I bought one early summer and put about 1300 Kms of mostly trail riding on it. Get a feel for the trail with this all-new aluminium hardtail made for aspiring singletrack riders. Built on a lightweight ALUXX frameset and modern geometry, the Talon range delivers confident XC performance for aspiring trail riders. giant ROAD BIKES Tailored for specific ride characteristics, it’s available in different wheel sizes (29 or 27.5) and either an 80mm or 100mm suspension fork. While flashy, expensive mountain bikes get most of the attention, trickle down technology has substantially raised the quality of their entry-level siblings.
These bikes feature a fork upgrade to the SR Suntour XCT 30 HLO which is still coil sprung but now includes a lockout. The drivetrain is bumped up to 2×8 through the use of Altus and Acera components and the tyres move to more aggressive 2.4in Maxxis Rekons. Another uncommon bonus is the tubeless-ready rims, an almost unheard-of feature for a $750 bike. The Maxxis Ikon tires, however, aren’t tubeless-compatible, so you’ll have to buy your own tires, valves, and sealant to make that upgrade. If you intend on spending a lot of time on the trails, going tubeless will greatly improve handling and traction and prevent you from flatting. The Giant Talon 29 2 is one of the best cheap mountain bikes we’ve tested.
As a long-term upgrade prospect, though, the Talon has a lot of things going for it. With a shorter stem and a slightly longer, air-sprung fork it would make a great fun trail all-rounder. A frame this responsive demands to be ridden hard – and it’s here that the cracks start to show a little.
The 22/36 chainrings and the cassette give you a wider range of gears than you’d get on a 1x drivetrain. The biggest gear is bigger, the smallest gear is smaller, and you have better options in between. Another cost saving measure giant mountain is the TRP hydraulic disc brakeset. On the trail it was hard to notice a difference in stopping power between these and the Shimano brakes found on the Trek Marlin 7, a very similar but slightly more expensive bike.
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It equips you with 10 gears on one ring up front and 10 of them in the back, which is more than enough to tackle any demanding terrain. Plus, it sports Tektro hydraulic brakes and super-wide tires, so you can push your limits in the corners and when descending. This Performance level frame material features 6061 alloy with single-butted tubes to produce strong, lightweight framesets for a variety of different bikes and riding styles. During the test ride the Suntour XC30 front suspension fork with its 100mm travel worked well both on harsh urban roads and rough trails. The Suspension lockout was a useful feature for efficient riding on smooth and flat surfaces.
Although Giant are a global company, the Talon is a bike that’s been designed specifically with British trail riders in mind. Inevitably, given the meteoric rise in popularity of bigger wheel sizes, there’s now a 29er option. Aspiring dirt riders now can tool up with a modern 27.5-inch-wheeled bike produced with leading technologies and the experience of one of the biggest mountain bike players on the planet – Giant. However, you can also go for the more capable 29″ wheels if you wish.