The 10 Best Women's Mountain Bikes of 2023
By: Colin Edwards: Bike Buyer | June 27, 2023
If you’re a female who likes to mountain bike, you’ve got two main options: Go with a women’s specific brand, and buy a bike designed and specced as a women's mountain bike, or grab a unisex bike, and make any small parts swaps it needs to work perfectly for you. Both approaches have their unique strengths and weaknesses, so it just depends on what you’re looking for from your next bike. Luckily for you, we’ve included both on this list of the best women’s mountain bikes. We’ve got a strong lineup of bikes from women-specific brands, with touchpoints specially chosen for female riders, and we’ve also got a few unisex brands who make good bikes in smaller sizes.
New This Year:
So no matter what you go with while choosing a mountain bike, remain confident in the fact that new bike day is always the best day! Every bike on this list delivers its own special combination of speed, efficiency, and fun, and we’ve done our best to break down how each one performs out on the trail to help you make your choice. At the end of the day, we’re all just spinning wheels in the woods, so if you want to come have a good time, one of these bikes will make it easy.
Norco Storm 5
The Norco Storm 5 Mountain Bike is pure summer vacation bike. Made for light trail action, dusty country roads, and those fun bike paths that lead to the ice cream shop, this is a comfortable and versatile ride that'll happily do the business on the daily commute, too. Mountain biking isn't all about bananas maneuvers and aggro workouts, sometimes it's just needing a bit more off-road capability than a road or hybrid bike offers. The Storm 5 is a welcome addition to anyone's garage.
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| 29'' | Front: 100 mm Rear: Hardtail | $719.00 |
Devinci Marshall A 29 SX 12s
The Devinci Marshall A 29 SX 12s Mountain Bike combines versatile geometry, smart design, and dependable parts to make for one of the best value bikes on the planet. Its 130mm of Split Pivot suspension is plusher in chunky zones than any platform that pedals this well has a right to be, and when combined with 140mm up front? Simply trail-perfect. A mid-travel bike with extremely durable components, made from lightweight and tough aluminum: this is a smart buy.
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| 29'' | Front: 140 mm Rear: l30 mm | $2,649.00 |
Juliana Roubion
Confidence is everything on your bike. Whether you're dropping off the edge into a brand new trail, laying off the brakes as you approach the lip of a jump, or heading into the backcountry: knowing that your Juliana Roubion Mountain Bike will never falter makes all the difference. The two largest sizes of this bike have a mixed wheel size setup to that confidence stew: with a meaty 29er to lead the way, the increased rollover smoothness and cornering grip only serve to help you charge harder. The Roubion is known to take heavy use and keep on ticking, and this build exemplifies that. Throw your leg over one and feel that ATV energy.
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| Front: 29’’ Rear: 27.5’’ (XS 27.5’’) | Front: 160 mm Rear: 150 mm | $5,499.00 - $10549 |
Juliana Furtado
The Juliana Furtado Mountain Bike is the perfect accomplice in your upcoming grime wave. Bonnie and Clyde your way across every trail on the map, knowing that your getaway vehicle is primed for action. Its VPP® suspension design gets the most out of 130mm of rear travel, providing an all-day pedaling platform with amazing relief from bigger hits too. Mixed wheel sizing will have you wiggling through switchbacks at record pace, and those high speed pursuits are a slam dunk. Fill the Glovebox™ with snacks--we're in this for the long haul. An amazing bike that really does everything very well, the Furtado makes a mockery of the fun police.
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| Front: 29’’ Rear: 27.5” | Front: 140 mm Rear: l30 mm | $5,149.00 - $10249 |
Juliana Joplin
Your tire tracks will give it away. Maybe. The Juliana Joplin Mountain Bike is equipped with some serious meats, maybe out of place among other 120mm bikes labeled "XC." But aggressive tires run counter to this bike's climbing prowess, its quick-but-not-too-twitchy handling, or the way its size-specific rear triangles make it equal parts playful and planted. Juliana's calling this new Joplin "tech-C," and that's a nice way to wrap it up: if you're racing a modern XC track, you'll encounter as many heavy moves as on a trail ride, and the overall competence of this bike shines when the going gets rougher. The gnarly tires make sense, onc you see what this bike's capable of!
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| 29’’ | Front: 130 mm Rear: 120 mm | $5299 - $8,599.00 |
Orbea Rise M20 E-Mountain Bike
As one of the latest breed of ultra lightweight e-bikes, the Orbea Rise M20 E-Mountain Bike seeks to replace your everyday trail ripper. It's not much heavier than many traditional bikes, and its smaller battery and motor are more about enhancement than overpowering. This bike rides with the power off as well as its unplugged ancestors, so a trail ride isn't all that different from your normal bike except for the fact that you'll find yourself covering the same mileage in half the time. This bike will change your perspective. Instantly.
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| 29’’ | Front: 140 mm Rear: l40 mm | $7,399.00 |
Devinci Spartan A 29 GX 12s
The Devinci Spartan A 29 GX 12s Mountain Bike is a big and beautiful basher. Don't let the smooth lines fool you: this is a bike for heavy duty trails and blinding speeds. Split Pivot suspension design means it does stay composed at those speeds, but there's no denying its capabilities. There's room to tinker with the geo adjust chip, turning the bike into a downhill dominator in the low mode, where the coil shock will eagerly gobble all the rubble under its 29" wheels. Built to last, this is an aluminum enduro bike that'll leave you wanting nothing for quite some time.
