Trek Roscoe 7 is an ok starting point: https://www.trekbikes.com/.../?colorCode=tealdark

However I would try to find a deal on a State to make it fit your budget: https://www.trekbikes.com/...9/?colorCode=reddark

The Stache is an absolute hoot of a bike. You have an insane amount of traction with 29x3 tires and they roll very, very fast too.

If you're at all good with wrenching and fitting yourself, Viathlon and Framed are hard to beat for the money.

The rangefinder is a very good bike for the price.
Not sure where you are located but I saw that a local shop had a medium they were selling for $999.
Yes definitely factor in the cost of a dropper post, it is a must have, same with tubeless wheels (though I think that a MTB at that price point will already come with tubeless wheels),

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I was able to get a Salsa Timberjack for $1000 (last years model). You could throw that one in there as a pretty good all around bike in your price range.

You need to come ride with me sometime

Edit: Like on Saturday at Island Lake

Cheapest new or demo:

Kona Honzo, Kona Big Honzo (similar geo but with 27.5+ tires)
or
Santa Cruz Chameleon

Both should be attainable for ~$1500 or less. (probably have to work harder to find the Big Honzo or Chameleon, but should be able to). Demos can possibly be up to 20% off.

The short chainstays of both will make them a bit more fun than a typical XC bike, but they can still climb and do everything else.

Looks like the Honzos come with droppers. Lower Chameleon does not. Like all things in the bike world, needing a dropper "depends". But most riders will tell you, if you have one, you'll use it all the time and really take advantage of it. Where I ride, all of the guys I've ridden with do not have one. My bike has it, I ride the same trails, and I love it. It will add 1 to 1.5lbs.

Mike

If I were to be buying a mountain bike right now, I'd have the Specialized Chisel near the top of my list. The only downside is that it has a 27.2mm seatpost, which makes it a bit more difficult to find a dropper post. I've never ridden with a dropper anyway. MSRP is about $200 over your price range, but it has SRAM Eagle and a really nice fork. Modern XC race geometry. light. good looking.

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2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

So many different types of mountain its good to just look at what you want to do with it. If you're planning on longer rides or racing get an XC bike, which will definitely be a 29er. If you just want to have some fun in local trails trial bike with a bit more travel can be a 29 or 27.5 depending and definitely get a dropper post. When I bought my first mountain bike I went with a Diamondback Line which was a good one to start off with to get into the trials, then I got a diamondback release cause I wanted to do more drops and rough stuff. Finally I got a specialized epic cause I realized I just love to pedal.

Sounds like you want to dip your toe in the MTB water. Hardtail is a great place to start. There are plenty of good ones around $1K for starting out. Just as one example, you can get a Specialized Rockhopper for $900 on sale right now. That was my first MTB, which I bought for $1K and sold for $600.

Which is another reason to stick with one of the major brands, like Trek or Specialized. I’ve bought and sold many bikes, and the uncommon brands are hard to move and don’t hold their value.

One of my training partners just bought a 2020 Specialized Rockhopper Expert 1X. It's a nice bike for the money.

I just bought a Chisel Comp a week ago. I paid $1500 out the door (online they're listed at $1650). I debated the Expert line (Reba, NX) versus the Comp (Judy, SX) and went with the latter because I just wanted to have some fun.

For reference, I've had an Epic Expert 2019 which was totally bananas and the best overall bike I've ever owned. I didn't want that pricetag but I wanted 12 speed Eagle, decent fork, good looks and clean lines, and modern XC geometry; success with the Chisel Comp. THe fork leaves a bit to be desired and the wheels are a tad flexy (I'm 165 pounds, ~300w FTP), and it came with a square taper bottom bracket. But, this bike is 90% of the Epic for 25% of the cost.

Break a derailleur? Go to your LBS and buy a new one for $50.

Anyway, it's a freaking blast and you won't regret it.

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Confused Fitness Addict -- Biker first, Nutrition second, everything else third.

I went through this over the winter and was looking at these exact models. I chose the Honzo - and unfortunately it did not work and I sold it. The bike was really fun but the fit was wrong - the seat angle was too steep and the stack was too high (due to the low BB and 120mm fork). Also, very minor, but only 1 bottle cage mount. The Chameleon has 2, with the second under the down tube.

Looking for a replacement, I considered the Rangefinder but I really wanted thru axles which this doesn't have.

