Top 5 VALUE Hardtails to Buy in 2024
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- čas přidán 16. 05. 2024
- Hardtail mountain are making a come back, and for good reason! They're fun, lightweight, and best of all, inexpensive. But with so many great bikes on the market these days it can be hard to choose the best bike for you; which is where we come in! After you finish watching our list of the top five hardtails under $2,000 we'd buy in 2024 let us know which ones are your favorite in the comments.
Learn more about each bike on our website! 99spokes.com/best-bikes/top-5...
TIMESTAMPS:
00:00 Intro
00:46 Criteria
01:12 Best Do-It-All Hardtail 99spokes.com/bikes/trek/2023/...
03:25 Best XC Hardtail 99spokes.com/bikes/canyon/202...
06:25 Best Aggressive Hardtail 99spokes.com/bikes/marin/2024...
09:13 Best Budget Hardtail 99spokes.com/bikes/cannondale...
12:17 Best Specced Hardtail 99spokes.com/bikes/commencal/...
#mtb #hardtailmtb #mountainbiking - Sport
More love for the Roscoe, I ride mine everywhere over everything even though it's only the 7, the frame is really what it's about....anything that breaks or wears out will be replaced with better gear but it is a truly do it all bike, I used to ride dual sus a few years ago but was really missing that connected/direct hardtail feeling.
That’s a great way to do it, just upgrade what you need as you need it!
Replace my 7 fox seat post ang orange factory
Great overview video! In that Cannondale Habbit you said you’d love to see them find a way to fit an air fork. They are really teasing with the XCR, because you can affordably swap the coil spring for an air spring on that fork.
That cool, I didn’t know that!
Love my 23’ Ragley Big Wig. I’ve specked it myself, with 34 Fox Factory at 140mm, Magura MT5 brakes, CB 170mm dropper and SRAM GX drivetrain. Spank 359/350 with Spank hubs, covered in Maxxis Agassi/ DHR2. The geo works great for aggressive riding and the 4130 frame soaks up a lot of chatter. Weights just at 31.5 lbs for a large. Swapping to a lighter tire, I could easily dip below 30 lbs.
I'm a huge Ragley fan, and your build sounds awesome!! Way to go!
I have the Trek Rascoe 7 2023. Love it 140mm of front fork travel and a dropper post. I can still hit 3’ jumps no problem on this, I got it for $1650
Nice!!
Love my Marin San Quentin-2 (upgraded to my dream build) 🤩 so crazy superbike
Great job at covering all the details
Thank you!! Glad you liked it!
Loving my Ragley BluePigRace,Bought end of March this year for £1500, and what a spec for the price,Lyric select 160mm,SLX Drivetrain and 4 pot brakes with 'finned' pads,XT shifter and rear mech,Horizon V2 wheels with Maxxis rubber,175mm dropper..and a quality paint job..63.5 head angle .Ha!
Nice, that sounds like a really solid build, I bet it rips!
Super stoked on my Nukeproof Scout 290. Definitely a great all mountain bike. Flows and corners beautifully. Can’t get enough of riding it.
Scouts are awesome!! Such a shame Nukeproof isn’t sold in the States anymore 😭😭
@@99spokes totally! I got really lucky to find one near my area before they were totally gone.
@@99spokes dang, when did that happen? I was just looking up a Texas dealer via their website not that long ago. It's my next dream hardtail. My 2016 Jamis Dakota Sport has done me well but would love a bit more of an aggressive HT and the Scouts are specced pretty great at the Comp level.
My Roscoe 8 has been such an awesome bike, so light it's great for XC trails, but such a solid slackened brute it handles DH mountain runs, so well built, such great geo, such great components, and because of the reasonable cost upgrades are feasible
Glad you’ve been stoked on it! Modern hardtails are seriously slept on, they can be extremely fun, fast, and versatile bikes!
My 2019 Cube reaction TM Pro.. Love it!
Bought it new for 1050€.
Never see any reviews anywhere of the Reaction TM, but it's sold out everywhere.
That's rad, glad you like! It's sadly hard to get Cubes here in the US but I'd love to try one out!
I recommend the British brand Whyte 900 and 800 series bikes , iv rode hardtails from entry level to high end and for the money they are well specked and as much fun and capable as anything iv ever ridden inc full sus. Around £1000 to £2000 sterling depending on model and well worth it
You’re right, Whyte makes some pretty awesome bikes! Sadly they’re a bit hard to get your hands on in the states, but I’d love to get one in to review!
