Mountain Bikes

Mountain bikes are built for off-road adventures across all types of terrain. From suburban trails and dirt paths to steep, technical climbs and descents.

Mountain bikes deliver stability, control, and comfort on rough terrain. They use wide tyres, smooth suspension and powerful brakes.

At Ivanhoe Cycles, you’ll find a wide range of hardtail (front suspension only) and dual-suspension mountain bikes from trusted brands like Giant, Cannondale, Orbea, and Rocky Mountain. Perfect for beginners through to experienced riders.

Explore our full range of mountain bikes for sale below.

Gears.

More gears on the back = better quality components.

For example:

7-speed mountain bikes use good-quality entry-level gearing parts.
8-speed bikes use mid-range components.
9-speed is upper-end recreational gearing components.
10 and 11-speed are affordable performance-level parts. You want something that can handle rugged terrain occasionally.
12-speed mountain bikes use performance parts. These are designed for riders who spend all of their riding time on rugged off-road terrain.

These components shift the smoothest under load as well. A must for mountain biking.

Brakes.

There are 3 types of brakes you'll come across in our mountain bike range:

Rim brakes/caliper brakes/V-brakes (same thing).
Mechanical disc brakes
Hydraulic (or hydro) disc brakes

V-brakes are the least powerful out of the 3 and come on mountain bikes under $600.

Mechanical disc brakes have more stopping power than rim brakes but can’t match the power of hydraulics.

With hydro brakes, a benefit to smaller riders is that we can adjust the brake levers without (significantly) affecting the braking power.

There's a lot less effort required pull the lever (if feels so smooth).

Lastly, hydro brakes don't need as much frequent maintenance as mechanical brakes.

Recreational Hardtails
Perfect for riding bike paths, around suburbia and general fitness.
Examples of popular options are:
Performance Hardtails
For riders who are spending more time on rugged mountain bike trails.
These bikes have bigger, more powerful brakes and more suspension to absorb larger impacts.
And very different handling to a recreational mountain bike.
Handling that makes it easier to ride steep and technical trails.
Examples are:
Dual-Suspension XC
These have anywhere between 100-120mm of suspension travel.
And these bikes are fast.
XC dual-suspension bikes will suit riders who value speed and holding momentum on smoother terrain, paired with high climbing efficiency.
Remember small travel = small impacts.
So if you’re unlikely to ride technical trails or massive features, these mountain bikes are ideal.
Examples:
- Giant Anthem
- Rocky Mountain Element
Dual-Suspension Trail
Trail bikes are the Swiss army knife.
They have a dollop of everything; high-speed stability and calm handling, efficient to pedal and extremely forgiving when you make a mistake.
Think of them as an adventure mountain bike.
Suspension travel on these bikes range from 140mm to 160mm.
Some examples in our range are:
- Norco Fluid
- Rocky Mountain Instinct
Dual-Suspension Enduro
Quite possibly the most popular type of dual-suspension mountain bike in recent years.
These bikes have 160-180mm of suspension travel.
They are often a progression bike too.
By that we mean:
Riders are already on a mountain bike and are now pushing limits of what their current bike can do.
They need more suspension (for larger impacts) and a bike with a calmer character to get through rough trails at much higher speeds.
Examples of Enduro bikes are:
- Rocky Mountain Altitude
- Giant Reign