Top 5 | Sub £1,000 Mountain Bikes

If you are lucky enough to be able to splash a thousand pounds or dollars on our first mountain bike, you will be able to skip the entry-level kit and basic frames and enter a world of upgraded performance and trickle down tech from more expensive bikes.

With bikes in this £1000 category, you will be perfectly comfortable at any trail centre, most types of cross-country race and any sort of general off-road exploration.

So, in no particular order, here is our pick of the five best not-too-budget busting mountain bikes!

Bikes in this video:

Boardman MHT 9.8: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/boardman-mht-8-9-review/?image=3&type=gallery&gallery=1&embedded_slideshow=1

Calibre Bossnut: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/full-suspension-mountain-bikes/2020-calibre-bossnut-review/

Voodoo Bizango Carbon:
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/voodoo-bizango-carbon-review/

Jamis Dakar: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/jamis-dakar-a2-review/?image=3&type=gallery&gallery=1&embedded_slideshow=1

Vitus Sentier 29: https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/bikes/mountain-bikes/vitus-sentier-29-review/

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few of us are lucky enough to be able to splash a thousand pounds or dollars on our first mountain bike but those who are will skip the level kit and basic frames into a world of upgraded performance and trickle down tech from more expensive bikes and you’ll be joining the mountain bike party at the same point as folk who’ve already spent some time on cheaper more basic performing kit that’s a nice luxury to have and you won’t need to upgrade again for quite some time as you want to take your riding to the next level at this price point full sus bikes are becoming viable options rather than just hardtail mountain bikes with front suspension only now on to our top five sub 1000 pound mountain bikes as always if you want to see more content like this don’t forget to like subscribe and click the little bell icon so that every time we upload a new video you get a notification [Music] if you’ve got 1 000 pounds to spend on a quick trail hardtail then the boardman mht 8.9 absolutely has to be on your shortlist because it’s a bike that is capable of outclassing nearly everything else in its category as a rework of boardman’s fast trail 29er the mht is more an evolution than a revolution it’s blisteringly fast with a lot of that pace coming directly from the boardman’s lack of overall weight pop it on the scales and you’ll see it actually comes in at around two kilograms lighter than many other bikes at that price point the 2020 model’s understated frame has an attractively stealthy gray and tan paint job with matching tan wall tires and is paired with a very capable rockshox reba rl4 at the same time a sorted sram sx eagle won by drivetrain with a 50-tooth crawler cog should see you at the steepest of inclines the mht can even lend itself to commuting duties thanks to its rack mounts low overall weight and hardwearing tyres although it’s a speed focused xc style bike and is a different proposition from the full suspension bikes we’ll talk about in a moment if you like going quickly and don’t suffer with a bad back then it could be the smarter choice [Music] okay so the caliber bostner is technically a tad over budget after you’ve bought the discount card from go outdoors but it’s such an incredible bike for the money you’d be crazy for not trying to stretch that little further beyond the grand budget to get your hands on it the 2020 version of the bossnet has 130 millimeters of travel two bottle cage bosses external cable routing and a port for an internally hosed dropper post on the seat tube the geometry is on the money for a trail bike too the size large has a 460 millimeter reach a 66 degree head angle one degree slacker than the outgoing bike and a 74.5 degree seat tube angle the 130 millimeters of rear wheel travel is damped by a rockshox monarch r air sprung rear shock and that’s paired with a 130 millimeter travel rockshox recon rl fork elsewhere you get sram’s 12 speed sx eagle drivetrain and sram level t brakes there are also wtb branded rims and tyres the kit on this bike is amazingly sorted for the cash and the places where caliber has saved money will give you a clear path to upgrade this into an even better machine out on the trail the bossnet left us wondering whether for the money any other bike can even compete granted it’s not perfect but it’s about as close as you’ll find for the cash carbon framed voodoo bizango looks like a much more expensive rig thanks to its internally rooted cables modern geometry and sleek uninterrupted lines it’s won by specific which means there isn’t a front mech and this helps improve its overall aesthetic appeal too the great looking frame is specked with top choice parts too shimano’s mt-400 brakes sram’s 12-speed sx eagle drivetrain and a rockshox judy fork combined to propel the bizango beyond cross-country only rides it gives more expensive xc bikes a run for their money and leaves its rider with few excuses for not keeping up the geometry helps it descend confidently but the carbon frame lacks comfort when riding although for the price there’s very little that rivals a bizango carbon if you’re considering this bike it’s worth noting that it may well come unstuck on gnarlier terrain and especially if you’re expecting it to tackle downhills with the same competence as the caliber bosnia although for the xc rider on a budget it’ll be spot on [Music] the jamis dakar a2 is another top value bike costing exactly a thousand pounds it’s not quite capable of dethroning the caliber bosnia of its top spot in this price bracket but it sure comes close like the bosnia the dakar comes with an enviable spec for the money but we were a little disappointed to see a qr fork that won’t be quite as stiff as a bulk through option we thought that the car had controlled suspension well-balanced handling and top component choices we were also very impressed with the finish of the frame with its triple butter tubes tapered head tube and internal cable routing although progressive for a budget bike the geometry on the jamus and indeed the caliber is conservative in terms of reach and for some people that can be a bit of a sticking point especially if they’re taller or wanting to ride gnarlier terrain all things considered it is still a really good way to spend one thousand pounds on a mountain bike although the vita centia frame is fairly basic and doesn’t have full length outer gear cable routing the indicator cable is exposed under the top tube and seat stay it does have internal dropper post cable routing for future upgrades unlocking some serious potential with a 10 speed shimano deal drivetrain that uses a sun race cassette tektro brakes and wtb tubus ready wheels wrapped in schwalbe tyres it’s easy to forgive the center for its lack of a dropper post the x-fusion rc-32 fork performs okay once it’s into its travel but struggles with off-the-top suppleness however the headline 13.26 kilogram weight makes this one of the lightest bikes in the sub 1000 pound category the geometry isn’t as progressive as caliber’s line 29 but it still looks pretty good for a trail bike and the ride confirms this with snappy handling making it fun to take sharp turns or just ride mellower trails going for a slightly larger size than recommended should improve handling if you’re looking to shred but the sentier is better suited to tamer trails though it’s hard to ignore the centius price at just 849 pounds on 99 pence or 949.99 so what do you think of our list did we pick the best bikes for a thousand pounds or are there better models out there for a grand that we missed off as always let us know in the comments and don’t forget to like subscribe and click the bell icon so that every time we upload a video you get a notification you