Vital's $2,000 Full-Suspension Budget Mountain Bike Comparison Test

Can a new rider buying a first-time mountain bike really meet their performance aspirations at an entry-level, beginner price tag? Vital MTBers, welcome to our $2,000 full suspension mountain bike comparison test.

#mtb #mountainbike #biking

At Vital, we have the privilege of spending time aboard some really nice, and expensive, mountain bikes. We’ve ridden the UNNO Ever downhill bike which costs almost $11,000, and we’ve tested wheelsets that cost as much or more than the bikes featured here. We felt it was time to take a step back and see how capable a $2,000 mountain bike really is.

We found six full-suspension 29ers in the 120mm to 140mm rear travel range. They’re considered trail bikes if you’re unaware of how mountain bikes are classified these days. A trail bike is made to do a little bit of everything, and hopefully do it pretty well. It has more travel than a cross-country bike and less travel than what’s called an enduro bike.

Every bike we tested was a size medium and coincidentally, not by our choice, they all featured SRAM 12-speed 1x Eagle drivetrains. That means there is a single chainring up front at the cranks and no front derailleur, keeping the bike simple, efficient and quiet. There were component similarities between some of the bikes, like three of them running a RockShox Recon fork, but each bike was definitely its own machine, each with unique riding characteristics. Enjoy our findings as we put these inexpensive mountain bikes to the test.

Timeline for the bike reviews in our video
3:34 - $2,000 GT Sensor Sport Bike Review
- Great pedaling and rear suspension performance
- One of the most modern geometries in our test with 450mm reach, 66-degree head angle and 42mm offset fork
- Lack of dropper seat post and poor brake performance
- Heaviest bike in test, over 34 pounds
- Purchased through GT authorized bike shops

5:46 - $2,000 Fezzari Abajo Peak Bike Review ($2,200 as tested)
- Very good component spec for the price including SRAM NX Eagle drivetrain (the only bike with NX compared to all other bikes with SX Eagle)
- Highly tunable suspension
- Excellent big and medium hit performance
- Well-performing SRAM Level brakes
- Slight pedal bob on climbs
- Direct-to-consumer shopping experience
- Dropper seat post not included on $2,000 build
- Dropper seat post installed on bike before delivery for additional $200 (as tested)

8:51 - $1,800 Giant Stance 29 1 Bike Review
- Most playful, fun bike in our test
- Lightest bike in test at 31 pounds, 2 ounces
- Least expensive bike in test along with Norco
- Can get overwhelmed in rougher terrain
- Less-than-ideal brake performance
- Purchased through Giant-authorized bike shops

11:38 - $1,999 Vitus Mythique 29 VRX Bike Review
- Best gravity-oriented performance in our test
- Marzocchi Z2 fork, Shimano MT501 brakes and Schwalbe tires are great spec at this price point
- Solid climbing ability with best engaging rear hub in test
- Surprisingly light for the build at 32 pounds 1 ounce
- Seat post insertion depth was shorter than we'd like
- Dealer support may be limited due to online sales only through Chain Reaction or Wiggle.

14:42 - $1,799 Norco Fluid FS 3 Bike Review
- Least expensive in test along with Giant
- High-volume, grippy 2.6-inch wide Goodyear tires provide great traction and smooth out the trail
- Balanced geometry and riding position
- SR Suntour fork performance was sub-par
- Tektro HD-M275 brakes were very poor performers
- Purchased through Norco authorized dealers

18:19 - $1,949 Marin Rift Zone 2 Bike Review
- The most modern geometry of our bike test with 455mm reach and 65.5-degree head angle
- Extremely fun and capable on descents and in corners.
- Well-performing RockShox Deluxe Select Debonair rear shock
- Grippy, aggressive Vee Snap Flow tires keep the bike composed descending rough terrain but slow the bike down on climbs and through flatter portions of trail.
- Buy directly through Jenson USA but also have Marin dealer support through authorized shops

More Vital MTB Mountain Bike Tests

The perfect mountain biker gift - Vital Gear Club Subscription Box

[Jon-nzdm]

THANK YOU. I'm tired of channels reviewing $9, 000 bikes. Nobody can afford those. These industry guys seem to think it's normal. Why not review $5, 000 version of the same bike? You know? Something that is more realistic at least. 5k bikes are still plenty expensive to have great hardware all around. And at this price point of 2k, most people will consider bikes like these.


