By Michael Frank

Unlike a lot of sporting-goods purchases, a more technically advanced mountain bike will actually make you a better athlete. Really. But there’s no need to empty your fledgling retirement fund for a good ride. A good mountain bike, one that will hold up for hundreds of rides and a dozen years, will cost you at least $400. Just don’t buy at a big box store. Their prices look good, but the bikes can be so shoddily constructed that reputable dealers consider them dangerous. Buy from a bike shop and you’ll almost always get a lifetime frame warranty and a custom fitting, too.

BEST BIKE FOR WEEKEND WARRIORS

Raleigh Phase, $875 (raleighusa.com)
This sophisticated machine does a lot without huge compromises. It’s rugged, with an overbuilt aluminum frame, yet it steers quickly. It’s adept at climbing even though it’s not exceptionally light. And it descends beautifully, with great balance even on steep terrain. If you have more dough you’ll be even happier on the Phase 1 ($1,650), which comes with higher quality drivetrain and better suspension components that will make for a smoother riding experience. But you can always upgrade the Phase’s basic parts as they wear out, and in the meantime, enjoy a smartly engineered, up-to-the-second design.

JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES BIKE

Kona Smoke, $400 (konaworld.com)
You want a bike for riding trails. You need a bike to head out on dirt paths with your girlfriend. You want a bike to launch off those cool ramps you saw in the woods. You need a bike to pedal to work a few times a week to save money on gas—and nurse the dying clutch in your pickup just a little longer. The compromise: Kona’s Smoke. It looks like an urban assault vehicle, but throw some knobby tires on it (like the Kenda Nevegal DTC 2.1, $48 each, kendausa.com) and you should be able to at least take on some reasonably challenging trails. Yeah, it’d be better if it had disc brakes and a suspension fork on the front, but that would make it heavier, and besides, what you really need is a city machine that still sends the right rough-and-tumble image. Kinda like a Hummer, but without all the baggage.

COOLEST BIKE UNDER $1,000

KHS Solo-One, $550 (khsbicycles.com)
Single-speed bikes are hot, for reasons of pragmatism and pure attitude. To begin with, they’re often less expensive than full-featured bikes, and will be cheaper to maintain. Plus you get to stick your nose up at all those guys who shift to easier gears to go uphill while you, with gnashed teeth, gut it out in your retro badass way. There’s even a Single Speed World Championship race held each year. The idea is to party till dawn, then go out and race as fast as your SS will go. The winner gets branded (as in hot iron—no, we’re not making this up). Enter the KHS Solo-One. Yeah, one gear makes going uphill or sprinting downhill more difficult, and a rigid frame means you will feel every rock on the trail, but you’ll be the Steve McQueen of the singletrack.

Michael Frank is the deputy editor of Mountain Bike Magazine. His first mountain bike had zero suspension and was made of steel. Sadly, it was stolen in Washington, D.C., in 1990.

By Michael Frank

Unlike a lot of sporting-goods purchases, a more technically advanced mountain bike will actually make you a better athlete. Really. But there’s no need to empty your fledgling retirement fund for a good ride. A good mountain bike, one that will hold up for hundreds of rides and a dozen years, will cost you at least $400. Just don’t buy at a big box store. Their prices look good, but the bikes can be so shoddily constructed that reputable dealers consider them dangerous. Buy from a bike shop and you’ll almost always get a lifetime frame warranty and a custom
fitting, too.



BEST BIKE FOR WEEKEND WARRIORS

Raleigh Phase, $875 (raleighusa.com)
This sophisticated machine does a lot without huge compromises. It’s rugged, with an overbuilt aluminum frame, yet it steers quickly. It’s adept at climbing even though it’s not exceptionally light. And it descends beautifully, with great balance even on steep terrain. If you have more dough you’ll be even happier on the Phase 1 ($1,650), which comes with higher quality drivetrain and better suspension components that will make for a smoother riding experience. But you can always upgrade the Phase’s basic parts as they wear out, and in the meantime, enjoy a smartly engineered, up-to-the-second design.

JACK-OF-ALL-TRADES BIKE

Kona Smoke, $400 (konaworld.com)
You want a bike for riding trails. You need a bike to head out on dirt paths with your girlfriend. You want a bike to launch off those cool ramps you saw in the woods. You need a bike to pedal to work a few times a week to save money on gas—and nurse the dying clutch in your pickup just a little longer. The compromise: Kona’s Smoke. It looks like an urban assault vehicle, but throw some knobby tires on it (like the Kenda Nevegal DTC 2.1, $48 each, kendausa.com) and you should be able to at least take on some reasonably challenging trails. Yeah, it’d be better if it had disc brakes and a suspension fork on the front, but that would make it heavier, and besides, what you really need is a city machine that still sends the right rough-and-tumble image. Kinda like a Hummer, but without all the baggage.

COOLEST BIKE UNDER $1,000

KHS Solo-One, $550 (khsbicycles.com)
Single-speed bikes are hot, for reasons of pragmatism and pure attitude. To begin with, they’re often less expensive than full-featured bikes, and will be cheaper to maintain. Plus you get to stick your nose up at all those guys who shift to easier gears to go uphill while you, with gnashed teeth, gut it out in your retro badass way. There’s even a Single Speed World Championship race held each year. The idea is to party till dawn, then go out and race as fast as your SS will go. The winner gets branded (as in hot iron—no, we’re not making this up). Enter the KHS Solo-One. Yeah, one gear makes going uphill or sprinting downhill more difficult, and a rigid frame means you will feel every rock on the trail, but you’ll be the Steve McQueen of the singletrack.

Michael Frank is the deputy editor of Mountain Bike Magazine. His first mountain bike had zero suspension and was made of steel. Sadly, it was stolen in Washington, D.C., in 1990.