Originally Posted by
selltaven
Can anyone suggest me a good mountain bike under $500.
Schwinn Axum DP - 29x2.6 XC tires stock, boost spacing, 1x8 drive train, OK mechanical disc brakes (180 mm up front), KS dropper post. The biggest reason why this is the best option is that it has a tapered head tube which means you can put modern forks on, not to mention it has modern geometry with 73.5 Seat tube angle and 67.8 head tube angle. I upgraded mine to compete with the Trek Stache and its my fastest MTB. Here is mine with a Manitou Markhour fork + 36 mm Sunringle thru axle front wheel + DHF/DHR tires with stock brakes at bike park:
Nothing can touch it below the $800-900 range.