How soon until you buy your next mountain bike?

2026 could be a great year for mountain bike sales... or not. We want to know if you plan to buy a new bike this year.

By Jeff Barber
January 11, 2026

31 comments

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A warehouse setting with multiple stacked cardboard boxes on metal shelves, labeled with various green and yellow stickers. The lower section features additional boxes stacked on the ground, all with labels indicating their contents. The boxes appear to be organized for inventory or shipping purposes, with handwriting visible on some boxes. — File photo.

About a year ago, we asked if readers were planning to buy a new bike in the next 12 months, and a healthy 30% said yes. Given the current economy and with bike prices and supplies approaching new normal levels, we’re curious to see how things have changed.

Tell us why you’re buying / not buying a new mountain bike this year in the comments below. 👇

A pie chart depicting survey responses regarding the anticipated timeline for purchasing a new mountain bike (MTB). The segments are color-coded to represent various timeframes: "within the next month or less," "in one to six months," "within the next 12 months," "1-2 years from now," "2-3 years from now," "3-5 years from now," and "it'll probably be more than 5 years until I buy a new MTB." The background is a light orange color. — Late 2024 purchase survey results.

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31 Comments

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landrew04 Utah // 2018
Jan 11, 2026

I am putting off buying and waiting for a number of reasons. Tariffs on everything! There is a lot of uncertainty in the US in the economy and foreign policy actions. I may just transition to buying used. New bike inventory, choice and cost for bike sizes best for me is in a much different place than a few years ago. I want to stay with mechanical drive trains, who knows what is going to happen there. I and my sons are all really small people. We have 29 and 27.5. I like 27.5 a little better. Every year support and choice dwindles for 27.5. So I might as well wait and see. I don't want perfectly good equipment going to the landfill. I don't want to buy the latest fad and get "27.6'ed" I want to be able to find parts and maintain a bike. I have a 25 year old mtn bike with full xtr that works flawlessly that is now my gravel and commuter. I want to be able to service my other six bikes for a long time so I want to wait and watch to try to avoid the next planned obsolescence thing. Where is mixed wheel headed? Where is 32" headed (freaking circus size wheels for me)? I am getting older and I want to drop weight on my mountain bike because it don't want the ride area restrictions that come with an e-bike, but the eBike might be better. eBikes are turning into pseudo motorcycles with these big motors. Where is regulation going to go on eBikes and access? I could buy a college kid a basic used car for the prices it will take to get a light, quality, mtb rig. Kitting 4 people with a good bike costs a mint. Just give me interoperable long term standards and support for parts. I would probably buy more bikes and then hand them down to my kids, maybe grand kids, or others keeping more people in this sport for the long haul. People are getting priced out of all kinds of things.

8 reply

Dave H 2026
Jan 11, 2026

I just can't justify buying a new bike when my current bike has so few hours/miles on it. And I don't trust the global economy right now.

5 reply

xcountry_rider 2010
Jan 11, 2026

I tend to keep my bikes for a long time 7 to 8 years. Compared to my friends who get new bikes every year to two years and have multiple bikes. I keep my bike very well maintained and upgrade if needed. My bike is 4 years old. Still rides great and doesn't feel outdated. I will probably get a new bike in a year or two. A little sooner than normal. The main thing I don't like about my current bike is the cleaning and maintaining of the switch infinity linkage. It is a Yeti. It rides great though.

4 reply

Introvertigo Geargasm 2026
Jan 12, 2026

Gonna be awhile for me. My 2020 all mountain, 2023 Enduro and my 2025 emtb are all more capable than my 60 year old self at this point.

2 reply

Tinshield 2025
Jan 11, 2026

I almost bought a fat bike frame from a Canada company but the $500+ in “duties and taxes” squashed that for now. Money isn’t a huge issue for me but not spending an extra $500 on something I really don’t need at the moment.

I did buy an Epic 8 EVO a few months ago to replace the 21 Stumpy I got rid of. Still have a Stumpy EVO.

Only reason I won’t replace my SJ EVO anytime soon is it’s so damn good and the new bikes aren’t a compelling upgrade at the moment.

moctav Texas // 2014
Jan 12, 2026

I answered "more than 5 years" because I actually have no plans to buy another mountain bike. I have a full suspension and a hardtail that are 2 and 3 years old respectively. Both are good bikes that I can ride for years to come. Unless something new and awesome shows up on the market or replacement/upgrade parts availability trends toward zero, I'm set for the foreseeable future.

Richard Gamble 2025
Jan 11, 2026

I bought a new E-bike last year and been nearly 63, I don't want to think about another but hey ho see what the future brings. Happy riding everyone.

BetterRide Team Utah // 2019
Jan 11, 2026

I used get a new bike every year or two but they are so good now it's no longer an upgrade. Bikes really haven't gotten better since 2021.
It's interesting reading all the comments, not a good time for bike manufacturers.

Mike Lumaro 2025
Jan 12, 2026

I agree. They've got ozs lighter, but I've gained lbs so the benefits are moot.

1 reply

voghan Minnesota // 2014
Jan 12, 2026

My 2019 5010 still runs great. I'll probably replace the drivetrain next year.

nibblecuda Minnesota // 2017
Jan 12, 2026

My bikes are 7 and 8 years old. They do everything I need and I am happy with them. Plan to upgrade as components wear out. No need to drop thousands of dollars to replace perfectly good bikes.
2019 Pivot Mach 4
2018 Cannondale Fat Caad 1 (Lefty)

w.wade3 2019
Jan 12, 2026

A lot of people that got on the bike hype train are selling those high end bikes with almost no hours on them. So I purchased a new high end bike that had been sitting in this guys garage for a years for half the price of a new one.

