The 10 Best mountain bikes

From beginners to experts, the ideal options for off-road biking

view gallery VIEW GALLERY

1. Adventure Trail

£259.99, johnlewis.com

This well thought-out bike will give you that extra grip on rugged terrain, while the 21 gears will help you climb hills. The frame comes with a lifetime guarantee.

2. Carrera Vulcan

£359.99, halfords.com

Heavy, but this is excellent for beginners and features a 120mm travel Suntour fork with damping and lockout for when you switch to flat terrain riding.

3. Islabikes Beinn

£299.99, islabikes.co.uk

Aimed at children aged between five and 13, this superb bike features an uncomplicated range of seven or eight gears, which teaches children how to make accurate changes.

4. Ridgeback Honey

£125.99, hargrovescycles.co.uk

A good value children's bike with a rigid front fork, which means the bike is light and easy to control. It also reduces the stand-over height, so children can start slightly early.

5. Vitus Bikes Zircon 1

£759.99, chainreactioncycles.com

This is a well-built bike that offers amazing performance. Yes, it's expensive, but compared with others at this price, the kit it offers is immense.

6. Raleigh Talus 1

£250, raleigh.co.uk

Brand new this month, this bike's frame is tailored to a women's specific fit using patented AIRlite alloy tubing. Gear changing is slick and easy and pedalling is comfortable.

7. Specialized Rockhopper

£600, specializedconceptstore.co.uk

Specialized is the most respected brand. With hydraulic disc brakes and a plush suspension fork with lock-out, it's great for off-road biking.

8. Saracen Tufftrax

£339.99, evanscycles.com

Few bikes are stable enough to reassure newcomers at the same time as being flighty enough to provide rewards once they get the hang of things – but this one does both.

9. Scott Scale 29 Comp

£749, evanscycles.com

Twenty-nine-inch wheels are the latest trend. The idea is that with larger wheels, the bike rolls more easily over rocks and roots. Mountain Bike Rider magazine's Bike of the Year.

10. VooDoo HooDoo 29er

£499.99, halfords.com

This bike's alloy frame is both strong and light and it also boasts impressive stability and grip, together with the fantastic ability to roll over obstacles.

Independent Comment
blog comments powered by Disqus
Property search
News in pictures
World news in pictures
Life & Style blogs

Your chance to live in Winnie the Pooh’s home

Plus London's buy-to-let hotspots and a new property portal

How can the mortgage market recovery be helped?

Guest post by Richard Sexton, business development director of e.surv chartered surveyors

Where do most millionaires live in the UK?

Plus lateral thinking and living on London's waterways

       

Day In a Page

James Pembroke: The man who's eaten everywhere

The man who's eaten everywhere

Few people know more about restaurants than James Pembroke, who only spent five mealtimes at home during his entire childhood.
A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

A Berliner in 1963 – but did John F Kennedy once admire Adolf Hitler?

The young JFK praised 'superior' Nordic races during visits to Germany
Banned Iranian director Mohammad Rasoulof to attend Cannes Film Festival 2013, his first public appearance since prison

Banned Iranian director to attend Cannes Film Festival

Mohammad Rasoulof to make his first public appearance since being imprisoned three years ago
Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

Seeing the larger picture: Inspiring images of space

An exhibition explores images how photography has shaped astronomy
Eat Spam and carry on: Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating

Eat Spam and carry on

Wartime pamphlets could teach us a thing or two about healthy, thrifty eating
Facial hair: Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence

Facial hair

Cat beards and the purrrsuit of excellence
The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

The 10 Best salt and pepper sets

Whether they're for everyday use or to make your dining table look just right, it's worth getting a stylish shaker...
Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Ferran Soriano: Predicting success if Manchester City 'vision' is followed

Chief executive says trophies will come if a 'core' of suitable players is in place
Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

Thomas Müller: We couldn't handle losing a Champions League Final again

The Bayern Munich forward tells Tim Rich his side have to shed chokers' tag after two recent final defeats
Giro d'Italia: The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

The Stelvio Pass - cycling's killer climb

As the Giro d'Italia tackles the brutal climb, Simon Usborne takes on the snow and switchbacks – and soon realises what the fuss is about
National archives: Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Edward VIII’s phone calls - and how MI5 bugged them

Newly unearthed papers reveal a shocking extra dimension to the constitutional crisis over monarch’s abdication
Sent down at the Old Bailey: A tour of the world's most famous court

Sent down at the Old Bailey

A tour of the world's most famous court
Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

Hollywood's random acts of red-carpet kindness

The Hangover actor Zach Galifianakis’s date for his movie premieres isn’t arm candy  – it’s his 87-year-old friend who he saved from homelessness
British football scores an own goal

British football scores an own goal

Many managers barely survive a year in post. Martin Baker talks to experts who make a case for clubs using forensic business skills to find the best staff
James Lawton: Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again

James Lawton

Sergio Garcia cracks as major fault line opens up again