Best Mountain Bikes Under $500: Review & Buying Guide

So, gear up, grab your helmet, and get ready to hit the trails confidently and style on the best mountain bikes under $500. Let’s dive into the world of affordable off-road adventures and explore the top options that fit your budget and elevate your riding experience!

Whether you’re a casual rider or a hardcore enthusiast, these budget-friendly mountain bikes are designed to cater to your specific needs. With a focus on comfort, stability, and maneuverability, these bikes provide a thrilling ride while keeping you in control.

Our Top Picks

IMAGE	PRODUCT	RATING	PRICE
EDITORS CHOICE	Vilano Blackjack 3.0 Features: Vilano Mountain bike can hit hard surfaces, tough trails, filthy roads, and muddy places without slipping. Slip-resistant and anti-puncture technology of the bike makes it a safe choice for beginner bikers.	9.9	Check on Amazon
Premium Pick	Mongoose Switchback Features: The Mongoose switchback mountain bike is the prime choice for riders. Riders can have a protected bike ride with Mongoose switchback road runners.	9.5	Check on Amazon
Best Value	Hiland Aluminum Mountain Bike Features: Hiland aluminum MTB is a premium quality bike with royal features. The riders can enjoy trails on the hillside, gravel routes, twisting rural roads, and urban street tours. y	9.0	Check on Amazon
STANDARD PICK	Mongoose Malus Features: Mongoose Malus Drivetrain with its small and fat tire size attracts mountain bikers. The overall outlook of the bike is impressive enough to catch the attention of passers-by.	8.8	Check on Amazon
TRENDING NOW	Schwinn High Timber mountain bike Features:Have a fun ride with the colorful MTB. Choose among the various bike colors and enjoy a ride with your favorite bike.	8.6	Check on Amazon
TOP RATED	Kent Dual-Suspension Mountain Bike Features:Kent KZ2600 is the superior choice for town cycling, mountain riding, weekend trips, and hillside adventures. Its colorful appearance impresses the passers-by.	8.8	Check on Amazon
CUSTOMER’S CHOICE	Huffy Stone Mountain Bike Features: The gray-colored Huffy Stone bike is the perfect fit the women and teenagers. Its 26 inches tire size gives an advantage to the short-heightened bike rider.	8.4	Check on Amazon
PROVEN PERFORMER	Huffy Hardtail Mountain Features: Hardtails are specialized to move on mountain terrains. Heavy machinery, framing, and components of the bike are stronger to bear the shocks.	8.1	Check on Amazon
EXPERT SELECTION	Euro Mountain Bike Features: UROBIKE MTB is ideal for its professional and high-grade performance. You can run on the rocks, hills, and mountains without lowering the bike speed.	7.9	Check on Amazon

Best Mountain Bikes Under $500 Reviews: Conquer the Mountains on a Budget

1. Vilano Blackjack 3.0 Mountain bike

Features

Vilano Mountain bike can hit hard surfaces, tough trails, filthy roads, and muddy places without slipping. Slip-resistant and anti-puncture technology of the bike makes it a safe choice for beginner bikers.  

Disc Brakes

Vilano Disc brakes are efficient mechanical brakes. Disc brakes can secure the bike rider from a sudden collision. Unlike traditional brakes, disc brakes can stop the bike immediately.  

Mobility Assistance structure

The bike comes with an inflatable standup paddle with the best mobility assistance structure. Bikers can show impressive stunts with Vilano road runner. 

Premium quality Bike

The hydroformed alloy frame of the Blackjack 3.0 bike promises a quality ride. A pair of 29 inches double alloy wheels with premium quality tires can roll over tough terrains effortlessly.  In addition, the 80mm suspension fork makes Vilano MTB the best starter bike. 

Additional components

The package includes a bike with a free lock and a basic tool kit. You can maintain the bike with the basic tool kit. However, this tool kit is not suitable for assembling the bike. 

2. Mongoose Switchback Mountain Bike

Features

Whether you want to opt for a town ride or a forest trail, the Mongoose switchback mountain bike is the prime choice for riders. Riders can have a protected bike ride with Mongoose switchback road runners.    

