Cheap Full-suspension Mountain Bikes – Bargain Or Waste Of Money?
The slight trail softening benefits of budget full-suspension bikes tend to be offset by high bike weights and component compromises (Steve Behr)
Cheap full-suspension bikes often look like the real deal, complete with shocks, forks and disc brakes. For a beginner bike buyer it’s hard to see why you shouldn’t have the technology of a £1,000 mountain bike for a fraction of the price.
Unfortunately many of these budget bikes are nothing more than copycat cosmetic exercises that aren’t actually fit for off-road use. That"s why we normally advise buying a hardtail if you"re in the market for a sub-£500 or sub-£1,000 mountain bike.
But is this advice still up to date? After all, there have been all kinds of technical advances over the past few years. We decided to round up a selection of full-bounce bikes ranging in price from £170 to £600 to see whether you really do get what you pay for.
The result was a bruising month of testing, and not just when our budget bikes gave up staying rubber side down. Even when we stayed on, the ‘suspension’ of several of them was enough to batter wrists, ankles and hands into an aching pulp even on relatively short rough rides.