Any thoughts on frame only offerings? I was out of mountain biking for a bit, so bought a mid-level aluminum framed bike, but missed the chromoly twang of my old GT. Bought a Sonder Signal ST because it was available as a full build. I loved how it rode, it but it lit up bright gold in the sun. Didn't think I had the skills or conditioning to warrant so much attention grabbing flash. So I bought the Pipedream ST5 frame I originally wanted, in classic green, and switched over all the parts. After some upgrades I could rebuild the Sonder. Now I have two cool bikes and two broken credit cards. Another example of trying to save money but ending up spending more?
Tons of great options!! Just make sure you find the geo you like!
I got the 2023 Trek Roscoe 7. I know it isn't the 8, but she's done well for me on the trails and I can always upgrade components on it as it has the same frame as the 8 and 9, and I suppose the 6 now. lol
Definitely a super rad bike to upgrade over time, and going that option will allow you to build it up based on your specific needs. Stoked for you 🤙
I went for a Ragley Big Wig and replaced an Orbea Laufey frame with it. I lost some climbing capability but I working on my stamina to make up for that. Well I got a lot more special sauce for going downhill ❤
Where did you find the San Quentin in full 29? I had it on my short list, but I was dropped, because of the 27,5 wheels only and already had two 29 wheelsets
... Some moments later ...
Dang it. It is brand new in 29"... Too bad 😅
Haha yep, just came out this summer. The Big Wig is a rad bike though, enjoy it!!
The best purchase I did was 4 years ago, when I bought the specialized Rockhopper comp 29”. It is simply The best bike.
Nice, glad you’re stoked on it 🤙🤙
Regarding the Commencal, I’m 6’1” with long arms. Do you recommend the XL? Thanks.
Yeah, I think the XL would be perfect, especially given the slightly shorter reach numbers on that bike
Waiting for my Marin El Roy! Specs were similar to the San Quentin on paper, but with a Bomber Z1 and a steel frame.
Nice!! Never got a chance to ride that bike but always wanted to, enjoy!
How good is the SR Suntour XCM 32 comoared to the Rockshox Recon Silver RL, for a trek Roscoe, or any hardtail with a more aggressive angle 📐
I’d say they’re relatively comparable. Just try and get something with an air spring and adjustable compression adjustment if possible 👌
I have Roscoe 7 .... brakes SLX 4 PISTON DISC BRAKES BRM7120 BLM7100 LX dual caliper and MT 8100 203 and 180 disc's excellent braking pover and rekon race 29 x 2.4 tires...SRAM handles Giant Flipside Commuter Pedal. Really good bike for XC and trail run.
Love my trek roscoe 9. Perfectly capable.
Super sick bike!!
Your website is in a different league to anything else out there. You deserve more success
I appreciate it, we’re working on it!
All Hardtails are great in my opinion. Still have my canyon stoic 3, and it can still do everything what I want to do.
Couldn’t agree more!! I have an RSD Middlechild and I love it!
Roscoe 8 is more than capable on Northern Wisconsin trails such as Mt. Ashwabay and Winman Trails. Recommend test riding the bike your interested in before buying.
I’ve had the privilege of riding some trails in your area and the UP and I agree, the Roscoe is a great bike for that kind of undulating, technical terrain!
I think the high engagement hub on the Roscoe knocks it back up to a five based on the criteria presented.
With as good as forks have gotten nowadays you’re going to spend quite a bit more before you actually feel a worthy difference there.
And
Quite frankly,
the stock fork suits the bike.
The Roscoe 8 is suuuuuuch a good deal it’s almost ridiculous.
Hi, What about Specialized Fuse?? I own one during thise 2023 and it's pretty similar to the Cannondale Habit... But it brings better specs like wheels, drive train and fork and price it might be the same
Great bikes, but they’re sadly a bit pricey for what you get, unless you can find one on sale
Just got a 22 Specialized Chisel frame and looking to build it out on a budget. any suggestions on a good balance of a decent group set, wheels, and shocks with low cost & weight. Thanks in advance.
Nice, that’s awesome! I think a 12 speed deore drivetrain is by far the best budget groupset, and then I’d explore PinkBike classifieds for a lightly used wheeler and suspension. Lots of time you can find parts that are essentially brand new, just taken off and replaced with higher quality parts when the bike was originally purchased
Thanks for the great info! I checked out that classified site.@@99spokes
Now am using Trek Emonda
I searching one MTB
I like Trek Marlin 8
What is your opinion?