Comfortable saddle

The bike seat is made up of leather and a tough padding cushion. The outer part is easy to wipe. Riders can enjoy a comfortable seating position for longer tours without getting tires. 

The fast disc braking system

Disc brakes are powerful enough to stop Mongoose switchback instantly. Whether you need an emergency brake or a regular brake to stop, the mountain bike will respond immediately to avoid any collision. 

Powerful tires

Mountain bike with high-quality tires saves the rider from road accidents. In addition, its tires are anti-puncture and anti-slip. 

Impressive bike design

The bike comes in several colors. You can match your bike color with your outfit and have a fun race with your partner. Moreover, the bike structure is durable, compact, and appealing.  

3. Hiland Aluminum mountain bike

Features

Hiland aluminum MTB is a premium quality bike with royal features. The riders can enjoy trails on the hillside, gravel routes, twisting rural roads, and urban street tours. 

Locked suspension

Front suspension makes the ride smoother, absorbing jumps and jolts. The rider can lock the front fork. It means that the bike’s front suspension can be locked, making it inactive. Thus, the rider’s pedaling power does not absorb in the suspension, and the rider can move speedily, wasting less energy. 

High-tech bike structure

The Hiland bike features a lightweight and corrosion-resistant aluminum frame. It is easy to clean, move, and store. The bike’s handlebar, saddle, and overall infrastructure are durable and stylish. 

XC Tires

XC tires are thin and faster. They come with more rolling resistance, better road traction, a strong grip on the surface, and more control. Tires with anti-puncture technology are ideal for rocky terrains or hillside locations. 

User-friendly bike interface

Hiland bike is available in several sizes. The buyers can see the size chart before deciding on the best option. In addition, Hiland bike facilitates the riders with easy-to-use and easy-to-maintain features.

4. Mongoose Malus Drivetrain Bicycle

Features

Mongoose Malus Drivetrain with its small and fat tire size attracts mountain bikers. The overall outlook of the bike is impressive enough to catch the attention of passers-by. 

Versatile shifter 

The bike comes with a 7 speeds shifter. The versatile shifter allows quick and smooth gear changing without any jerks or issues. 

Wide mountain tires

Usually, 26 inches tires are uncommon. The smaller and fat tires make it suitable for teenagers also. Moreover, heightened school-going children can also reach its pedals. The fat tires come with more volume and can roll over hillside pathways, gravel, and tough terrains faster. 

Powerful frame

Steel alloy makes the frame more powerful and sturdy. You can use this bike life-long as its high-tech material increases the durability of the bike. The steel frame is rust-free and wear-resistant. 

Superior bike control

Front and rear disc brakes, smooth shifter, and mountain bike handlebar are the ultra components that help the riders to get full control on the trails. 

5. Schwinn High Timbre Youth Bike

Features

Schwinn Mountain bike, with its quick-release seat post, makes the adjustment easier. Riders with at least 5’5” in height can enjoy the MTB. Have a fun ride with the colorful MTB. Choose among the various bike colors and enjoy a ride with your favorite bike. 

Braking system

The braking system enhances stability and control over all types of terrains. 

Rear Derailleur

The bike twist shifter features a rear derailleur for quick gear shifting. In addition, the gear shifter comes with a crank that makes the gearing smooth and maintenance-free. 21-speed Schwinn shifter comes with a variety of gears increasing the comfort of riding. 

High-tech bike structure

The 16-inches steel frame with linear-pull brakes, and adjustable saddle make this ultra-bike ride super fun.  Moreover, powerful alloy wheels and stylish framing make it a dream mountain bike.  

High-grip tires

Wide tires with superior grip roll over the road with more surface area. The rider can better take control of MTB with anti-puncture technology and wear-resistant tires. 

6. Kent KZ2600 Dual Suspension Mountain Bike

Features

Kent KZ2600 is the superior choice for town cycling, mountain riding, weekend trips, and hillside adventures. Its colorful appearance impresses the passers-by. 