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| 29’’ | Front: 170 mm Rear: 160 mm | $4,799.00 |
Marin Wildcat Trail 1 WFG
If you can get your cardio fix while taking in luscious outdoor scenery, why wouldn't you? The Marin Wildcat Trail 1 WFG Mountain Bike is great for recreational riders looking for a workout on dirt, commuters, and people in search of a great bike at a smart price. With a huge range of gears, powerful disc brakes, and all the comfort of flat bars and an upright position, this bike is hard to beat.
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| 27.5’’ | Front: 100 mm Rear: Hardtail | $599.00 |
Santa Cruz Megatower
When all is said and done, you're not going to look back on your life and regret your decision to get the Santa Cruz Bicycles Megatower Mountain Bike. Sure, it was all a bit much, what with all that travel, those massive brakes, the in-frame storage. But mountain biking was your thing, and you wanted the best bike you could get for flying down your favorite trails at mind-numbing speeds. Santa Cruz's S builds always strike that perfect balance between reasonably too much and way too much, which is exactly where the Megatower likes to be. It was the golden age of mountain biking, and we loved it!
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| 29’’ | Front: 170 mm Rear: 165 mm | $5649.00 - $11699 |
Santa Cruz Hightower
Of all the things that make mountain biking great, it's got to be the turns that are the best. Or actually, it's skipping through a rock garden. Or completing a multi-trail epic, starting at dawn and collapsing back where you started as the sun goes down, bruised, battered, and buzzing. And laying off the brakes as you jam towards the lip of a jump, determined to finally clear a gap. The Santa Cruz Bicycles Hightower Mountain Bike knows that all of these things are great at any given time, and does more than any other bike out there to excel at every single aspect of aggressive trail riding.
| Wheel Size | Travel | Original Price |
| 29’’ | Front: 150 mm Rear: 145 mm | $3,799.00 - $11549 |
Learn More With Our Other Bike Guides:
- Mountain Bikes - How to Choose
- Mountain Bikes - Size and Fit Guide
- Mountain Bikes - How to Get Started Mountain Biking
- Mountain Bikes - How to Choose a Wheel Size
- Mountain Bikes - Suspension Basics
- Mountain Bikes - How to Choose a Mountian Bike Dropper Post
- Mountain Bikes - How to Choose MTB Handlebars
- Mountain Bikes - How to Choose MTB Pedals
- Mountain Bikes - How to Change Bike Pedals
- Mountain Bikes - How to Clean
- Mountain Bikes - How to Bleed SRAM Brakes
- Mountain Bikes - How to Bleed Shimano Brakes
- Mountain Bikes - How to Convert to Tubeless Tires
- Mountain Bikes - How to Replace Internal Cable Housing
- Mountain Bikes - How to Adjust Your Rear Derailleur
- Mountain Bikes - How to Bleed a RockShox Reverb Seatpost
- Mountain Bikes - How to Service Fox and RockShox Fork Lowers
- Mountain Biking - What to Bring Mountain Biking
- Mountain Biking - What to Wear Mountain Biking
- Mountain Biking - How to Choose Knee Pads
- Bikes - Size and Fit Guide
- Gravel Bikes - How To Get Started Gravel Biking
- eBikes - Classes, Features & More
- eBikes - Where to Ride eBikes
- Bike Accessories - Helmet Size & Fit Guide
- Bike Accessories - How to Choose Bike Shoes
- Bikes - How to Choose Bike Tires
- Bikes - How to Change Bike Pedals
- Bikes - How to Repair & Replace a Bike Chain
- Bikes - How to Choose Accessories
- Bikes - Urban Riding Tips
- Travel & Destination Guides - Where to Mountain Bike
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The Selection Process:
Our bike buyer has an endless amount of knowledge on all things bike stemming from years of experience in the bike industry in tandem with their countless hours out on the dirt, gravel, and tarmac. evo's buyers assess all products coming to market, lean into this knowledge, and put together this selection of the best products. They have a unique perspective as they truly see everything offered across the category.
Colin Edwards
Meet Colin Edwards, evo's in-house Bike Buyer and mountain biking aficionado. With 15+ years of e-commerce buying experience under his belt, Colin is the go-to guy for all things related to "Riding Dirt." He's worked across various categories, including bike, snowboard, travel, climbing, and surfing, giving him the know-how to recognize and select top-notch mountain biking products for evo's customers.
Colin's been shredding trails since he was a kid, starting on his trusty hardtail Trek 800 Sport. Born and raised in Utah, he recently made the move to Bellingham, WA with his partner, Kenz. Colin's real-world biking experience, combined with his background in product trends, relationship building, and sales analysis, makes him an invaluable asset to the evo team.
When he's not busy handpicking the raddest gear, you'll find Colin ripping through PNW trails or hunting for the world's best dirt. And when the snow falls, he's all about snowboarding. Colin also loves trail running and exploring the PNW's stunning landscape with his two dogs and Kenz.
With Colin's expertise and passion fueling evo's mountain biking selection, you can trust that his recommendations are spot-on and tailored to the evo community's adventurous spirit.