Marlin 8 is a great bike! Try and get your hands on a 3rd gen model if you can
Merida big trail 700 such a weapon 4 pot all round and fox 34s
Love my Giant Fathom 1 in 27.5. Best bang for your buck.
Super rad bike, glad you’re stoked on it!
I had fathom 2 and it was great as well.
Could u please suggest any around $1500 and come with stock 27.5, Im looking for 27.5 HT but seems none of it, thanks buddies~
Check out the Marin San Quentin 2!
I’m building up a used ns eccentric with 140 rockshox can’t wait till summer to ride it .
Dope, that’ll be a fun bike for sure! Enjoy 🤙🤙
My Scott aspect 760 (2021) is🧡🔥
Nice!!
What about the Norco Torrent, insane bike with crazy geo
Gt avalanche user here,great bike!...😊
Nice!! Glad you’re stoked on it 🤙
What do you think of the cube analog 2023 29'
Looks pretty solid for an XC bike, but the geometry won't be super well suited for more aggressive trail riding
Poseidon Norton was going for $700 on Black Friday. Hard to beat as a platform to build on
Sweet bike designed by a rad guy!
I am in the market for a new bike as I crashed mine hard and bent my crank, cracked the rear hub, bent the front axle, broke a couple spokes and my derailleur bent 45°. It is cheaper to buy a new bike than fix my 2019 Specialized rockhopper comp. It is a shame because I like that frame, but upgrading everything that is broken will cost $1600+. Not even crazy upgrades, like slightly better than stock.
The mtb industry is out to lunch with their pricing.
Dude your bike looks badass, where do I get that lol?
Thanks! That’s the RSD Middlechild, and you can get one from rsdbikes.com!
Giant fathom 2 is great too
Absolutely!!
Would you recommend the Chromag Rootdown as a gravel bike?
I can only hope this is sarcasm haha, but if not not, the Rootdown is a pretty aggressive hardtail that will excel on steep, rough terrain. But will be pretty heavy with unideal geometry for long fire road rides
@@99spokes Haha, I wasn't being sarcastic. I'm a newb with bikes. Unfortunately, I just bought the Rootdown and you have just confirmed it is definitely not the right bike for me. I've only ridden it 1/4 mile on an easy green trail and I new right away I bought the wrong bike. I prefer fire roads, touring and exploring. I have no interest in speed, jump and general aggression. The Rootdown is a gorgeous bike however and the folks at Chromag are top notch. I'm seriously giving thought to a new Canyon Grizl 7. Seems like a great bike right outa the box and a great price. I'd like to ride in a more upright position, dropper seat with lots of options to attach touring accessories, water bottles, etc.. Thoughts? (sorry for my long wind bag reply)
Bummer! Yeah it’s a great bike, but not for what it sounds like you’re interested in. The Grizl is a solid option, but if you want to stick with a more boutique metal bike like the Rootdown check out the Black Heart Gravel AL. It was recently awarded the best gravel bike by Bicycling magazine 👌
@@99spokes Oh cool thanks! I'll check out the Black Heart.
Wished trek x-caliber have boost 148 😗😗😗
I ride an eastern alpaca. It was $400. It’s awesome.
That’s awesome, I didn’t even know eastern was still around! I had an Easter Trail Digger BMX frame back in the day!
Hi! What about Orbea Alma H30 as a hardtail?
Great XC bike! The Laufey is sick too, bet for more aggressive trail riding
what is ur opinion about orbea laufey h10 ? i want to buy this bike
Haven't had the chance to ride it, but it looks great! Love the downtube storage compartment too
Why is the Cannondale Habit in this list? You use to mock it in your previous video.
Hmm, what video did we mock the Habit HT?
Another bike I recommend is the specialized p4 it’s a 27.5 inch bike perfect bike for jumps and the price sits around 2,400$
Great dirt jumper! But the lack of rear derailleur/dropper post compatibility doesn’t make it a great option as a trail bike. The Specialized Fuse would be the better option from the big S
I love my GT Zaskar LT 29 expert!
Nice, that’s an awesome bike with a huge legacy 👌
I can't choose between trek roscoe 8&9 or cannondale habit ht1
I’d personally take the Roscoe, it has a bit more balance geometry, but the Habit HT could be a hoot on some trails!
I do have dartmoor hornet pro.. great bike for aggrisive bikers
Nice! I wish it was easier to get your hands on one in the US, I’ve always wanted to try one!