I think manufacturers need to stop using tektro brakes. Even in low end builds, simply using a shimano brakeset is much much better. Even if they're both cheap, shimano just stops better and feels better. Every tektro brake i've tried on 800-1300 dollar hardtails feels like mushy garbage.

[JB]

This was an excellent video. Hard to find reviews of bikes that are in most peoples price range. Kudos 👏🏼👏🏼

[Allison_Burgers]

You got me like:
"I want this"
*Next bike
Me: "nah i want this"

[thomasli]

Wow, even better then Pinkbike’s field test! Next up you should do cheap enduro bikes (around 2500$) or hardcore hardtails (around 1000$). But I still think that around this price range used is the way to go, for example I got a bargain 2016 Propain Tyee CF (boost spacing!) for 1400$ with high end parts (1x11 Sram XO1, Monarch Plus...) and just the right geometry (HA 65, 5 STA 75, 5)

[sarahwillett]

8:52 was my personal favorite part of the whole video

[HasanibnSabah]

Wish I had seen this a few months ago...excellent video and format!
Reviews for us real folks for whom $2000 for a bike is a significant purchase...y'all have a new subscriber.

[pavmentsurfer]

This was the best budget bike review ive ever seen. Most places doing tests like these spend the whole time complaining that the $1800 bike doesnt perform as well as an $8000 bike and therefore, sucks. Then proceed to reccomend "saving up" for the $8000 version. You tested these bikes fairly against each other and gave legitimate highs and very realistic and fair lows. My brother is currently shopping for a bike in this class and price range. Your test just answered the question of which bikes he should be looking at. Great job all round.
Side note: Whats up with those shimano 201 brakes. They came on my wifes new bike last year and I had the same experience youve had. They just suck. I wouldnt even let her ride with them and took them off immediately. I get that there has to be a budget brake in the lineup and that cost cutting will result in less breaking performance, but these brakes are borderline not even safe for bikes with 120-130mm of travel designed for descending steep terrain. I wouldnt even put them on my daughters 24 inch hardtail (shes 8).

[epicwarrior]

This is so much more informative than the bikemag reviews. Thanks.

[Dirtguerilla]

A short recap would be nice at the end. Great video, keep it up ;)

[armandojuan]

I am very, very happy with my humble Giant Trance 3 27.5 2020 …. it is not about owning the most expensive bike but enjoying the one that you own .

[matthewchaston]

Fantastic production, hats off to the entire team at Vital MTB. Well done!

[machohogan]

Great video. UK guy here trying to push a friend from getting a second hand £500 bike from 10-20 years ago to a £1500-£2000 modern bike.
This video is a great help.

[epicwarrior]

The lack of backing music lends the entire vid a zen like, calm quality. Very refreshing!

[johnschick]

This is the most comprehensive budget bike review I’ve seen. 👍

[vitalmtb]

What did you think about our test and which bikes should we test next? In the video description are timeline links, bike pros/cons lists and links to manufacturer websites to help you out.

[pulDag]

Review without backround music? Bold but awesome..

[jptothetree]

LOVE my Commencal Meta. Got it for $2, 000 earlier this year and it is stellar for the price.

[julianrime]

FINALLY... Someone reviews mtb’s in this price range

[mlbd]

WOW - nearly a year later do I see this video, and quite possibly one of the best if not THE best Comparison Video ever made! No BS - nothing but useful footage & information by real riders. Thanks!!

[jakeb]

this is quickly becoming my favorite bike channel, thanks for keeping grounded, 2K is right about where I feel comfortable spending (in 2 years)