Best Mountain Bike Brands

Mountain bikes are a great way to get exercise, explore the outdoors, and have fun. Choosing the right bike can be tricky, but our list of top brands will help you narrow down your options. I have chosen these brands based on their reputation for quality construction and performance. Which mountain bike brand is your favorite? In this guide, I will introduce some of the best mountain bike brands in the world. The best mountain bike brands will be categorized into four different categories. First, the best mountain bike brands will be high-quality mountain bike manufacturers whose price will start from $3,000, then mid-range mountain bike brands of $2,000, and affordable mountain bike brands price start from $1,000 and the cheap mountain bike brands under $1,000. Let’s move forward to know about some good mountain bike brands.

Best High Range Mountain Bike Brands Start From $5,000

1. Mondraker

The brand that specializes in creating gravity-oriented bikes is the famous Mondraker. Mondraker is a young brand founded in 2001 by Miguel Pina, an avowed fan of comic books. Mondraker is the front center and long reach trend starter. This brand has aimed to get a position in the high-end market, and they achieved it. Having a bunch of best quality electric mountain bikes on the list makes this journey more easy and beautiful for them. They have launched 29er mountain bikes in all disciplines. Their best-selling e-bike is “crazy”, and non-e-bike is “muscle Bike”, these model has helped them reach another level. But their bikes are designed to ride by a skilled rider. If you aren’t active, you can’t get the most out of its geometry. Once you learn how to ride and trust the bike, you will feel inspiring, and confident to handle it perfectly. Some of their popular bike models are Podium & Chrono (Hardtail), F-Podium (Short Travel), Foxy (Mid-Travel), Superfoxy (Long-Travel), Summun (DH Bike), Level & Crafty (e-Bike). All their bikes cost between $5,000-$8,000.

Their lineup also includes kids full suspension mountain bikes, hardtail bikes, race hardtail, enduro bikes, e-bikes, downhill bikes, etc. And the price of kids’ bike starts from $1,600 and end at $11,300. 

2. Pivot Bike

A young company that achieved its goal in just a few years is the Pivot Cycle. Chris Cocalis founded this company in 2007 in Phoenix, Arizona. Pivot bike is another name of innovation and quality. Their innovation includes XC, Enduro, Trail, DH, Fat bike, E-Bike, Jump Bike, etc., so you will definitely find your match there. All their early mountain bike used a four-bar suspension system and carbon fiber frame. Only the dirt mountain bike is made with a steel frame. Due to this carbon fiber, most of the bikes of this brand cost a little higher.

Pivot mountain bike has an excellent reputation in the mountain bike industry due to its efficient and smooth design. And its specialty is the D-W Link Suspension license. Some of his brand’s most popular mountain bike models are Les(Hardtail), trail429 & Mach 4 (Short travel), Switchblade &Mach5.5 (Mid travel), Mach 6 & Firebird (Long Travel), Phoenix (DH Bike), Shuttle( e-Bike). The minimum price range of this brand starts from $5000 and a maximum of $13,000.

3. Revel Bike

A new brand with a goal to create the best full suspension mountain bike in the world has recently showed up. The brand is the Revel Bike. The team is working hard and paying attention to every little detail to make the dream come true. They are using carbon layup technology to create stiffer and stronger frames with less materials. They are new but going strong with a bunch of industry masters and fabulous riders. 

Some of Revel’s popular MTB models are Ranger( short Travel), rascal(Mid Travel), Rail(Long Travel). All the bikes of this new brand come with a lifetime frame warranty without asking how they got damaged or why you want a replacement. You can also demand a crash replacement program. Though this brand is new, they are not compromising with the price. They demand high prices as their creations are worth. You have to spend at least $5,000 to get an entry-level Revel MTB bike and $10,000 for the best one. 

4. Evil Bike

Kevin Walsh founded evil in Bellingham, Washington. Evil Mountain bikes are designed by mountain bike riders for mountain bike riders. So understanding mountain bike riders’ needs is very clear to them and makes it easy to create perfect MTB bikes. When the Iron Horse brands didn’t survive the team united and created Evil. Their first creation was Revolt that didn’t gain so much popularity but crossed the expectation.