I’d take a BMC Twostroke 01 five, over the Canyon Exceed-which is $300 more than the Canyon but it has much better and versatile geometry than the Canyon- I think BMC has nailed the sweet spot for modern XC geometry…..
Yeah it definitely gets tricky, but we wanted to keep a hard cutoff of $2K. I agree though, the Twostroke is a pretty rad bike!
Carrera Hellcat XL Frame is a low end dream mountain bike, and it's as cheap as chips 🎉
Nice! Glad you’re stoked on it!!
Nukeproof Scout v3 one of the best hardtails out there too
Super sick bike, but sadly not sold in the U.S. anymore 😭😭
Just purchased the Nukeproof scout 290 Elite, it’s not arrived yet but I cannot wait to get on them trails and burn 🔥 happy riding guys ! Everyone has a personal preference my mates got a Saracen that we had in high school and it looks brand new with the upgrades he’s done, nothing special but it gets him out having a laugh and some fun to escape life a little 😎👍🏻🔥
I dont have a mountain anywhere around, and I dont ride for speed/time, so what's that? Trail? Definitely not XC or AM, and probably not enduro. Are there any hardtails dialed for just normal trail riding? Pedal up some, go down some. Rock beds. Small drops. etc. Seems like all bikes are either XC with super steep geo, or AM/DH/Enduro with super slack gro and 780mm of travel. I want a hardtail for somewhere between XC and Enduro, thats still easy to manual and ride uphill.
Yeah, I’d say a typical “trail” hardtail would be ideal, something with around 130mm of travel and a 65-67 degree head tube angle
Honestly, I think a roscoe 7 would be good for you. Something along those lines.
Test ride some bikes at your local bike shops. I’d totally go with an XC based off your comment, but bikes are totally a personal thing where everyone is different
Trek roscoe 9 has better parts spec than the 8 and is currently 1850?
You better snatch that up quick then haha, still $2,499 on Trek’s US website
@@99spokes already have buddy. Got it on the uk cycle to work scheme too at that price. So I’ll get it 30-40% less than £1850!
You missed out on the polygon syncline c5 😢
Great bike!!
GT Avalanche Elite is also a great hardtail, I own one
Nice! Glad you’re stoked on it!
@@99spokesthank you😊
What about that Ozark trail ridge?
That’s definitely an intriguing bike given the price! It’s not quite on the same level as the bikes in this video, but still a whole lot of bike for just $400!
No love for the Giant fathom 1?
Great bike!
I do like the spectrum of categories cover. However, it’s frustrating when you cover the weights on some bikes and not the others
Sadly not all manufacturers publish bike weights, so we do what we can with what’s available 🤙
I got the Roscoe 7, not as loaded in componants as the 8. The 7 $1800 out the door. The 8 $2200 out the door. The 7 fork is just as good as the 8 fork, trust me. The shimano on the 7 is better than the nx on the 8. The 7 xl has mid tier hubs, the 8 has better hubs. The tires, rims are the same. The brakes on the 8 are better but you can upgrade the 7 brakes. The 7 colors are way better. A little bit more for your money in the 8 but the 7 is close and & $400 less. The 7 is a good platform to start. Tires are different for everybody but tires on all these Roscoe’s are slow rolling and draggy. I mead some Maxxis dissectors! 8 is done and just live with the fork for a year, the 7 just needs better brakes and live with the fork
Glad you’re stoked on your 7! Definitely a rad bike 🤙
Should I get the 7 instead of the new roscoe 6?
@@romamoranto5348 I was in the market to get a new hardtail. A 29er. I have a couple mullet hardtails. To get the new roscoe frame and get quality parts and fork and build it from scratch it would cost me about $2700, good parts and wheels. I studied the parts of the 6,7 and 8 extensivly. The 7 cost me $1800 out the door. The 8 $2250 out the door.
Theirs a lot to cover here so let me try and make it simple. Both forks are about the same, other reviews say the same. They say the 7 shimano drivetrain is better then the 8 sram nx, I have both, I agree. 7 brakes are not as good as 8 but they are good for now and you can up grade next year. You can change just the brake caliper part and transform them. The tires and rims are the same on the 7 and 8 and are top notch. Although I would go Maxxis dissectors in the future, faster rolling but still grippy.
The 8 has top notch hubs and the 7 has pretty good hubs for the price. The colors of the 7 are the best. Almost forgot the 7 wheel hubs are shimano microspline meaning the drivetrain is 10 to 51 tooth and you can upgrade to the whole shimano line. The 8 is sram 11-51 tooth. You can go without the 10 tooth but, when you only have the 11 you really notice it. I would build one myself or buy the roscoe 7.