Quick responsive Braking

Front disc brakes and rear pull brakes keep the bike under the rider’s control. The braking system of the bike is powerful enough to stop the bike immediately. The responsive brakes ensure the safety of the rider over all types of roads. 

Shimano 21-speed shifters

The Shimano 21-speed shifter is a premium quality shifter that comes with a rear tourney derailleur. It makes the gearing smoother and effortless. 

Full-suspension bike

Front and rear suspension keep the bike riders safe from jumps, jolts, and terrain obstacles. However, it requires more paddling energy to perform well. 

Powerful wheels

The Alloy rim is water-resistant and keeps riding controlled and stable in gravel, muddy roads, and twisting uneven terrains. 

7. Huffy Stone Mountain bike

Features

The gray-colored Huffy Stone bike is the perfect fit the women and teenagers. Its 26 inches tire size gives an advantage to the short-heightened bike rider. 

Strong frame

The steel frame is durable and powerful to bear heavy weight. In addition, it is easier to wipe and maintain the steel alloy. The rust-free feature of the frame makes it all-season popular.

Suspension fork

A suspension fork gives more traction and better control while cornering. Further, the rider can move fast on tough road surfaces as well. The suspension fork also facilitates the emergency brakes. 

21-speed Shimano shifter

The variety of the gears with 21-speed makes it easy to operate. The bike can smoothly shift the gears without any hassle. The rider can shift the gears while riding the hill or climbing down without compromising the speed. 

8. Huffy hardtail mountain Bike

Features

Hardtails are specialized to move on mountain terrains. Heavy machinery, framing, and components of the bike are stronger to bear the shocks. 

Aluminum Hardtail frame

The hardtail frame is designed to offer the best performance in twisting and tough adventures. The long-lasting quality frame can bear the heavy weight of the rider.  

Shimano drivetrain and derailleur

Hardtail MTB is ideal for tough terrains. Whether you want to have a ride in the countryside or a hill station, hardtail is here to assist you with the Shimano drivetrain and Shimano indexed rear derailleur. 

Oversized tires

Over-sized tires cover more surface area leading to better traction and road-side control. this hardtail MTB is ideal for climbing and down hilling. Tires can bear dirt, gravel, water, and all types of weather without compromising efficiency. 

Padded Saddle

High-grade stitching and padding of the saddle increase the life of the seat.

9. EUROBIKE MTB

Features

EUROBIKE is the name of the quality. The brand has been serving the bicycle industry for decades. EUROBIKE MTB is ideal for its professional and high-grade performance. You can run on the rocks, hills, and mountains without lowering the bike speed.  

Carbon-steel frame

Carbo steel frame enhances the durability and life of the bike. You can go with this bike life-long without engaging in the hassles of frequent maintenance. 

Dual Disc Brakes

Dual disc brakes ensure more stability and control in all situations. The brakes are responsive at just one press. The powerful stopping power of brakes makes it a reliable choice. In addition, anti-skid tire technology can allow riding in extreme weather conditions also.

Additional components

The bike comes with complimentary components including a pedal, assembly tool-kit, manual, and reflector. So, the buyer can easily assemble the bike without paying the additional cost to the mechanics.

Things to consider while choosing a Mountain bike under $500

The suspension system of Mountain bike

The suspension system of mountain bikes matters while riding smoother or tougher terrains. We have listed three main types of suspension systems that are designed for specific routes with exclusive features. 

Hardtail Mountain Bike 

Hardtail mountain bikes are popular for their lightweight and faster acceleration. What makes the hardtail bikes a good option? Have a look at:

• Hardtail forks are available at a cheaper cost. 
• They are easy to maintain with affordable service fees.
• They are the best option for single terrains, smooth roads, occasional obstacles, and off-road biking. 
• Lightweight hardtail bikes are easy to climb up the hills as the rider has better paddling control. 

On the dark side, the hardtail is not a good choice for the tough and rocky terrain. 