Hoef89 Pennsylvania // 2024
Jan 11, 2026

I put 2-3 years because that'll put my current (main) bike at ~5 years old, but with so much new old stock hitting the clearance racks I might be tempted to buy something that fills a niche neither of my current bikes hit. In reality though I rarely buy complete new bikes, I assess what I've got and buy pieces to Frankenstein what I want together, my next step is probably a Honzo ESD frame for my hardtail (which currently sits as a big honzo mullet conversion that would fit the ESD frame better).

OhioFatBiker Ohio // 2016
Jan 13, 2026

I spent a lot of money on bikes this past year. I rode the same bike for several years, then I donated one to a local charity that gives them to kids in need, ended up buying ones for my sons, my wife and without me know my wife bought me a new one... My wallet is going to need time to recover.

Jason Bly 2026
Jan 11, 2026

I've bought 3 new bikes since 2022. And the tech hasn't risen to the point that any of them feel outdated yet. Though, I'm excited for lighter weight and longer lasting solid state batteries when they hit the e-mtb market. I'll keep upgrading what I have until then.

Bontrager fan 1972 New South Wales // 2023
Jan 11, 2026

Things are not too good in my region . Four friends have had their bicycle stores file for administration in the past year . Another is liquidating everything on ebay . They sent me seventy six private offers to me in the past two days . A Giant dealer is closing not far from me also . Avanti isn't doing too well . The ebike market is over - saturated too . Many slow to sell on Gumtree classifieds .

When your current bike is so outdated it becomes an issue. If you can't pedal uphill, or slow yourself down hill, it's time.

thebadpixel Delaware // 2022
Jan 14, 2026

2014 bike has to last until kids are through college. Even if there's a catastrophic failure, I'll be taping things back together. Everything is too expensive.

0 reply

astralzombie Minnesota // 2021
Jan 14, 2026

Being on low elevation, undulating Minnesota trails, I am just a “tad” overbiked with my Dreadnought on every day trails. Looking to get a second (finally) short travel trail bike along the lines of a Spur or SB120, something much lighter and snappier, hopefully by May or June.

theeflyingz Oregon // 2026
Jan 12, 2026

I bought a new ebike last year and DH bike and dirt jumper recently with all the crazy closeouts. It will be a while before another bike is needed.

Dr Sweets Georgia // 2016
Jan 14, 2026

I have two bikes that both work perfectly and cover the gamut of anything I'd want to ride. I demo and try new bikes often, but nothing has made me want to look into anything new. If I was faced with having to buy a new or another bike, I'd like get basically the same thing (a short travel aggressive trail bike 5010 MX and an aggressive steel hardtail Honzo ESD). I do want to demo an XC/DC bike like the current Epic EVO, but I am not chomping at the bit to acquire one.

dhermoni 2016
Jan 20, 2026

I have two e-bikes and one regular bike, all are heavily modified, beside that i find my self running now a lot more than riding. i don't see a new bike for the foreseeable future

Teri Diamond 2015
Jan 16, 2026

I like my current bike.

Ezekiel Carsella 2025
Jan 15, 2026

I'm only buying one because I got a credit card that I have to spend $4k on within 90 days to get 60k reward points. Looking at a Kona Process 134 DL or 153.

Brad Moore 2026
Jan 13, 2026

I'm waiting for an all mountain bike with 130mm rear, 140mm front. Piggyback shock for all day shred. But under 27lbs including reasonable tires. The revel rascal sl is close, but 3 lbs too heavy. I hope the ebike trend will bifurcate the analog bikes to be reasonable weight and travel again.

JCordell2 Tennessee // 2023
Jan 12, 2026

I'm worried that purchasing a new MTB would lead to regret, in the event that 32 inch wheels, and the different standard components, e.g., hub width, etc. required, become prevalent. I would hate to have a new bike that suddenly becomes obsolete. I'm fully satisfied with 29" wheels, but if the industry obsoletes them, then I will have to purchase the 32" bike.

Joost S 2026
Jan 11, 2026

I've became a tech savvy.
Purchased Gravaa (not out for mtb yet), flight attendent made my supercaliber all I wanted in a bike in the hills of Netherlands. And I had the gen1 before that.

The 32" wheels development just make me curious. I know what I want in a bike. And the one I have does provide that.
But getting the same feeling + being faster would win me over. Guess in 2 or 3 years these type of xc bikes will be out and will still get some value for my 29er. Perfect timing to switch by then

Stabone33 2010
Jan 11, 2026

If I do buy one in the next year, it will be a Paladin AM-1 to replace my 2014 Banshee Rune v2. Then, maybe in ten years or so, I might buy another one to replace the Paladin.

Ruben van Niekerk 2026
Jan 13, 2026

Just bought one a week ago( second hand)

cfletcher761 New York // 2025
Jan 12, 2026

Last new off the rack bike I bought was for my wife in 2018 as a closeout special that happened to fall into place. That’s about when new bike prices started to go off the rails and reached pure insanity around covid. Can’t remember the last new complete bike I bought for myself. I’ve built, bought, sold, and rebuilt at least one bike per year for the last 10 years. My last “addition” was a 3rd gen Trek Top Fuel that I built up from a used frame and mostly used/swapped/traded components. My fleet is pretty solid now, but if I do get the itch it will be another new build from a used frame.

zeus lim 2026
Jan 13, 2026

One of my bikes is 8 years old already so I'll have to get another one when it cracks probably in the next 2 years. I've ridden it a lot so it will probably succumb to the fatigue. I've broken one before. When that happens I'll get a new one.

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