For under £1,000 you should be able to get a good lightweight aluminium frame with rear suspension and good groupset. Unlike the road bike market, you’ll struggle to find any carbon fibre MTBs for under £1,000. You will also be mainly limited to the ‘hardtail’ MTB’s i.e. solid rear frame with just front suspension. However, [...]

For £500, you can get a pretty solid mountain bike that will withstand a good testing and ride over the toughest terrain. Of course, you can spend much more on a mountain bike – to get lower weight, and more high end features. But, for £500, you can still get a good starter bike and [...]