Rigid Mountain

Rigid mountain bikes lack a suspension system. They are designed with rigid forks. Rigid forks are useful in numerous ways:

• Rigid forks are much lighter than suspension forks.
• Rigid forks are available at a cheaper cost lowering the overall cost of the bike. 
• Rigid forks are stiff and light. That is why they allow effortless riding on the road. 
• These forks require no maintenance and save both time and money. 

Along with all these advantages, it holds some disadvantages as well. Rigid bikes are useful and faster on smooth roads. These forks are unable to absorb shocks and jolts in reaction to the obstacles on the route. Riding off-road, the rigid bike rider can experience a fight against the bike itself.  

Dual Suspension Mountain Bike

Dual suspension or full suspension mountain bikes have a rear and a front shock absorbent. The exclusive benefits of dual suspension bikes are:

• Dual suspension bikes are the best fit for rugged terrains, off-road biking, and climbing down hills or mountains. 
• They give good support against back injuries. 
• Riders can enjoy a smooth shock-free ride even in rocky places also. 
• Dual suspension improves the safety and performance of the bike. 

One of the main demerits is that dual suspensions are expensive to buy and it costs higher to maintain. They make the bike heavier with poor pedal control and performance. 

2. Wheels Size of Mountain Bike

Wheel sizes of mountain bikes matter for the height of the bike. The larger the wheel size, the better for the heightened persons. Usually, mountain bikes come with these wheel sizes:

• The 26” wheel size is outdated. You can hardly find it in the latest bikes. This wheel size is perfect for bikes designed for kids.
• 27.5” Wheel Size is ideal for women, teenagers, and school children. The bikes with this size look shorter. This wheel size offers better rolling traction as compared to the 26” wheel. 
• 29” Wheel Size is common among the advanced cycles.  It is an ideal wheel size for adults and heightened riders. However, women and short heightened riders can also have great fun with 29 inches size. 

3. Plus-Sized Tires of MTB

Tire width ranging between 2.8 inches to 3.5 inches is included in the Plus-sized tires. They are also popular among fat bike tires, Enduro, or trail tires categories. There is no fixed tire size for a mountain bike. You can get several varieties of plus-sized MTB tires. Plus-sized MTB tires feature superior road efficiency, higher traction, comfortability, and higher rolling resistance. Plus-sized tires are ideal for muddy roads, uneven routes, hill climbing, and downhill rides. 

Switching to the plus-sized tires from the standard bike tire is a better option. Wider tires with more volume offer better road control, but they are often heavier than other bike tires. 

4. Construction Quality of Mountain Bike

Frame geometry and material of the frame can tell you the quality of the mountain bike. When searching for the best bike under $500, you may not have many options. You can get a mountain bike with an aluminum frame that is durable and lightweight. However, steel framing is many times stronger and heavy than aluminum. But the cyclist has to compromise the price as well. 

In addition, the distance from the handlebar to the saddle also matters. Expensive Mountain bikes focus on better traction and obstacle jumping than comfort. From the frame to the seating position, suspension, gears, and braking system all components contribute to the quality construction of MTB and the impressive behavior of the bike on road.    

5. Brakes Quality of Mountain Bike

Best mountain bikes under $500 may have three basic categories of brakes:

Rim brakes

A few decades earlier, rim brakes were used in bikes. Rim brakes are attached to the carbon rims. Though these brakes are lightweight and easy to operate, degraded performance on wet or muddy roads makes them a susceptible choice. In addition, rim brakes can also get overheated on long trips.  

V-Brakes

With the invention of the suspension system in the MTB, V-brakes became popular. However, now, the majority of mountain bikes have replaced the V-brakes with disc brakes. 

Hydraulic Disc brakes

Hydraulic disc brakes are the most popular and trending brakes even in cheap bikes as well. Disc brakes prevailed in the mountain bike market for their quick stopping power and responsive feature. 