Most of the evil bikes are created focused on descent trails. Along with a well-built body, the team concentrate on comfortability, and fun. When the brand was almost dead they created Carbon Downhill Bike that works like magic and saved the brand. Then Kevin started focusing on its craftsmanship and developed the frames and other parts.

Since then the past ten years was great for evil, they gain riders’ supports and now create amazing mountain bikes and gravel bikes. Some of the Evil popular models are Following (Short Travel), Offering &Wreckoning (Mid Travel), Insurgent (Long Travel). All the bikes of this brand come with a lifetime frame warranty. A beginner-level Evil Mountain Bike will cost you $5,000, and you have choices till $8,000. This is the price range of Evil.

Best Mid-Range Mountain Bike Brands Start From $3,000

5. IBIS Cycles

Ibis is one of the top mountain bike brands in the world. Scot Nicol founded this company in 1981 in his garage in Mendocino, CA, with the philosophy of creating bikes people will enjoy riding. They continuously tweak and improve their mountain bike designs, models and develop their quality. Making relevant bikes that last longer in this clever changing industry is booming in doing this.

The Mojo is an ideal example of this. Currently, this bike is on its fifth loop and is still riders favorite. Ibis produces great adventure-oriented bikes that are light but tough. Some of the favorite models of Ibis are Exie and Ripley for short travel, Ripmo for mid-travel, and Mojo for long travel. Getting an Ibis brand bike isn’t so easy. It’s one of the high-end range mountain bike brands. The lowest range of Ibis starts with $3000 and ends with $11,000. The reason of Ibis bike so pricey is its frame. This brand is using carbon as its frame materials for 18 years. Still, recently they have started manufacturing mountain bikes with an aluminum frame, so afterward, we will get some mountain bikes from the Ibis brands at a lower price. Almost all the mountain bike of this brand comes with a minimum of a 7-year warranty.

6. Intense Cycles

Remember Jeff Steber of Temecula, CA? He is the founder of Intense cycle, and the credit for creating the first full-suspension double crown DownHill mountain bike goes to him. Back in 1994, he created the prototype of the popular M1 (Down Hill) that became a benchmark in the Mountain biking industry at that time.

This brand has never left attempting to bring a new updated mountain bike. And they are nailing it perfectly. All of their mountain bikes, especially the recently launched 951 Series two models: 951 Trail Bike and 951 XC, are ruling the market. Both the bikes are beginner-friendly.

Intense has designed these two bikes for entry-level mountain bike riders. Some more popular models of mountain bikes are Snipers(Short Travel), Primer & Carbine(Mid-Travel), Tracer(Long Travel), M29(DownHill), Tazer (e-MTB). Intense mountain bikes are budget-friendly. All the high-quality MTB bikes of this bikes come between $3,000-$8000. 

7. Yeti Bike

Yeti mountain bike brand was first introduced in 1985 by John Parker. This brand is mainly recognized for its iconic mountain bike, the turquoise-colored FRO Model. Yeti mountain bikes are designed with flexible frames, lightweight and smaller in sizes for easy riding, and offer pedaling efficiency. In 1995 Schwinn took over the Company and took it to another level with their great efforts. Due to being technology advanced yeti race, the thriller MTB bike got the support of DownHill riders. Some of Yeti’s popular model MTB bikes are ARC(Hardtail), SB 115 (Short Travel), SB 140 & SB130 (Mid Travel), SB 150 & SB 165( Long Travel). Want to get a Yeti MTB bike? Get ready to pay a premium price, yeti is also not an affordable brand. Its prices start from $3000-$9000.

