OUR RATINGS

We base our scores on value for money and performance

EXCEPTIONAL

A genuine class leader

VERY GOOD

One of the best you can buy

GOOD

It’ll do the job and do it well

BELOW AVERAGE Flawed in some way

POOR

Simply put, don’t bother! he standard of bike you can get for less than £1,000 has gone through the roof. While this crucial price point is still dominated by hardtails (the cheapest full-suspension bikes we’d recommend start at about £1,100), the technology and performance they offer is getting better and better.

Longer geometry, inspired by full-sus enduro bikes, boosts stability over steep and rough terrain. Single-chainring drivetrains are now common, making shifting simpler and dropped chains rarer. We’d expect to see a decent fork, good brakes and maybe even a dropper post at this price these days too.

In fact, we’d say this is about the sweet spot for hardtails. While there’s precious little choice if you want a full-sus for under £1,000, you can get a heck of a lot of hardtail. And yes, you can spend far more and get even nicer parts, but there are diminishing returns for doing so. Fitting the

Tworld’s best fork will make only so much difference when the rear end remains rigid. Plus, there are now some compelling full-sus options for under two grand.

Of course, there are those who enjoy the raw thrill, simple maintenance and honest challenge of riding a hardtail, whatever the price. Then there’s the argument that it’s the best way for beginners to sharpen their skills. We’d say that riding a hardtail teaches you different skills, rather than ‘better’ ones. But wherever you sit on the hardtailversus-full-sus debate, if you just want the most capable trail bike for under a grand, you should be well served by these bikes.

Luckily, we measured-up, tested and shot these bikes before the UK went into COVID-19 lockdown. There wasn’t time to thoroughly test a fourth bike to our usual standards, so we’ve gone into more depth about these three instead.