6. Gears of Mountain Bike

The gears of a mountain bike help the rider to variate the pedaling speed. Lower gears allow the rider to ride smoothly on the steep down terrains while higher gears may help the mountain biker to climb up the hill. Higher gears or the number of speeds is never a good option. It all depends upon the terrain and requirement of the rider. Further, the latest bikes come between 10-12 gears. Older bikes may have a gear ratio of up to 27. However, the searching for the best mountain bike under $500, you may have gears between 18-21 speeds. 

7. Adjustability

The height of the saddle and wheel size contribute to the rider’s bike adjustment. Choose a saddle that has the height adjustment option. Sometimes, riders adjust the seat for comfort and better riding positions while in some cases, riders need to adjust the seat according to the height. 

Moreover, choose a wheel size that is adjustable to the cyclist’s height. Short-heightened riders like women and teenagers can choose 27.5 inches wheel size while normal or long-heightened riders should opt for a 29 inches wheel size. Searching for a Mountain Bike under $500, the cyclist can have a variety of options. 

8. Assembly of Mountain Bike

Some mountain bikes come in parts and the buyer has to assemble them from scratch. It surely requires more effort and time to assemble a mountain bike. Usually, buyers have to take the unassembled bike to the mechanic and ask for help. It may take hours to assemble the bike and surely increases the cost of the bike as well. 

On the other hand, several brands offer 85 to 90% assembled bikes. The buyer has to settle the saddle, inflate the air into the tires, and install the pedal. This assembly is easier and one can do it without a mechanic’s help. So, before choosing a bike, ask for the assembly of the bike. It is wiser to choose a partially assembled bike as compared to unassembled bike parts.  

FAQ’s 

Which is the cheapest MTB? 

Beginner or entry-level mountain bikes are one of the cheapest bikes. The bikes with simple functioning are available as low as $300 and lesser than that. A bike without suspension, gears, and other ultra-features is available at affordable rates. These types of bikes are designed for riding or learning purposes only. They are not meant to speed and have high performance on tough roads. In addition, second-hand or used mountain bikes are also available at the lowest cost.  The more you compromise on the features the more availability of the cheaper MTB options.  

What is a 27.5 mountain bike?

A 27.5 inches mountain bike refers to a wheel diameter of 27.5 inches. It is also called a tweener. A traditional 27.5 mountain bikes have 26 or 27.5 inches wheels. The wheel allows the compatible tires to fit in. A 27.5 inches wheel requires a large fat tire with nearly 55mm width. Usually, bikes come with 26, 27.5, and 29 inches wheels. The 26 inches is considered a smaller MTB option while 29 inches is the largest one. It is usually recommended for adults and long-heightened riders.  A 27.5 inches mountain bike goes best for women, heightened teenagers, and adults. Further, old-age cyclists, gym users, and health-conscious personalities also choose a 27.5 MTB

Which brand is best for the MTB cycle?

EUROBIKE is the best brand for MTB cycles. EUROBIKE has been manufacturing bikes for cyclists, racers, beginners, and adults for decades. You can rely on the quality and material of the brand. EUROBIKE bicycles feature high-tech functioning, quality material, durable framing, and life-long bike structure.

In addition, Euro bike tires offer higher traction, control, and stability against rough trails. EUROBIKE MTB bicycles are wear-resistant, weather-resistant, and rust-free. EUROBIKE EUX1 mountain bike is the ideal choice for outdoor sports and regular mountain rides. A high carbon steel frame with a mountain handle assists the rider to go fast.

How to choose a cheap mountain bike?

While choosing a cheap mountain bike, you need to consider some questions. Do you want a bike for hill climbing or down hilling? Do you require a speedy mountain bike for rough trails or want a commuter to school or the office? These questions will help to choose the right functioning of MTB.

An MTB without suspension and gears can work for beginners or occasional rides. Choosing an aluminum or carbon frame can also lead you to the cheaper MTB options. Nonetheless, if you want a high-tech mountain bike, you can go for the used MTB to get a pocket-friendly option. 

Final Words

I hope the above guide for the best mountain bikes under $500 must-have guided you to choose the one that meets your budget and expectations. Remember, always choose the one that meets your outdoor adventure in such a way you will have a wonderful experience with your mountain bike.