Bike Brands and Models You Should Check Out

Once you figure out your riding style you can start to try and figure out the best bike for your budget. Of course there are the big names such as Specialized, Giant and Trek but there are other lesser known brands that offer great bikes as well such as Yeti and Scott. And once you pick a model many times there will be different levels of components for that model that will affect the price and performance of the bike. So once you have your price point and know the type of bike you want whether it be cross country, all mountain, freeride, downhill, 29er and so on, then it's time to go shopping.

One of the most well known brands of mountain bike manufacturers is Specialized. They make a wide variety of bikes for different riding styles and have something for everyone. If you want only plan on going downhill then check out the Demo. If you want some cross country action then have a look at the Camber for full suspension or HardRock for hardtail action. If you want something that does a little of everything then you may like the Stumpjumper which comes in 26 and 29 inch versions.

Specialized Demo 8

Another brand known for their Active Pivot Braking which allows the bike's suspension to work freely whether the rider is on the brakes or not is Trek. The Rumblefish is a popular 29er model that comes in 3 different levels and offers full suspension to help handle the bumpy trails. Trek also has a variety of bikes from hardtails to the full downhill Session model.

Trek Rumblefish

Giant has been in the bike business for some time and has a large variety of models for all kinds of riding styles. The Anthem is popular for cross country riding and even comes in a 27.5 inch model for those who can't choose between a 26 and 29 inch wheel bike. Other popular well designed bikes are the Trance for all purpose riding and the Reign for all mountain fun.

Giant Trance

Cannondale is another brand that is known for their quality and design. They offer everything from cross country bikes to freeride bikes with different component levels for most of their bikes. Cannondale claims to have built the first full suspension bike (The EST) back in 1990 so they know what they are doing when it comes to bikes. Their Jekyll model has been around for years and is still going strong and is even offered with a carbon fiber frame. They call this type of bike an OverMountain bike which pretty much means an all mountain type of bike. Although they don't offer a full downhill bike they do have the Claymore which can take some abuse at the bike park if needed. Part of Cannondale's appeal was that many of their bikes were handmade in the USA but that's not the case anymore since they moved production to Taiwan.

Cannondale Jekyll

Now there are other name brand bikes out there as well which are worthy of your money but there are also some lesser known brands that deserve your attention as well. Brands like Yeti and Santa Cruz have been in the mountain bike business for years but you don't see as many of them on the trails but they make great bikes. If you are looking for some downhill or bike park bikes then you should check out Transition, Kona and Intense because that's what they specialize in.

Transition TR450

The bottom line is that it's up to you to do your homework and do things such as read reviews, post on bike forums and hit up demo days at your local bike shop to find what bike is best for you. But it's always best to have a good starting point or maybe choose a few models that you are interested in to do some comparisons on.

To summarize here are some of the top brands when it comes to mountain bikes that you may want to check out while doing your research.

• Specialized
• Trek
• Giant
• Cannondale
• Yeti
• Santa Cruz
• Transition
• Kona
• Scott
• Rocky Mountain
• Pivot
• Banshee

These brands offer models that cover every riding type so you should be able to find something that suits your needs. And if not then there are other brands as well!

 

Posted by Preston Mason