If you've been inspired by watching the Olympic XCO racing in Paris and fancy trying cross-country mountain bike racing for yourself, the good news is that it needn't cost a fortune. We've reviewed plenty of top-performing budget mountain bike gear that costs a fraction of the cost of the XCO bikes and kit being ridden at the Paris Olympics.
Below you'll find our pick of the best kit that doesn't cost the earth – everything from XC bikes to mountain bike helmets, shoes, sunglasses and more. For the best deals on all the gear we've picked out here, check out the bottom of this article.
Budget XC bikes
Specialized Chisel
The Specialized Chisel has been around for many years for good reason. It is purpose-built to tackle modern cross-country trails and race courses at speed. The latest model shares many of the same design features as the Specialized Epic MTB range that has already helped Haley Batten win the silver medal in the Women's XCO at the Paris Olympic Games.
Specialized has just launched the latest version with the Chisel FS – an aluminum full-suspension cross-country bike. In our Specialized Chisel FS review, we noted that the frame is based on the generations of development behind the Specialized Epic and Epic Evo frames which gives this budget-friendly XC bike a serious development pedigree.
The Chisel FS comes specced with a SRAM NX Eagle 1x12 speed drivetrain, Level T hydraulic disc brakes, RockShox Recon Silver RL fork, X-Fusion Pro-02 shock, and 27mm alloy wheels wrapped with Specialized tires. The Chisel FS has an RRP of $2,600 / £2,000.
The hardtail version of the Chisel is even better value for money. In his article praising the Chisel, our technical editor Guy Kesteven said: "I've tested thousands of bikes and the Chisel has to be the best example of budget performance and sublime ride quality."
With the new full-suspension Chisel being launched, there are plenty of discounted hardtail models to be had. The best deal we've found is the Specialized Chisel which is currently discounted by 40% at Tredz to £1,199, and comes with great spec including a RockShox Judy Silver fork and a SRAM NX Eagle 1x12 speed drivetrain. In the US, we've found a top deal on the same model with a saving of $450, which takes the price to $1,349,99 at Specialized.com.
Budget XC helmets
Lazer Strade KinetiCore
Lazer helmets have a strong pedigree in the Olympics and Tom Pidcock won his Tokyo XCO title wearing a Lazer Genesis helmet. For his Paris Olympic title defence, Pidcock wore the Lazer Z1 – the brand's latest top-of-the-range helmet featuring KinetiCore. KinetiCore is Lazer's answer to MIPS safety tech and that technology has filtered down to the Lazer Strade KinetiCore which makes it a superb budget offering in the best mountain bike helmet market.
The Strade also features a load of features found in the higher-end Lazer helmets including the 360 retention with an ergonomic belt for fine-tuning the ultimate fit, and the brand's Venturi ventilation system, which Lazer claims will draw in cool air and expel hot air through the rear of the helmet for maximum cooling performance.
Priced at just $109.99 / £89.99 it's a top-drawer helmet ready for cross-country mountain bike racing.
Specialized Propero III
The Specialized S-Works Evade 3 helmet will be seen on the heads of the Specialized Factory Racing team riders during the Olympic games. The brand's Propero III is a race-inspired helmet that is similar to both the S-Works Evade 3 and the S-Works Prevail helmets. It shares a few features found in those and represents tremendous value for a budget XC helmet.
Safety features include the MIPS safety system and a composite matrix construction means it has improved internal reinforcement. This also allows for larger vents and greater cooling performance. The HairPort FSL II fit system has four height positions which are micro-adjustable to deliver a custom fit.
The Specialized Propero III is available in three color choices, currently priced at $64.99 / £55 / €55.
Budget XC pedals
Shimano PD-M520 SPD
Shimano’s SPD pedals in their various models are renowned as one of the best mountain bike pedals ever made. I've been riding Shimano SPD pedals forever and the XTR models are my favourite version. They'll be seen on many of the best XC mountain bikes at the Olympics, but these top-tier XC pedals have lent a lot of their looks and performance to the superb and budget-friendly PD-M520 version.
At around $45 / £45 / €45 on Amazon, which includes cleats, the PD-M520 gives you most of the design features of its more expensive siblings with just a few cost-saving sacrifices. They weigh a bit more at 378g (per pair), with the XTR version as an example weighing 312g (per pair). The body is a little fatter, with a thicker axle, and it uses plastic in places. However, they are a brilliant pedal that has stood up to years of all-weather abuse, rock strikes, and crashes.
Budget XC shoes
Shimano XC1
We highlighted the Shimano XC9 S-Phyre as the drool-worthy XC shoe you'll see being worn by many mountain bike riders at the Paris Olympics. The Shimano XC1 has recently seen an update and the entry-level cross-country clipless shoe is aimed at new riders.
Despite the budget price point, Shimano promises competitive performance and technology from the premium S-Phyre mountain bike shoe range, with increased comfort and a better power transfer. The XC1 shoe takes the same sole construction and lug pattern from other models in the Shimano range and combines it with a Dynalast upper and velcro closure.
The XC1 is priced at $100 / £77.99.
Specialized Recon 1.0
If you want plenty of cross-country bang for your buck then the Specialized Recon 1.0 has to be one of the best budget mountain bike shoes you can get. It's also a superbly versatile shoe that can be used for not only mountain biking, but also gravel riding, and bikepacking.
The Recon 1.0 comes in as entry-level in the Specialized Recon line-up but has plenty going for it, sharing some features like the Slipnot rubber compound found in the more expensive S-Works Recon and the new Recon ADV that are aimed directly at mountain and gravel bike racing.
The Recon 1.0 is currently priced at $49.99 / £79.99.
Budget XC sunglasses
The pro riders racing in the Olympic XC races will be tied into their sponsor's sunglasses, some of the best mountain bike sunglasses available. Tom Pidcock and Pauline Ferrand-Prévot wore their very own Signature Series editions on their way to gold medal glory in Paris, but they come with fairly big price tags.
For us mortals, the choice of eyewear is huge and varied and pricing depends on what we prefer, with the look of the glasses being equally as important as the performance they deliver.
A pair of shades that come at a bargain price are the Tifosi Sledge MTB sunglasses. In his Tifosi Sledge review, BikePerfect editor, Rich Owen, noted that in terms of price, the Sledge sunglasses were hard to beat. They looked good, were tough and comfortable, and he highly recommended the glasses as a superb budget option, with an RRP of $79.95 / £69.99.
There is a ton of choice though from some of the world's leading brands like Oakley, 100% and Koo to name a few, and it's well worth hunting around as many brands will have sales on.
Our price checker below will show you the best deal prices on all the products featured here.