@@romamoranto5348 I just checked the new roscoe 6. It would be $1320 out the door. So $480 more for the roscoe 7. Better fork, hubs, brakes, drivetrain, tires, about a pound lighter. You could do the 6 and have to upgrade a lot, depending how hard you ride. But I think the roscoe 7 gives you a lot for the $1650 plus tax. The shimano brakes have interchangable, you can change certain parts and live with others.
My Roscoe 8 was $1999
What about spec chisel?
Great bike!! It would definitely be a contender for this list as well 🤙
I can get a roscoe 8 for like 800 bucke or the san quentin for 1000 damnit hard choice
Both super rad bikes!!
I would add Fezzari !
The Solitude? Definitely a dope XC option, good call 👌
No nukeproof scout?
Great bike, but sadly unavailable at the moment due to their parent company restructuring. Hopefully they’re not gone for good!
honorific mention:
trek Marlin 8
We actually did a full overview lineup, check it out here: czcams.com/video/ukyqRmMcfaQ/video.htmlsi=Gtvmx36MZEPeGWsD
I will check it out for sure !
I was wondering why Josh’s channel stopped posting new videos 😂
Haha yep, over here now!
best xc is marin team 2, hands down.
Definitely a solid bike 🤙🤙
Roscoe 8 on sale now for $1,599
Great time to get one!
@@99spokes it's still $1,599 more than I want to spend, lol.
Not even mentioning the giant fathom is crazy
Great bike, and back in the day it didn’t have a ton of competition, but with the increased popularity in hardtails many other brands have started releasing modern takes on these value priced bikes. We’re excited to see when Giant release an updated Fathom!
Knolly tyaughton!!!!!
Sick bike!! Do you have one?
Dude in the vid on the Roscoe 8 was ripping... I wish mine could do that, lol.
That's pro downhiller Kade Edwards, absolute madman on any bike!
I have a 2019 cube hpa. 2x11 deore with a rock shox Recon. More than happy with it. Paid 500$ for it back in 2023
Nice deal, glad you’re stoked on it!!
1 month 4 days gang
$1100 budget bike?
For a trail worthy MTB that’s about the bottom
I paid 2200 for my Trek Procaliber 9.5 back in 2021. Nobody should be paying over 1500 for
aluminum hardtail. THE BEST OPTION IS TO BUILD YOUR OWN BIKE.
Glad you like your Procaliber! But I’m sure I agree on the other two points haha
I would take the cheisl over the exceed any day
I think I’d have to agree, a bit more well rounded. But both are awesome bikes!
its so hard to find a bike when youre 6'8
I bet!!
GT zaskar beats them all in all categories
Haha why? Because you own one?
Nukeproof, rocky mountain and so on, there are some better hrdtails than on this list
Both great bikes! Sadly Nukeproof isn’t available in the U.S. after their parent company went into administration, but hopefully that changes soon!
Trek and a bunch of DTC junk. I’m not surprised anymore. It’s like all these channels share a script. Or are all advertising the same stuff at least.
No mention of the Giant Fathom. No mention of anything from Ragley, Ibis, Canfield.
2 out of 3 were D2C, and yes as I’m sure you know they often times have a better value on paper, but there’s no denying the less obvious perks when buying from a shop. Many of the other manufacturers you mentioned are listed as runner ups in each category
No orbea😂
KONA ?
Great bikes! The Honzo ESD is a personal favorite, but sadly not under $2k
title says best value.... first bike$2 k.... lol nope!!
Haha I guess “value” can be defined in many ways! Less than $2k is sadly on the inexpensive side for a trail-worthy MTB
Rocky Mountain really specs their bikes poorly for the cost!
You think? I’d say their pricing is pretty average
Average what?@@99spokes
Love my Rocky Mountain Growler 40. Big bike for a big guy 6’5”
Nice!!
Best hardtail frame geometry is the Rocky mountain Growler i ride a few hardtails the last 3 years, chameleon,meta ht, fathom, chisel, the best is the Rocky mountain dont let the slack HT fools you that this is only a downhill frame,it climbs like a goat
Right on, glad you’re stoked on it!!
I owned a Roscoe 8 and then upgraded to a carbon chameleon by Santa Cruz I love the option that you can change the wheels size from 27.5 to 29er on the Santa Cruz the down fall is that it’s retired
Nice, glad you got one while you were able!