How much you spend on a mountain bike is up to you and your bank balance. If that sum happens to be at the 3K mark, you are in for a treat. There are plenty of great specced bikes on sale that are far more capable than their price belies. Here are the best mountain bikes we have tested that come in under three thousand pounds. All the bikes here have received four stars or above on our scoring system, dig in, your next bike could be here.....

• The best mountain bikes for under £1,000 - the best budget buys ridden and rated
• The best mountain bikes you can buy for under £1,500 - full sus and hardtails
• The best gravel and adventure bikes you can buy for under £2,000
   

[Updated 30th March 2021]

The best bikes under £3000

• Stif Squatch
• Vitus Escarpe 29 CR
• Nukeproof Mega 290 Alloy Comp
• Ragley Blue Pig Race
• Bird Cycleworks Zero AM Boost MK3 Hardtail
• Trek Remedy 7
• Merida One-Twenty 600
• Calibre Sentry
• Marin Hawk Hill 3
• Merida One-Sixty 600
• Nukeproof Mega 290 Alloy Comp

Also worth a look...

• Bird Cycleworks Aeris 145
• Cotic Soul Longshot

Stif Squatch

£2,500

The Stif Squatch is a full aggro 29” hardtail that eats descents for breakfast, while getting you back to the top efficiently and comfortably. Its fairly extreme focus means it's not quite as comfortable over flat trails, but for winch-and-plummet fun it's fantastic.

• Read the full review of the Squatch here

 

Vitus Escarpe 29 CR

£2,000

The 2021 Vitus Escarpe is a ripper of a 29er trail bike. It pedals very well and descends like a sprightly enduro bike, plus all versions have a carbon front triangles matched with cool colours for sleek looks. This base model doesn’t have the parts longevity we’d like to see, but it’s a great starting place for a bike upgrade journey.

• Read the full review of the Escarpe here

 

Nukeproof Mega 290 Alloy Comp

£2,700

The 2021 Nukeproof Mega 290 Alloy is a hard hitting all-mountain 29er ready to tame your local tech. It's not light but pedals supremely well, while the progressive geometry makes it a great all-rounder as well as an enduro shredder. 

• Read the full review of the 2021 Nukeproof Mega 290 Alloy here.

Ragley Blue Pig Race
£2,200

Ragley's all-new Blue Pig Race might cost as much as a well-sorted full sus trail bike, but if you prefer hardtail thrashing thrills then it's one of the best.  An almost flawless kit list is married to well-sorted geometry that encourages a lairy attitude and has the ability to back it up when it gets rough.

• Read the review here

Bird Cycleworks Zero AM Boost MK3 Hardtail
£2,045

Another Bird we loved - the Zero AM hardtail. This build will set you back £2,045 but for that, you get a bike with progressive geometry that will keep you safe all day long, however hard you like to rumble, all for a wallet-friendly sum. If the favourable sales model, cracking value for money and reassuringly progressive geometry isn’t enough, Bird even offer a lifetime, transferable warranty too. Pretty good from a bike brand with such humble beginnings.

So, If you’re in the market for an anarchic hardtail and feel you can hold on when that bull really starts bucking, you’ll do far worse than to pop in and see the guys for a coffee and take one for a spin, who knows, we may see you in a rodeo one day! 

• Read the Bird Cycleworks Zero AM Boost MK3 Hardtail frame review here
   

Trek Remedy 7
£2,200

The Trek Remedy 7 is a long travel trail bike that sets a great standard for this category of bike. It’s reasonably well priced for a ‘shop bought’ bike, providing a nimble ride that will put a smile on your face. It's probably not the fastest bike you'll ride but it is a lot of fun!

• Read the full review here

 

Merida One-Twenty 600
£2,000

If you’ve got £2,000 to spend on a new bike and want a good all-round trail bike, you could do a lot worse than consider Merida’s One-Twenty 600. The 120mm travel 29er is a well-specced option with good geometry and suspension that combines to provide very good trail manners whether grinding up or slashing down.

• Read the full review of the Merida One-Twenty 600 here

 

Calibre Sentry
£2,000

The Calibre Sentry has rewritten the rule book where full suspension enduro bikes are concerned; it's the full package, incorporating progressive geometry, spot on component choices and a price so low that you’ll need to sit down before you read it. 

The Calibre Sentry will make riders and bike manufacturers rethink the rulebook where bike design and pricing is concerned. The geometry of this bike makes it a perfect platform for more aggressive riders and racers alike, it’s very well specced for the money and a bike you can jump on and ride straight away and have an absolute blast at the same time.

It’s a hard bike to fault, my gripes with the shock are personal and different rider weights and rider style may not feel the same issues. If you are looking for your next bike upgrade? Look no further than this bike and remember you can also buy the Sentry Pro, which at a mindblowing £2,800 gets you a Lyrik fork, a coil shock and SRAM GX Eagle.

• Read the full review of the Calibre Sentry here

 

Marin Hawk Hill 3
£2,100

The Marin Hawk Hill 3 is a 120mm full susser that can hold its own with the big bikes, is well specced and comes in at a very reasonable price too. It’s hard to fault this versatile bike, whilst not groundbreaking in terms of design or geometry it does its job of being a fun and capable trail bike very well indeed. 

• Read the full review of the Marin Hawk Hill 3 here

 

Merida One-Sixty 600 
£2,500

Our most recent review bike in the category, the Merida One-Sixty 600 is the most affordable model in Merida’s 160mm travel range but there are no shortcuts. It’s packing some decent equipment and the performance is nothing short of impressive, though it could stand to lose a bit of weight if we are being super critical and we’d love to see a compression/climb switch on the rear shock. 

It might not have the desirability or cool factor of many rivals in this category, but judged solely on its performance the One-Sixty 600 has a lot to offer. Add in the excellent value for money and easy availability in the UK, and you have a thoroughly appealing choice. 

• Read the full review of the Merida One-Sixty 600 here

 

Also worth a look...

 

Bird Cycleworks Aeris 145
£2,082

This is in the category 'also worth a look' as we have only had time for a 'first ride' on this bike, rather than a full review.

From our first impressions though, we reckon this bike might score highly, with our tester saying: "The Aeris 145 is some serious bang-for-your-buck bike. WIth far superior (than many) geometry, the ability to customise your ride, a lifetime warranty and at a significantly cheaper price point than many other, sub-par, big boy brands, the Aeris 145 should certainly be on your radar for a real world trail slaying weapon."

With builds starting at £2,082 it's well within the under 3K price bracket too. 

• Read the first ride report of the Bird Cycleworks Aeris 145 here

 

Cotic Soul Longshot
£649 (frame only)

Cotic's Soul trail hardtail has a rich history and somewhat of a cult following, but this fifth-generation model brings it bang up to date with stretched-out 'Longshot' geometry and all mod cons, despite the retro skinny steel looks. It's extremely versatile, hugely capable and a proper hoot to ride, though a steeper seat angle would really help it shine on climbs.

• Read the full review of the Cotic Soul Longshot here

You might also like:

• Best MTB's for under £1,500
• The best clipless MTB pedals you can buy
• Buyer's guide to mountain bikes - get the best MTB for you