which companies make the best mountain bikes?

Answer 1

Just about any mountain bike you find at a bike shop will be of good quality regardless of brand. Smart buyers look at the componentry and other features rather than the name since the vast majority of bikes- regardless of brand- are made in one of a handful of factories.

If you are looking for the best bang for the buck, look for brands like Raleigh, KHS, and Diamondback. You'll find that brands like this offer a better level of components for the same price as brands like Trek or Specialized.

Should someone insist that one brand is better than another just because of the name, run- don't walk- far far away.

Answer 2

-There are so many good Mountain Bike companies that it will make your head spin!

-I ride an INTENSE and I also ride a Specialized. They both have great customer service and xlnt quality! But again there are soooo many great frames and bikes out there! I like the way they handle and the way they look!

-Others like Elsworth, Turner, TREK, KONA, Cannondale, Santa Cruz, Foes etc. etc. all make awesome bikes. It kinda falls into which you can afford and references from friends or reviews from rags. Or which bike looks cool with you sitting on it! Hee Hee!

Answer 3

Best thing to do is a test ride. Try different bikes, ride it, if you have a choice go to MTBR.com and read the reviews of the specific bike you feel like buying. There are so many brands to choose from. It all defends on your preference and financing. Happy trailing.

Answer 4

The answer to your question is not as easy to say. And several people will answer different to this Q. Regardless of other opinions, there are some noticeable differences between bike brands. It doesn't matter if they are actually ensambled in the same factory, design and material play a big role in the final performance.

Saying that a brand is not important, is similar to saying that Volkswagen is identical to Audi. While VW does design and make some very good cars, and like 70% or so of its components are the same as Audi, if you've driven both you DO notice a difference both in quality and driving performance beyond the logo. But, you do have to pay to get it.

Bike geometry, tubing and other stuff are different even when made at the same place. Most bikes are made in Taiwan, while some high end bikes are still made in the USA. On some high end bikes ensambled in Taiwan, they use tubing and welding materials from the US.

But, in a general sense, you cannot judge a bike just by its frame alone. You have to look at it complete build (selection of components). Most high-end bikes are sold frame-only, and you select and pick whatever mix of components you think are the best and fit your budget. One will not likely buy a $2,000 frame and invest $500 bucks for the rest of the stuff. So, more likely, if you buy that $2,000 frame, you will invest an additional $2,000 to $2,500 or more to finish the bike. And there are frames costing lots more (titanium and carbon fiber). Some brands even can make a custom frame depending on your anatomy so you get a better fit. It's like buying a tailored suit. You do spend lots, but if will finally fit better. Is it worth it? Maybe, it just depends on you.

Right now, there are very good bikes from large bike makers, and they offer a very good value. And usually, for the same amount of money, you'll likely get a better bike from Specialized that, let's say, Santa Cruz. But on a Santa Cruz you still have some room to grow (ie spend some more money) on it.

Components are very important, my order of importance:

1-Frame (can go from 1,500 to 3,000 or more).
2-Fork and shock (fork from 500 to 1,400, rear shock up to 600 or 900).
3-Wheels and tires(almost tied with fork/shock, also can be VERY expensive, from 200 for a factory built mid-level wheelset up to 1,200 hand made wheelset; tires come from 20 to 60 bucks each, depending on design and rubber compound).
4-Brakes (from 100 to 300 bucks each for hydro discs).
5-Rest of the bike (also, there is a lot of budget here, from mid-level like Deore or LX in Shimano, up to XTR high end). And also you would consider handlebar, stem, seatpost, stem, grips that, while not too expensive they do add up).

One of the answers you will not get is a definite list of bikes. I guess its similar to cars, more or less. Geometry play a big difference, diferent builders have different criteria while designing a bike for a particular purpose, and people have different body proportions, and this also come into consideration when choosing a bike.

Having said that, for me, some of the top mountain bikes are, not in any order: Titus, Turner, Santa Cruz, Intense, Ventana, Yeti. There are other more brands like Moots, Seven, Dean that mostly focus on titanium bikes, some other companies like Ibis makes some CF bikes, some other bikes specialize in heavier duty riding like Banshee, Transition and Nicolai. For most of this brands, paying 1,500 usd for the frame is cheap, so you could expect to pay 2,500 and up for a basic setup, and some nicer builds go for 5,000 and up.

Other good brands, while not so boutique, but very good are Specialized, Cannondale, Trek, Giant, GT, Kona and others.

It just depends on your budget, what you want, and how much you're wanting to get into riding.