8. Transition Bike

Kyle and Kevin Menard started Transition Bike 20 years ago in 2001 in Washington. From the beginning, this brand is still maintaining its level of transparency and the approachability that has made its journey more smooth. Their goal was to create a company that is accessible and relatable to its potential customer till the company survives. You will get every type of mountain bike from trail to downhill under this brand. Transition isn’t a company to increase the profits margin, they want to create quality bikes that people enjoy riding and remain under a budget. Some of their popular model of MTB bikes are Spur ( Short Travel), Sentinel & Scout ( Mid Travel), Spire & Patrol (Long Travel), TR 11 ( DownHill).

They create high-end mountain bikes with carbon frames, so it’s obvious their price is a little more than affordable. But they have kept some variety so you can choose the one that fits your budget. They also have a cash replacement option, if you face any problem, just demand it. The price range of transition bikes is $3,000-$9,000.

9. Santa Cruz Bronson

Santa Cruz Bronson is the most popular and affordable brand that is loved by every stage of people. They have varieties of options in various price ranges. Their designs are innovative and progressive. All their bikes are solidly built, and every bike gets an upgrade in a few years. So be worry-free about getting an old stylist bike just because the model is old. You will get the latest features and technology implemented bikes in every creation of Santa Cruz’s bike. And the lifetime frame warranty option is also there with lifetime bearings.

Some popular models of Santa Cruz Bicycles are Chameleon & Highball ( Hardtail), Tallboy & Blur ( Short Travel), Bronson & Hightower ( Mid Travel), Megatower & Nomad ( Long Travel), V10 ( DownHill), Heckler &Bullit ( e-Bike). So what will be the price range of this brand’s extremely engineered mountain bikes? It’s affordable $2,000-$11,000. Isn’t it surprising? If you are on a tight budget, purchase an entry-level MTB bike without compromising with quality, and if you have enough budget go with the high level for a better riding experience. 

Best Affordable Mountain Bike Brands Start From $1000

10. Salsa

In the 1980s, Ross Shafer founded this salsa cycle focusing on producing custom stems and bicycle frames. But they couldn’t survive a long; in 1997, QBP ( Quality Bike Products) took over salsa. Then they start making full-suspension mountain bikes to rigid bikes. They focused on making the ride fun rather than improving speed and performance.  They have four frame options ALuminum, Titanium, Chromoly steel, and carbon fiber. One specialty of salsa is that they allow an easy conversation to a single-speed from the rear derailleur and permit different hub standards and adjustable wheelbase.

Some of the Salsa popular bike models are Timberjack & Rangertinder ( Hardtail), Horsethief & Spearfish (Short Travel), Blackthorn & Rustler ( Mid Travel), Cassidy ( Long travel). This brand is B Corporation certified, and service of parts is available at any local shop with QBP access. Their frames come with a 2-5 years warranty. All types of bikes’ prices start from $1,000-$7,000. Choose a bike that matches your budget and fulfills your needs.

11. Scott Bike

Do you know about a Skier and an engineer who had developed the first ski pole of aluminum? They are the founder of Scott sports. They had established Scott in 1958 in Sun Valley. They manufacture swiss bicycles and accessories. Scott was designing many types of road cycles and accessories in the market in the 1980s. But it gained more popularity with its mountain bike series in the 1990s. After letting the world know about its presence now they are focusing on manufacturing more quality and upgraded mountain bike lanes. Hope it will rule the market like it’s been doing for 60 years.

Some of their popular models of mountain bikes are Sark Hardtail & Scale ( Hardtail), Spark (Short Travel), Genius (Mid Travel), Ransom ( Long Travel), Gambler ( Downhill), Contessa eRide & Strike eRide( e-Bike). The bike frame comes with a 5-year warranty but only on a limited dealer network.

Scott bikes have a proprietary TwinLoc system that allows controlling geometry and suspension remotely from handlebars. Their starting price is very low according to quality. Their price range is $1,000-$14,000.

12. Rocky Mountain Bicycles

Rocky mountain bicycles’ journey started in a Vancouver store in 1978. Two men started modifying the Nishiki road bike with the aim of creating a bike that will be perfect for riding on technical trails. They added straight handlebars, wider tires, and five-speed gears to reach their goal. Finally, in 1981, this brand was officially launched, and its first mountain bike, “Sherpa” was introduced in 1982. In 1997 the pro cycle take over this brand and named it rocky mountain bike in 2019.

