Best Mountain Bike, need recommendations

Gravel Cycling Mountain Biking
1

I am in the market for my first real mountain bike and want to use some advice. My main goal is to have something reliable for weekend rides on moderate trails, but I would also like it to be practical enough for the occasional city commute. I care about on two main things Comfort and durability.

After reading expert reviews from trusted sources like Bikeradar, MTB Mag, and Outside Online, two models consistently stand out as top recommendations:

I am torn between the two, the Mongoose seems like it might be a bit more trail-ready, but the Huffy looks solid for everyday use. My budget is flexible but need something ruly have best durability feature.

Which one would you lean toward? Any recommendation would be helpful for me.

Thanks in advance!

2

The one bike is almost twice the cost of the other bike. Neither bike stands out much. Nothing wrong with limited finances, my first mountain bike was about $300. I don’t see much with either bike bike that impresses’ me. Don’t look for women’s frames as the sloping top tube was designed to prevent women having to swing their leg over the top top and expose their bloomers. If you wear bloomers, then consider one, if not forget it (yes, I am that old).

My suggestion is to look at you local craigslist, facebook market place, newspaper, etc and find a nice, lightly used bike within your budget. Cash talks.

Don’t forget about helmet, patch kit, tubes, pump. These can be purchased inexpensively at your local Walmart.