After nearing a dead end, I stumbled onto the 2017 Kona Kahuna DDL, which is like the Honzo but more XC oriented. It was discontinued but I found the last large frame at Kona on clearance, and built this up pretty nice. It's a 100mm fork and non-boost, so was actually able to find some nice discounts on quality parts. Maybe 80% as playful as the Honzo, but I can pedal it and climb so much better. And for my riding style of easy to moderately challenging singletrack, and lots of paved and dirt road/path miles to get there, it's awesome.



@Nate if you are a small or medium, I would highly recommend it!

https://www.cambriabike.com/...riant=28025637437514

I've been more than happy with my Rocky Mountain Growler.

you're fairly tall right nate? then 29er most likely. for 1.5k your best best is a lightly used bike. at minimum GX level components, but if it's used you could probably get X0 or XT at that price. carbon frame, tubeless set up, decent fox or RS fork. dropper is great once you know how to use it, but everyone got by without one for the first 40 years of mtb and it can always be added on later. 1x is the new norm as well
here are some examples i found in 10 seconds
https://www.ebay.com/...Size-Large/274348202
009?hash=item3fe06d5819:g:ZAsAAOSwwgVepY4q

https://www.ebay.com/...c:g:YlMAAOSwrkJeqPMJ

https://www.ebay.com/...e:g:aIcAAOSw5K5eKu2h

If you do not go used, the Viathons are likely the best / most practical way to get a solid bike for less money.
30% off closeouts:

https://www.viathonbicycles.com/...s/m1-gx-eagle-outlet

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Never heard of that brand before - anyone else have experience with them?

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Any thoughts on this Canyon? It's obviously not a hardtail. Is full suspension in the $1500 price range not really worth it?

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I think the consensus with MTB at this price point is that you lose lots of value to go with a FS frame, in terms of the fork and groupset that'd be spec'd on the bike. And the weight of a cheaper FS is going to be higher.

But unless you want to ride fast on smooth ish trails or race XC, having a FS gives you the freedom to head to any trail. I'm quasi in the market for my first MTB to compliment my road riding and though on a budget, I think I'd wanna get FS. And this canyon is near the top of my list lol.

That Canyon is a steal for the price. Could you get slightly better components in a hardtail at that price? Yes. Would you notice or benefit? Unlikely.

Full suspension is a huge upgrade. My first mtb was a hardtail. If I could do it again I would get a full suspension trail bike. Unless you are going to exclusively ride smooth single track, a full suspension bike will serve you better and be more enjoyable... and be faster most of the time.

All of my triathlon and road friends tend to gravitate toward light hardtails for their first purchase. Invariably they start to ride rougher trails and get bucked around. The first time they ride a full suspension trail bike it’s like a revelation to them.

I would get the Canyon. Everything you need out of the gate and parts wear out you can slowly upgrade it over time.

My current MTB (2001 Rocky Mountain Blizzard - 26", steel, 3x8 drivetrain!) hasn't seen much use since I got into triathlon and road/gravel riding, and I'd been casually researching new rides to inspire me to get back into riding MTB again. Based on this thread, the Chisel piqued my interest until the Canyon came up.. appreciate these pointers.

All depends on what kind of riding you think you're going to do, what the local trails are like, etc.

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Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I just had a friend get a hard tail and he had the same criteria and he got this Scott Scale 950. It is SLX /XT and weigs 25 lbs and he got it for $1600.

https://www.scott-sports.com/...ke?article=274610007

If you are buying a first bike I would probably do that Canyon. It really depends on where you want to go but if you want to keep it really mellow a hardtail would work. If you see yourself getting into it the Canyon would be the rig. Unfortunately it wont be your last mountain bike.

I started with a hardtail Scott, I spent 3 days in Moab on a 150mm front and rear Rocky Mountain, and then came back to more of a middle ground bike - the Scott Spark (non RC) with 120 mm of travel.

There is a lot more choice now in the 120mm front and rear travel segment vs the 140mm or 150mm trail bike area for athletic types who want more capability than a typical 100mm travel XC bike but not the weight and uphill dogishness of the more traditional "trail" bikes. There is a new category of bikes that pinkbike has labeled "downcountry" that are a blend of trail bikes and XC bikes. Models are Scott Spark, Trek Top Fuel, Yeti SB100, Santa Cruz Tallboy, and others.

Also, this video is required viewing before you buy a mountain bike:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yotOZVELSMc

Nice video - I guessed it was something like that. N+1 for bikes, right? I guess I am leaning towards the Canyon as it would be better for varied terrain.

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Not sure if you have any flexibility to the budget but the 7.0 model for $400 more is awesome. Both are good but there is a lot of value for the extra $400.