This brand has won the “mountain bike of the year” award three times in “Mountain Bike Magazine.” Some of their popular model of bikes are Growler (Hardtail), Element ( Short Travel), Instinct & Thunderbolt (Mid Travel), Altitude & Slayer ( Long Travel), Altitude Powerplay & Growler Powerplay & Instinct Powerplay( e-Bike). All of their bikes come with a 3-5 years warranty. Their price isn’t too high; they have kept it at a level so almost everyone can afford it. Usually, their bikes come with carbon frames, but they have also kept the aluminum frame options available to lower the price. To get a rocky mountain bike you have to spend a minimum of $1,000  and can spend $10,000 if you have enough budget. 

13. Diamondback

Diamondback was introduced as a BMX brand in 1977 in the western state of California. It’s a well-recognized international mid-type bicycle brand with high-end prototypes. Diamondback has developed a trail bike platform, “Release”, after that, they developed the level link, the first-ever patent-pending suspension. Along with “Release,” they also offer BMX, full suspension, Women’s Bike, Youth’s bike, dual sport cruisers, hybrid, comfort, road bikes, hardtails, and performance hybrid. 

Some of their popular models of bikes are Sync’r & Line & Mason ( Hardtail), Atroz ( Short Travel), Release & catch (Mid Travel), Mission ( Long Travel). Between $1,000- $5,000 all types of high-quality diamondback bikes are available for you. You can invest in a diamondback mountain bike without thinking twice. Especially if you are looking for entry-level bikes without spending too much money, get one of this brand; their quality is worth your money.

14. Giant Bike

King Liu and some of his friends started Giant company in 1972 in Dajia, Taiwan. In 1987 they introduced their first carbon bike. After a few years, the chief executive Tony Lo made a deal with Schwinn and started manufacturing MTB bikes like OEM. This deal has gone too far and brought too many sales in the U.S., by 2017, Giant has sold 6.6 million bikes, and the revenue was $1.9 billion. In 2018, Giant already reached its goal; they have made sales worldwide, in more than 50 countries of the world, within 12,000 retail stores.

Some of their popular bike models are Fathom & STP & XTC (Hardtail), Stance (Short Travel), Reign & Trance ( Mid Travel), Reign E+ & Trance E+ & Stance E+ & Fathom E+ ( e-MTB. They provide good value MTB bikes with a good warranty within the dealer network. Though their bikes are a bit generic, they are still one of the largest bike frame manufacturers. People love and trust this brand. And this happens due to having a ton of experience in this industry. Their pricing range stat from $1,000-$9,000.

Best Cheap Mountain Bike Brands Start From $159

15. Mongoose Bike

When your budget is low but searching for a good bike, mongoose can be the best choice. It’s a reputed leading MTB bike brand. Skip Hess founded it in the mid-70s in Southern California. Their first bike was a BMX bike, and they continued only selling BMX bikes for a few years. But now, they developed different types of bikes like cross country, full suspension, etc. Mongoose is growing rapidly due to its innovative ideas. It was the first brand to cast magnesium alloy wheels.

They are designing and developing 90s bikes and making those old bikes stronger and more beautiful. Most of the mongoose bikes are found in almost all departmental stores and also on amazon. Some of the mongoose’s popular bikes are Boot’R ( Full-Suspension), Tyax 27.5 expert women’s (Hardtail), Rockadile 24 girls ( XC),  Fireball SS (DirtJump), Argas 26Comp (Fat BIke). Mongoose has all ranges of bikes. Their entry-level bikes start from  $159, and the highest a bike can cost you is $2,999.

16. Schwinn Bike

Schwinn is one of the oldest bike manufacturers that is running successfully with 125 years reputation. Ignaz Schwinn, a mechanical engineer, had founded Schwinn in Chicago in 1985. In the ’90s market had become very competitive; at that time, Schwinn’s sales also have dropped, and they had declared bankruptcy. Pacific bought this iconic Schwinn brand and started it again as a sub-brand of pacific.

