Best Full Suspension Mountain Bikes: Top Picks (2023)

(Last updated on February 23rd, 2023)

Full-suspension mountain bikes are easier to ride, more comfortable, and have more control and traction than their hardtail counterparts, especially over the roughest of terrain. They’re a bit heavier, a little more expensive, and need a little extra maintenance, but the benefits of these terrain travelers far outweigh the drawbacks.

It can be hard to figure out which full sus bike is best for you, so we put together a list of the 7 best full-suspension mountain bikes. We’ll give you the pros and cons for each one and tell you what criteria we used to pick the very best full-suspension mountain bikes.

For these bikes to make the list, I looked at their intended purpose, the amount of travel in the suspension, the aggressiveness of the position, and of course, the cost. We considered what buyers already had to say after using these bikes, too.

We’ll give you a few suggestions as to which bike is best for which riders too, so you can pick a bike that you love. But first, let’s look at the bikes!

Best Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

Bike	Rating	Head Tube	Seat Tube	Best for	Price	Where to buy?
Santa Cruz Blur	10	68.3	76.5	All Around XC Bike	$5,549	Check price
Niner WFO 9 RD	9.5	66	77	Best Budget Bike	$3,800	Check price
Niner	9.5	64	77.7	Enduro racing	$6,000	Check price
LIV Intrigue Advanced Pro	10	65.8	77	Smaller and Female Riders	$5,200	Check price
Cannondale Scalpel SC 1	9	67	74	Cross country	$6,100	Check price
Merida Ninetysix RC9000	9	68.5	76	Cross country racing	$5,599	–
Specialized Epic EVO Expert	9.5	66.5	75.5	Mix of XC and downhills	$5,520	Check price

Buyers Guide for the Best Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

Now that you’ve looked over some of the best full-suspension mountain bikes, you might be wondering what kind of criteria you should be considering. Here are a few of the things that we considered when coming up with our list of the best full suspension mountain bikes.

When you look over the criteria, you might want to consider things that apply to the type of riding you do or that you want to do. This will help you know which bike suits you best.

Types of Mountain Bike Riding

Mountain biking is a broad category, and I was completely surprised by how many different disciplines of mountain biking there really are. Hopefully, the bike you choose will align well with the type of riding and terrain that you love. Here are a few of the popular options, but of course, there are all kinds of variations out there. 

First, Choose Your Discipline

• Downhill mountain biking is just like the name says: you start at the top and bomb your way to the bottom. You’ll find steep, fast descents requiring oodles of technical skill, intense concentration, and lots of strength. You may find this type of riding at ski resorts during the off-season, where you can take the ski lift to the top and happily speed your way back down. You might want to consider the Specialized Epic EVO Expert if you’re into downhills.

Ideally, you need a bike that puts you in the right position for downhill and a full-suspension system that has 200mm of travel to handle the rough terrain.

• Cross-Country. Cross-country covers it all. You’ll find steep climbs, technical descents, rock gardens, drops, and rollers. These courses aren’t quite as technically demanding as downhill, but they do require a lot more fitness and endurance. You want a light and efficient bike for all day speed. Don’t be shocked when someone says you need a hardtail for XC, because full suspension bikes are becoming more and more popular on XC courses. For example, try out the Santa Cruz Blur for racy cross country riding.
• Free-ride. In a competition, free-ride involves many creative tricks and jumps, using as many of nature’s built-in obstacles as possible. Outside of competitions, it’s about exploring and finding new lines to ride in amazing and beautiful places. Free-ride bikes should be smaller and lighter but still have about 200mm of travel. If you aren’t racing, then you can get away with less travel.  A great example of a freeride bike is the Live Intrigue.
• Slope-style. This type of mountain biking involves lots of downhill riding with plenty of creative tricks thrown in for good measure. You need a light, responsive bike with plenty of travel. Again, the Specialized Epic might work for your slope-style needs.
• Enduro. Enduro is good, old-fashioned mountain biking in beautiful places with long days in the saddle. It may include challenging climbs and technical descents, while enduro races usually involve specific timed stages. You’ll want a durable bike to avoid extraneous mechanicals with a dropper post and between 120 and 180mm of travel. Try the Niner WFO RDO for enduro rides.

Budget

One of the biggest hurdles in purchasing a full-suspension mountain bike is the cost. Full sus bikes are generally more pricey than their hardtail counterparts due to the extra parts and more complex designs. These bikes just aren’t cheap! And the more high-quality components, the more expensive your bike will be. Lighter bikes are also a bit more expensive because full suspension bikes are just naturally heavy.

There are bikes at a variety of price points on this list, so you can choose one that fits your budget. You need to spend at least $2000 to get a decent entry-level bike.

Geometry

Simply put, geometry is just the shape of your bike. It involves the length and angles that make up the different parts of your bike, from the seat tube, to the head tube, to the handlebar height and the seat height. For starters, a bike that is the wrong size will be hard to manage and could even be unsafe. But you also need the type of geometry suited for the style of riding you will be doing.

For example, a low bottom bracket will make your bike more stable, but it will also make your pedals more likely to hit the ground on rough terrain. So if you’re doing lots of rocky rides, you might want a slightly higher bottom bracket.

