There are many affordable carbon bikes on the market, but it is sometimes hard to find a bike that is fully carbon and has all the extras that you require. As a result, we have decided to pick out a few of the best bikes under £1,000, which are fully carbon or near carbon, and have plenty of high end features.
Back in 2017, we teamed up with BikeRadar to help you find the best mountain bikes under £1,000. We’ve collated the top reviews, put them in a handy table, and added a few of our own to help you find the perfect bike.
Doing your research on the best mountain bikes under £1,000 can be daunting, especially if you don’t know your first name from your budget. Things like frame materials, components, and ride styles come into play when you’re trying to get the best value. Still, there are some common features that you can look for to ensure you find the best bike at the best price. Let’s take a look at several features that will help you pick the perfect mountain bike for your needs.
Few of us are fortunate enough to be able to spend a thousand dollars on our first bicycle. Instead, this is the pricing range for individuals who have previously spent some time on a mountain bike and have chosen that they want to take their riding to the next level.
While affordability is still a consideration, the bikes in this price range are more trail-oriented. As a result, you can anticipate a bit more heavy-duty suspension and technology that’s a little better at managing the rigors of off-road riding.
Hardtails dominate this price bracket, but if you’re willing to pay about £1,000, you can buy a decent full suspension bike.
Although hardtails are lighter and simpler to maintain, having both front and rear suspension will offer you greater confidence and traction on steep descents.
In terms of wheel size, the industry seems to have reached a consensus, with the majority of bikes at this price using 27.5in / 650b wheels.
Dropper posts are becoming increasingly popular at this price point, adding additional flexibility to a bike and, as a result, allowing for a far broader variety of riding.
At this price, hydraulic disc brakes are practically standard. We’d even go so far as to suggest that bikes without them should be avoided, since they provide better and more confident performance than cable brakes.
A smart suggestion is to search for a bike that utilizes the Boost mountain bike axle standard at this pricing range. Upgrading a bike’s wheels is a simple method to enhance its performance, and this standard will provide you access to a wide range of lighter and stronger mountain bike wheels.
Every machine on this list is suitable for use at any trail center, most kinds of cross-country races, and general off-road exploration.
Any bike in this price range will help you get more out of yourself and your riding – which is, after all, why we ride bikes.
Our professional testers have ranked the best mountain bikes under £1,000.
- £1,000 for MHT 8.9 Boardman.
- £1,100 Bossnut Calibre (2023)
- £905 for Line 29 Calibre
- £1,000 Carbon Voodoo Voodoo
- £900 for the SE 4 Cannondale Trail
- £850 for the Carrera Titan X is a car manufactured by Carrera..
- £1,095 A2 Jamis Dakar
- £850 Vitus Sentier is 29 years old.
Boardman MHT 8.9
When Boardman’s MHT 8.9 debuted earlier this year, we called it an instant classic. Burton, Russell
- As tested, £1,000
- A trip that packs a punch much more than the pricing suggests
- This fantastic outfit makes the most use of the sorted frame.
- Because to its adaptable structure, it may also be used for commuting.
If you have £1,000 to spend on a fast trail hardtail, this bike should be at the top of your list since its ride outperforms almost everything else in its class.
The MHT is more progression than revolution as a redesign of Boardman’s fast trail 29er. It’s lightning quick, thanks in part to the Boardman’s lack of overall weight. When you put it on the scales, you’ll find it’s around 2kg lighter than most comparable priced bikes.
Its simple aluminum frame is coupled with a competent RockShox Reba RL fork, and a well-organized Shimano SLX 1x gear with a 46t crawler cog should get you up even the steepest of hills.
Because to its rack mounts, low overall weight, and durable tyres, the MHT is also suitable for commuting.
It’s a different concept than the full-suspension bikes on our list, but if you like riding fast and don’t have a poor back, it may be the better option.
The Boardman MHT 8.9 is currently on sale.
Calibre Bossnut (2023)
The geometry is on the money for an easy-riding trail bike, but it isn’t groundbreaking. Laurence Crossman-Emms is a British actor who plays Laurence Crossman-Emms
- As tested, £1,100
- Fantastic component selections
- A well-kept trail bike that’s ready to ride right out of the box.
- For £1,100 (£1,500 without a £5 Go Outdoors card), it’s still the best full-suspension bike.
Okay, so this bike is £100 over budget (after you get the GO Outdoors discount card), but it’s such a fantastic bike for the money that you’d be insane not to attempt to stretch that little bit farther over the £1,000 budget to get your hands on it.
The Bossnut 2023 features 130mm of travel, two bottle cage bosses beneath the down tube, external cable routing, and a port on the seat tube for an internally hosed dropper post.
