bikes like WCF carbon hardtail and Viper BMX, however, due to some uncanny decisions that the company has made the reputation was all but covered in mud. It started catering to big-box stores rather than what the community wanted.
Currently, Diamondback is based in the Seattle area and is aiming to reclaim its long lost glory. With their new release “Release 3,” they have created a rig that is of great value and does justify the price point of $3000. What is more important is that similar to Giant Manufacturing, Diamondback also provides bikes at multiple price points. This means that a person who is more concerned with the price they are paying rather than the logo of the most popular company in the world may find something unique and worthy in the selection of Diamondback bikes. As a great addition, the bikes can be bought straight from their website, which is not something a lot of bike manufacturers offer.
In conclusion, there are a multitude of different companies that offer affordable as well as high-quality bicycles for all-around purposes and not only mountain biking. Some honorable mentions go to companies like Yeti Cycles, Cannondale, Salsa Cycles, Evil Bikes Co., Ibis, and etc. There are too many to count. All of them offer an extremely good selection of bikes, which means that one can find exactly what they are looking for quite easily. For people who are not familiar with the bicycles in general and just want to pick up the trade and not invest too much money, we would definitely recommend Giant Manufacturing. They offer huge quantities of awesome bikes at different price points and as a rule of thumb, you can’t go wrong with any of these companies.
Article Submitted By Community Writer