The length of the wheelbase affects the stability and responsiveness of the bike. If your bike is longer in comparison to others, it will be more stable on fast descents. But a shorter bike might be a better choice if you need maneuverability and agility.

To determine the best type of bike for you, you might ask yourself:

• Am I more focused on downhill riding, climbing, or enduro racing?
• Do I care more about speed or traction?
• Do I need a lighter bike for climbing or something with better shock absorbtion?
• Is my fitness good enough that I can ride heavy bike up hill? Or will that slow me down too much?

Shorter bikes tend to be racier, while longer bikes tend to be more stable.

Higher bars might be more comfortable but lower bars will give you more speed.

Keep your eye on the geometry of each bike and know what aspects are important to you. Just remember that size matters – the bike needs to fit you well or it won’t handle well at all.

Suspension Travel

Suspension travel is a fancy way of describing how much the wheel can move to absorb the shocks and bumps on your ride. In the front, this happens via the fork. In the rear, on a full suspension bike, this is able to happen due to the frame pivots that include a shock.

Long travel bikes are in the ballpark of 150 to 170mm in both the front and rear suspension systems. These bikes are great for enduro riding and steep, fast descents, but they might feel too cumbersome on steep climbs. On the other hand, if you’re a newbie and unsure of the descents, this might be a great bike for you. For example, the Niner is a long travel bike on our list, with a travel of 180mm.

Short travel bikes are typically around 100 – 120mm of travel. These are a little more agile and efficient than long-travel bikes and are great for XC and long adventure rides. These are better if you need a lighter bike to make it up steep hills, but they might feel really sketchy over rock gardens and technical descents. But if your fitness is not as good as those you are riding with, this might be a good choice. The Merida Nineysix is a great example of a short travel bike.

If neither of these sounds good to you, you might prefer a mid-travel bike. These generally have 120 to 140 mm of travel. These are versatile bikes that can do almost anything but aren’t explicitly designed for one type of riding or another. These bikes are good if you can only have one bike but don’t do one specific type of riding or another. For example, the mid-travel LIV Intrigue is great for those offroad adventures!

Fitness and Skill

Your level of both fitness and skill will help you choose the bike you need. If you are exceptionally skilled, you can do reasonably well on just about any bike.

If you are new to mountain biking and the very thought of quick descents scares the pants off of you, you’ll want to pick a good stable bike for easier descents. A longer bike with a lower bottom bracket will give you more stability.  If you’re new to full suspension bikes, the Ghost Kato is a great place to start!

On the other hand, if your fitness is weaker than the people you ride with, you might want to pick a lighter-weight bike that is easier to climb with, so you’ll want a shorter frame with less travel.

Components

The quality of bike components directly affects the price of the bike. Higher-end components will be more precise, durable, and reliable but will cost you more of your hard-earned bucks. However, entry-level components aren’t wrong – they’ll still get the job done! And they’ll save you some dough.

Consider how often you’ll be riding, how long you’ll be riding to see if high-end components are worth it to you.

Gearing

The gearing on your bike also reflects the type of terrain you’ll be riding. Lots of hills? You may want a 2x set up with lots of easy gears to choose from or at least a nice granny gear on your 1x setup so you can spin your way to the top.

On the other hand, if downhill is your game, you don’t need too many easy gears if you’re taking a ski lift up to the mountain top. You’ll want gears for speed rather than for climbs.

While a 2x setup (two chainrings instead of one) will give you more gears, a 1x (just one chainring) will save you some weight, simplify your shifting, and help prevent chain drop.

Frame Material

There are plenty of different frame materials to choose from, too. Steel is the heaviest, but if you’re only hitting the downhills, this can be an asset and it will help smooth out your ride as well as save you some cash.

Aluminum is inexpensive and relatively lightweight, but it just can’t match the smoothness and stiffness of a carbon frame.

Titanium is sort of a niche market, but there are a few bikes out there with this unique frame material but it will cost you a pretty penny.

Carbon is increasingly the most popular frame material for its ability to be stiff in the right places and compliant in others, to absorb the shock of riding.

Frame Type	Weight	Properties	Price
Steel	Heaviest	Durable and offers a smooth ride-feel	Lower-priced and cost-effective
Carbon	Lightest	Smooth ride with a responsive feel	Expensive
Aluminum	Lighter than steel	Has a snappy but harsher ride feel	Lower priced
Titanium	Lightest metal frame	Vibration dampening but not as strong as carbon	Most expensive

The type of frame depends on the type of riding you do. For example, steel frames are very sturdy and durable and would work well for downhills. On the other hand, carbon frames are lighter and are great for steep climbs.

Final Thoughts on the Best Full Suspension Mountain Bikes

As a general rule, the rougher the terrain, the more travel you want on your full-suspension mountain bike. For lighter terrain, a short travel bike will work just fine but for more technical descents, you’ll need more.

 That being said, there is a balance between finding the perfect amount of travel and gearing for the terrain and for your level of ability and fitness. Ultimately, the best bike is the one that gives you the confidence you need to traverse the terrain you love.

Frequently Asked Questions