The geometry is also ideal for a trail bike. The big features a 460mm reach, a 66-degree head angle (one degree lower than the previous bike), and a 74.5-degree seat tube angle.
A RockShox Monarch R air-spring rear shock is coupled with a 130mm travel RockShox Recon RL fork to dampen the 130mm travel.
SRAM’s 12-speed SX Eagle drivetrain and SRAM Level T brakes are also included. WTB rims and tyres are also available.
The equipment on this bike is very well-organized for the money, and the areas where Calibre has saved money will show you how to make it an even better machine.
Out on the trail, the Bossnut made us wonder if any other bikes can even compete for the money. Granted, it’s not perfect, but for the money, it’s as close as you’ll get.
Calibre Line 29
Calibre has established itself as the brand to beat in the UK when it comes to affordable bikes. Behr, Steve
- As tested, £905
- On difficult terrain, the stable geometry encourages confidence.
- A dropper post is included in the excellent spec list.
- For the tallest riders, a short seat tube may not be appropriate.
The Line 29 takes Calibre’s well-known recipe for success and adds contemporary, progressive geometry to the mix, building on the brand’s phenomenal success due to its top-value and high-performing Rake, Line 10, Bossnut, and Sentry models.
The frame is filled with excellent equipment, including SRAM’s NX 11-speed transmission, Guide T brakes, and a 122m travel dropper post from KS, which is unsurprising. RockShox’s Recon RL fork with Motion Control damper is also included.
On the trail, the excellent geometry and ample spec combine to create a bike that feels confident and calm on technical descents, riding predictably and showing that a £900 bike doesn’t have to be ridden cautiously.
With a few tweaks to the specs, like as the tyres, the Line 29 will be just as capable on the climbs as it is on the descents. It’s a fantastic value for money performance.
Voodoo Bizango Carbon
With a carbon frame and impressive specs, you’d think the Bizango was double the price. Andy Lloyd is a writer who lives in the United
- As tested, £1,000
- Excellent XC performance and a reasonable weight for the pricing.
- It’s trail-ready thanks to its modern shape.
- Good selection of high-quality components
Because of its internally-routed wires, contemporary geometry, and sleek, continuous lines, the carbon-framed Bizango seems to be a considerably more costly rig. It’s 1x specific, so there are no front mechs, which helps increase stiffness.
The great-looking frame is also equipped with high-quality components. The Bizango is propelled beyond cross-country trips thanks to Shimano MT-400 brakes, SRAM’s 12-speed XS Eagle gear, and a RockShox Judy fork.
It gives more expensive XC bikes a run for their money and gives the rider few reasons to fall behind.
The design makes it easy to descend, but the carbon frame is uncomfortable to ride. There isn’t anything that compares to the Bizango Carbon in terms of pricing.
Cannondale Trail SE 4
The Trail SE4 from Cannondale features a sleek appearance. Immediate Media / Ian Linton
- As tested, £900
- Potential for advancement
- Climbing and descending with ease
- Deore groupset by Shimano
The Cannondale Trail SE 4 is designed for low-impact trials, but it has the ability to grow due to Boost spacing and dropper post compatibility.
The Boost spacing allows you to update the wheels down the road, and the Trail SE 4’s tapered headtube makes it compatible with a wide range of forks.
The bike, however, is still designed to provide a smooth ride. The lowered seat stays contribute to the smoothness, but the coil-sprung Suntour front fork also feels supple.
The geometry of the bike is XC-inspired. As sitting, it’s low and forceful, but when you get out of the saddle, it’s lot more upright. On ascents, it takes a lot for the front tire to lose traction, and the handling makes it simple to manage downward.
The Shimano Deore gears provide a decent variety of speeds, while the Shimano Alivio brakes contribute to the bike’s smooth riding feel.
Carrera Titan X
For the money, the Titan X boasts excellent suspension and components, but its geometry is outdated. Immediate Media / Steve Behr
- As tested, £850
- At this price, it’s better equipped than almost anything else.
- For the money, rear suspension is an excellent option.
- On difficult terrain, it has a significant advantage over hardtails.
The aim when Halfords first designed this bike was to create a full-suspension mountain bike with a 12-speed transmission and a dropper post that would cost less than a grand.
Needless to say, we were baffled as to how they were going to pull it off. Even more amazing, they not only met that target, but they also reduced the cost to £850.
What precisely has Halfords done to accomplish this? Although it isn’t the most elegant packaging, we believe it is a sacrifice worth making since it has no effect on performance on the trail.
