You speak my language. Thanks
I think I’m looking at a Giant Talon 4 or 3. For some reason we are now a ‘Giant family’ but we have no idea about bikes.
Seems like the best place to ask…
I was on a website the other day that I can’t find now and thought you guys might know of it, or one similar.
I want to buy a mountain bike, and the site I was on had a comprehensive chart with x (features/quality) and y (price) axes and each bike was on the chart represented by a dot.
I could then see if I went up in price, which bikes would also go up in quality of features. Or I could see a lower priced bike that had better/similar features, I could hover over the dot on the chart and see what model it was.
Alternatively, any gif sites to compare mountain bikes?
Any help would be appreciated.
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I happened to be in a Giant dealer the other day and was chatting to the owner who is having great difficulty getting stock of these mid range kind of bikes. He didn’t have any Talons but I know the one you speak of as I’ve been looking for a similar hardtail kind of bike.
On the Giant website you can compare the various Talon models. The 3 and 4 use Microshift brand shifters/derailleurs. They’re a fairly new brand at the budget end of things. The Talon 1 jumps up to a much better spec with a 1*10 shimano Deore system (single front chain rings are all the rage now) and it’s at this price point you start to see an air damped shock on the front rather than the simple springs that other models run.
All of the Talons have a fairly short fork travel at 80mm. Something like a Polygon Premier 5 would give you a similar speccd bike but with a 120mm fork travel. There’s also the Premier 4 at a cheaper price point. You need to be a little handy for these bikes though because they come in a box with some assembly required. Marins are similar:
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Legend.
As with anything I am buying I start at a low-mid price point…
nekk minnit…I’m justifying over spending.
Good thing about the lockdowns, easier to justify buying nice things.
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Ha. I’m wanting the Marin San Quentin 2. nek minnut I was test riding a 5 grand monster. Managed to resist temptation. Wating for these to come into stock:
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If anyone else has advice I can use to cross shop against the Giant Talon it’s be great to hear.
spend best part of $800-$1,000
It’s for a teen boy. Mostly school commute, but if off road, camping etc. doesn’t do any crazy stuff
Again I have no idea, but here’s a search on BEX
So I found the thing I was after. The site is 99 spokes. And it was really useful to help with the upgraditis I am suffering. Doesn’t seem to work on the phone but laptop was handy. And for someone like me with NFI, it just gave me so much more info to cross sell brands, price, specs.
If you search for the bike you want, then as you scroll down, it shows the same ones in that type of bike, and that brands models are highlighted, but also you can hover over everything else and can easily find a similar spec or price.
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You also need to decide what type of MTB you want.
Eg hard-tail or full suspension.
Unless you’re doing lots of downhill MTB rides, stick to a hard-tail and that will reduce the base cost of the frame and suspension.
Thanks.
Going hardtail. Gents put me into the other thread, now it’s just how much to spend…
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I’ve spent the last 6 months flip flopping between a gravel bike to serve as a commuter / fitness bike or saving for a road bike and riding a bit more (and keeping the current old mountain bike in service as a commuter). When I came to a decision a few months ago the gravel bike I wanted wasn’t going to be available any time soon, and given more time I’ve second and 3rd guessed, and then had to buy kids new computers for school. So I’m back to researching and lying to myself about the amount I’ll ride to justify ever increasing budgets that will never get past Mrs frosty.
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buy the road bike and use it as a commuter.
I had two bikes, and saved my good bike for triathlon races etc, but dont race anymore and my old bike is in pieces waiting on parts to get fixed, so have been using the good road bike commuting last couple of years. ANd now its so 5 years old, its not that good anyway.
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Realistically I want about 3 bikes. My commute is not the smoothest. Crp roads, small gravel sections, bike paths, tram tracks. For that the higher volume tyres and a more compliant frame make it more comfortable, and I am 100% a pannier commuter. No way can I go back to a back pack. None of the road bikes that I want have suitable rack mounts etc
Maybe just order the gravel bike then, and wait for it, given have already waited 6 months.
Or are the out of stock forever?
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Just got myself a polygon strattos 7 (full carbon, disc brakes, shimano 105 gear) from bicycles on line as an upgrade for my 20 year old trek hybrid.
Have only been on the one ride so far, but for a cheaper road bike (sub 3K) it seems pretty good (I have no idea really). What I can say is it came well packed and was easy to put the finishing touches on.
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I should do. The kids school computer dying put a dampener on it for a bit. (And then I’ve been unable to ride for a month and a half…a week and a half before I can get back on the bike and then I’ll make a call!)
We did a charity/team building activity for some poor kids in Collingwood. We had all these bikes that needed to be put together. Being a sales team it pretty much became a race to complete the job first and fastest.
Was great when they let the kids come in and ride out on a brand new bike.
Those poor kids would’ve been riding some very hastily out together bikes. Hopefully it all worked out ok.
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After all the hours, flipping and flopping, driving and calling stores to check what’s in stock.
To no bodies surprise (other than me who’s been parenting for long enough to expect this) he’s decided to pick the bike…based on colour….
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If you don’t like the look of it, you won’t ride it hey.
Apart from my sons first balance bike, all his bikes have been second hand picked up pre/post christmas (handy having a birthday in February.)
The next size up 24inch+ are heading into pretty expensive territory when he outgrows them quick and doesn’t ride that much.