The Best Budget Hardtail Mountain Bikes: Hardtail of the Year test 2023 | Mountain Bike Rider
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Published 2023-09-17
01:25 - Jamis Highpoint A2
04:28 - Vitus Nucleus 29 VR
07:38 - Carrera Fury 27.5
10:55 - Polygon XTRADA 5
15:20 - On-One Scandal SX
19:32 - Vitus Sentier 29
23:07 - Voodoo Bizango Pro
28:56 - Calibre Line T3-27
34:59 - Outro
Buying a good quality hardtail is often the first step on a rider’s MTB journey. And to ensure that you set off on this amazing adventure with your best foot forward, we’re always tweaking our Hardtail of the Year test in search of the best performing bikes for the money.
With that in mind, we’ve shuffled the format of the test once again. For 2023, all of the bikes in our Hardtail of the Year test are from direct to consumer brands. So in theory that should mean there are more killer bikes on test and way less filler. We also have two price points; £600-700 and £900-1000, with an even split of four bikes in each category.
So we have eight of the most competitively priced mountain bikes on the market right now. All have aluminium frames, suspension forks, self-adjusting hydraulic disc brakes, sturdy 2-piece chainsets, and short stems and wide handlebars for maximum control. Some even have dropper seat posts, so you can adjust your saddle height on the fly to match the terrain, which is simply amazing. In short, these bikes should have none of the pitfalls that instantly raise red flags on entry-level bikes.
And just like any other test we undertake at MBR, we run all of the bikes through our workshop where they are weighed and painstakingly measured so we can bring you the most accurate information on each bike.
To read the full reviews on all the hardtails in this test, and more besides, head over to:
www.mbr.co.uk/reviews?review_category=hardtail&rev…
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All Comments (21)
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Which bike is your favourite out of the test?
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Obviously the guy on the right told the bearded guy prior to the video… “mate, please talk over me whenever I begin speaking”…and bearded guy says, “no problem”.
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I follow this channel for 10 years now and every year I wait for Hardtail Of The Year test. Great job guys 👏🏻👏🏻
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There is no Kona this year. Because it would win again haha. Their geometry is the same for like 5 years and still goes! It shows who sets the trends still.
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I have been riding full suss for years but a just bought a Merida Big Trail 700 and I am loving it hardtails for the win.
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I've just bought a Bizango (not the Pro version featured here) for £750 off the back of the reviews MBR have done in previous years. I must admit I've not ridden it yet as I am fitting some upgrades (dropper seatpost & brakes) but so far so good! Thank you for the education you have provided me over the years of reading your magazine and online.
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I think its fantastic that this review only focuses on the brands that offer real value. Some of the big US brands are appalling value like a freewheel on a £500-600 hardtail and its good that the frankly awful Decathlon bikes don't get a mention either. While their road bikes maybe very good they haven't really got the hang of mountain bikes and there was a recall on the Rockriders because of very weak frames. The bikes featured here seem to punch above their weight. The Carrera, Voodoo and Calibre brands are shop brands and from one I understand many of those recently have been made by Insera Sena who own the Polygon and Marin brands. It's the big bike manufacturer of Indonesia. They are probably the best value manufacturer of the moment. I think lots of brands have used them like Kona, Saracen, Scott and I'm sure many more.
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Good video, nice to see your opinions on these bikes. I have an On One Scandal GX with the Rockshox 35 and think it rides fine but I guess it's about perspective. My previous bike was a 2010 Cannondale RZ120 and before that a 2007 Giant Terrago. I am the sort of person who drove my last car just as I got it for 6 years before I even noticed that I had reach/rake adjustment on the steering wheel.
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I have a Scandal as a second back-up bike. Its cheap, cheerful and rides really well. My wheels and fork are an upgrade over stock, but have made it into a confident winter bike. I love it.
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Sick to see swinley getting some activity it’s changed so much and come so far
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I started mountain biking on a full sus Carrera as a kid in the early 2000s loved that bike
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After seeing this i realized how good of a deal I got on my Allebike Mb31 royal that i paid roughly 750£. It has good geometry, came with a dropper and a rockshox revelation fork
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Ragley Big Al
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On the Bizango - you cant upgrade the Rockshox 35 with a better damper unless you go after market. Although its got 35mm stanchions the other Rockshox 35mm dampers dont fit as internally its much smaller with having thicker stanctions. Hence any upgrades are limited and quite expensive. It's basically a beefed up Recon.
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The 29er version of the Calibre is only £100 more and also has (as well as the 29's) 4 pot Guide-T brakes! Its just a pity the cassette has a big cog of only 42 teeth whereas the Voodoo goes upto 51, even (maybe) 46 teeth would have made a difference! If only we could mate the 2 bikes together?
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I ride an eastern alpaca. Except for dropper post it was great right out of the box. $400 usd complete
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Great content, well done MBR
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I don't do any major jumping just whatever lumps are in the road😅 and a lot of smoother trails which bike would you recommend. I mean of this group which would you recommend for my type of writing
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The Vitus Nucleus VR has been as low as £330. It was amazing value for that.
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Thanks for the review guys, got a question though. You say the Caliber is more a more capable bike for MTB but other than slightly longer reach, smaller wheels with fatter tires and maybe the 10mm more fork travel, is there any other reason? I'd love to know as the Bizango Pro is a good bit cheaper on a deal I found and has relatively high quality budget components too. Can you ride it hard like the Caliber and still be capable? I say this as a novice to MTB but want to know if I can push it a bit in future down some rougher terrain and maybe even do some jumps one day but not aiming for big airs.