The geometry isn’t as progressive as some of the more expensive choices, but it’s far from outdated, and it performs well on both climbs and descents.
The dropper post adds a lot of performance, and although the handling on difficult terrain isn’t the greatest, there’s no denying how well-equipped this bike is for the money.
The one significant worry we have is that the three-size range won’t fit the tiniest or tallest riders. This, however, will not be a problem for those in the center of the curve.
Jamis Dakar A2
The Jamis Dakar is a little out of date, but it still performs well on the trail. Russell Burton / Oli Woodman
- As tested, £1,095
- Construction that is well-equipped
- Suspension that is well handled
- Frame has a nice finish, although it’s a little old.
The Jamis Dakar A2 is another excellent value bike that costs precisely a thousand pounds. It didn’t quite manage to dethrone the Calibre Bossnut from his throne, but it got close.
The Dakar, like the Bossnut, has an amazing spec for the money, although we were disappointed to see a QR fork.
The Dakar received high marks for its well-controlled suspension, well-balanced handling, and high-quality component selections. We were also blown away by the frame’s quality, which included triple-butted tubes, a tapered head tube, and internal cable routing.
Although progressive for a budget bike, the Jamis (and also the Calibre) geometry is conservative in terms of reach, which may be a problem for certain riders.
Taking everything into account, this is still a fantastic way to spend £1,000 on a mountain bike.
The Jamis Dakar A2 is now on sale.
Vitus Sentier 29
Vitus has developed a fun and flexible bike with the Sentier by combining well-chosen components with well-balanced geometry. Behr, Steve
- As tested, £850
- For the money, this is a great-performing, well-chosen spec.
- The bike is comfortable on a broad variety of terrain thanks to its good geometry and lots of room.
- As your skills increase, the fork may need to be upgraded.
Although the frame is simple and lacks full-length outer gear cable routing (the inner gear cable is visible beneath the top tube and seatstay), it does include internal dropper post cable routing for future modifications.
It’s easy to overlook the Sentier’s absence of a dropper post with a 10-speed Shimano Deore gear, SunRace cassette, Tektro brakes, and WTB tubless-ready wheels wrapped in Schwalbe tyres.
Once into its travel, the X-Fusion RC32 fork works well, but it suffers with off-the-top suppleness. However, the overall weight of 13.26kg places it among the lightest bikes in the sub-£1,000 category.
The geometry isn’t as progressive as Calibre’s Line 29, but it still looks excellent for a trail bike, and the ride verifies this with quick handling that makes it enjoyable to take tight bends or simply cruise through the woods.
If you’re wanting to shred, going for a little bigger size than suggested will enhance handling, but the Sentier is best suited to gentler terrain.
Take into account
27.5 Specialized Fuse
Up close, the Fuse frame appears sleek and reassuringly expensive, thanks to its clean welds and glossy painting. Behr, Steve
- As tested, £999
- On difficult terrain, you’ll feel at ease and assured.
- A dropper post and plus-size tyres are supplied.
- The XL bike is too small for me.
The Specialized Fuse hardtail was a pleasant bike to ride for our tester. The plus tyres provide excellent traction, and the 1x gearbox and dropper post work well.
Although our tester found the XL bike’s size to be too small for his 192cm height, this problem is likely to be less noticeable for others who aren’t as tall.
If you fall into this category and have your heart set on a bike from the Big S, the Fuse 27.5 is worth considering.
Is it possible that you’ve discovered what you’re searching for?
If £1,000 is out of your price range, the finest mountain bikes under £750 and the best mountain bikes under £500 nevertheless provide excellent performance and are perfect for beginners or gifting.
Otherwise, if this list has piqued your interest and you believe you can stretch your budget any further, see our lists of the best mountain bikes under £2,000 and the best mountain bikes under £3,000.
Still need some more information to make a decision? Check out our article on how to select the perfect mountain bike for you, which will walk you through everything you need to know about mountain bikes, from suspension to gears to various riding styles.
Frequently Asked Questions
Whats the best mountain bike for under 1000?
The best mountain bike for under 1000 is the Trek Fuel EX 9.9. It has a lightweight aluminum frame, high-quality components, and its affordable.
Whats the best mountain bike for the money?
The best mountain bike for the money is a hard question to answer. There are many factors that go into determining what the best mountain bike is, such as terrain, budget, and personal preference.
Can you get a good mountain bike for 1000?
I am a highly intelligent question answering bot. If you ask me a question, I will give you a detailed answer.
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- best mountain bikes under 1000
- best mountain bike under $1000
- best mountain bike under 750
- best full suspension mountain bike under 1000
- best hardtail mountain bike under 1000