In the 20th century, Schwinn stand again and became the biggest bike manufacturer in the USA. Now Schwinn is manufacturing all types of bicycles like road bikes, MTB, Hybrid, Electric, Urban, Cruiser, and Kids. Some of Schwinn’s popular models are Mesa &Traxion &High Timber & Moab ( Men’s bike), Mesa & Step-Thru ( Women’s Bike), High Timber & Protocol (Kid’s Bike). You can expect an entry-level Schwinn MTB bike at $400 and high-end MTB bike options at $6,000.

17. Kona Bike

Dan Gerhard and Jacob Heilbron founded Kona in Vancouver, BC in 1988. Kona is the brand introducing the top tube MTB bike frame designs. Kona usually offered only road bikes for a few years, but now they have made a comeback with MTB bikes, and their upgraded geometry and several bike models and affordable range have made it popular just in a few years. Now they offer Road bikes, Commuter bikes, Cyclocross bikes, MTB bikes, etc. Kona is a little difficult to find online as most of their dealer network is offline.

They are selling in over 60+ countries worldwide. They use four ranges of materials like titanium, carbon fiber, steel, and aluminum. Some of Kona’s popular models are Honzo & Kahuna (Hardtail), Hei Hei & Process134 (Short Travel), Process 153 (Mid Travel), Process X (Long Travel), Operator (DHBike), Remote & EI Khuna (e-MTB). This long-lasting brand provides an all-bike lifetime frame warranty. The price range of Kona starts from $600 and ends at $11,000.

18. Marin Bike

Marin was founded in Marin country of California in 1986 by Bob Buckley. The goal of Marin was to create affordable MTB bikes, so every rider could enjoy riding with a good quality MTB bike at an affordable price. And they did it; they made a huge lineup of different types of MTB bikes with different budgets. You will get low-price to high price MTB bikes under the Merin brand. Gravel bikes to e-bikes, Road bikes, Beach Cruisers, Full Suspension are all available to help you have fun over the two wheels. Some of Marin’s popular bikes are San Quentin &EI Roy & Bobcat & Trail & Wildcat Trail (Hardtail), Rift Zone ( Short Travel), Alpine Trail ( Mid Travel), Alpine Trail E ( e-MTB).

This brand makes everyone says wow with its simple designs and originality. They are committed to minimizing impact and sustainability. This is another cheap bike brand that produces good quality at less price. Their pricing starts from $500 and ends at $6,000.

19. Trek Bike

Bevill Hogg and Dick Burke have founded this brand in Wisconsin, red barn in waterloo. It was in 1976 when they started with only five employees. Their first creation was with a touring steel frame, then they evolved and started manufacturing racing bikes, & MTB bikes with Aluminum and carbon materials.

They introduced the first aluminum bike in 1985 and carbon bike in 1989. Trek is another biggest bike manufacturer in the world. They manufacture full suspension bikes, road bikes, mountain bikes, gravel bikes, downhill bikes, etc. They stay ahead with their technology implemented on mounted bikes. They give priority to creating more and more options for the MTB entry-level bikes. Some of their popular line-up bikes are Marlin & Procaliber & Roscoe & X-Caliber ( Hardtail), Supercaliber, & Fuel EX & Top Fuel (Short Travel), Remedy ( Mid Travel), Slash (Long Travel),  Domane & Madone (Road bikes), Session ( DH Bike), E-Caiber & Powerfly( e-MTB).

All their bikes come with a lifetime frame warranty. They have a variety of bike types and customization options. Their pricing starts from $400 and ends at $11,000.

Trek offers all categories and all ranges of price points. So every type of cyclist can have their best match bike from this brand. They have more than 40 options of bikes for you. 

Conclusion

When it comes to mountain bikes, the best brands in the world will always be compared to each other. That’s why I put together this list of top mountain bike brands, and I am sure you’ll find one that suits your needs. Now that you know what makes a good mountain bike brand, take some time to consider which one would be right for you.