# Giant Talon 2 2017 OR Trek Marlin 7 2017 (FiIRST BIKE)



## KingOfTheMountains (Nov 8, 2016)

G'day,

I am looking to getting into mountain biking and the two bikes listed in the title seem to be the best bikes in my price range ($1000). I would like to hear your opinions on the two bikes and what pros and cons they have. I am looking to just get into some trail riding with a couple small jumps, nothing too crazy. If you have some other suggestions that aren't the Giant or Trek feel free to let me know.

Thanks.


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## Jolson59 (Oct 24, 2016)

I + this for a friend, good question.


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## bob13bob (Jun 22, 2009)

ignore frame brands, hardtail frames make a minimal difference. buy the bike with best components/$. they are far more important. eg adjust the bike to you, front suspension, hydraulic brakes, and tires suitable to your trail.

Right now the best components/$ are on diamondback deals and sales. check slickdeals and I'd pick a bike from there (if going new route). You can get a bike with a good airfork and better components all over for that price.


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## eb1888 (Jan 27, 2012)

Since you're in Australia some deals may not be available for you. The most important component is the fork. An air fork is generally the minimum for trails with bumps, rocks etc. It'll have adjustable rebound damping and metal bushings inside instead of the plastic on lower end bikes. Used can be a way to get a bike with a better fork. Make sure the bike is the right size for you when you're on the seat riding. Standover isn't the right measurement. 29 or 27.5+ would be my recommendation. A DB Mason Trail 2.5+ is an option in the US with the Corp. Sponsorship Program here. I don't know what deals are open to you. I would not choose a plain 27.5 hardtail.
In the US the Giant Fathom 29 2 has a good quality Raidon air fork and modern slacker headtube angle 69* geo.
https://www.giant-bicycles.com/us/fathom-29-2


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## SnoopFrogg (Jul 21, 2016)

I myself just got a bike for this price range. You can do much better then those 2. Craigslist is your best bet if you know what to look for and as others said, the most important component to look at in this price range is the fork. 

Have fun with the hobby!
-Sebastian


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## justwan naride (Oct 13, 2008)

Ι'd go for the new Fathom 27.5 instead of the Talon, much more trail-friendly geometry. Not sure if it's in your budget though. 

Components are important, but they can be upgraded over time, while geometry really makes or breaks a bike. Relaxed geometry is especially usefull to a begginner, since it's more forgiving and takes away some of the "over the bar" feeling. Old school XC geo (>70 deg. head angles) is really bad for any kind of recreational off road riding in my opinion. 

If there are any other trail hardtails avaliable in your market give them a look. A head angle of 67-68 degrees, an 120mm fork, wide bars/short stem and an aggressive pair of tyres really make a difference in handling/confidence without giving up too much XC capability.

I recently went from a classic XC HT to a trail/AM HT and it makes a world of difference. I still enjoy pedalling uphill and clearing tech climbs, but pointed downhill is so much better.

Have fun whatever you get.


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## Thollis (Dec 29, 2016)

I am looking at the same two bikes currently. The Trek seems well engineered but I don't care much for how big the bike feels with 29" wheels. The Talon on the other hand has 27.5" wheel which feels much more natural to me. The Giant is also $50.00 cheaper in my area.


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## Jolson59 (Oct 24, 2016)

Hey Thollis, I was looking at buying either of these bikes but ended up getting a Scott Genius 750 2016, although I have brought many friends into the sport. One of my mates bought a Trek Marlin 7 and the other a Giant Talon 2. Each prefer their own bikes to the other, I however being the neutral in the debate between the two decided to ride both bikes. I feel like the bars, stem and levers feel better on the Trek while the Talon 2 felt a bit cheaper, However the Trek felt much more awkward and slow handling compared to the Talon, the 27.5 wheels on the Talon made the bike feel much more nimble and trail suitable. I feel that the Trek is more suited to climbs and somewhat easier XC trails. While the Talon feels as though it would be more for cornering and more aggressive trails when compared to the Trek.

If I had to pick between the two, I would get the Talon and spend a bit extra on wider bars or shorter stem and better components to further upgrade the "cockpit" of the bike. While in doing so you could easily just go for the Fathom 27.5 for a similar price rather than upgrading the Talon.

Both bikes are great value for their price point and the only way you can properly choose is test riding both. Go to your LBS and test ride them.


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## Thollis (Dec 29, 2016)

Jolson59 said:


> Hey Thollis, I was looking at buying either of these bikes but ended up getting a Scott Genius 750 2016, although I have brought many friends into the sport. One of my mates bought a Trek Marlin 7 and the other a Giant Talon 2. Each prefer their own bikes to the other, I however being the neutral in the debate between the two decided to ride both bikes. I feel like the bars, stem and levers feel better on the Trek while the Talon 2 felt a bit cheaper, However the Trek felt much more awkward and slow handling compared to the Talon, the 27.5 wheels on the Talon made the bike feel much more nimble and trail suitable. I feel that the Trek is more suited to climbs and somewhat easier XC trails. While the Talon feels as though it would be more for cornering and more aggressive trails when compared to the Trek.
> 
> If I had to pick between the two, I would get the Talon and spend a bit extra on wider bars or shorter stem and better components to further upgrade the "cockpit" of the bike. While in doing so you could easily just go for the Fathom 27.5 for a similar price rather than upgrading the Talon.
> 
> Both bikes are great value for their price point and the only way you can properly choose is test riding both. Go to your LBS and test ride them.


Jolson59 - What caused you to go with the Scott Genius 750 instead?


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## Jolson59 (Oct 24, 2016)

Thollis said:


> Jolson59 - What caused you to go with the Scott Genius 750 instead?


This was the stage where I was riding my dads old hardtail, it was a Giant Yukon from whatever year it was. So I decided to take it down to our biggest trail network in WA, and I decided to give the bike a go on the double black diamond downhill trails, and not surprisingly the bike broke after some beating but this made me go after a full suspension because it was the way to go for the trails I wanted to ride. I decided that the hardtails I was looking at couldn't handle the trails I wanted to do and would eventually break. And it was also super rough on the body(ankles, wrists etc didn't feel too good the day after riding  . ) I began looking at very low budget full suspension mtbs such as the Giant Stance and other bikes around the $1700 - $2000 price range. I found many bad reviews on the bikes and even the guys at my lbs would tell me it would eventually break on the trails I wanted to do. So I continued to look and found that if I spend a few hundred coin more than the stance I could score myself a much more realiable bike in comparison. So I narrowed my options to the Scott Genius 750 or the Giant Trance 3, I liked the Scott more so I bought it for a good price and the lbs has been taking care of me since. I don't regret buying the bike as I love it now and it's much better on those same downhill tracks.


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## Thollis (Dec 29, 2016)

Jolson59 said:


> This was the stage where I was riding my dads old hardtail, it was a Giant Yukon from whatever year it was. So I decided to take it down to our biggest trail network in WA, and I decided to give the bike a go on the double black diamond downhill trails, and not surprisingly the bike broke after some beating but this made me go after a full suspension because it was the way to go for the trails I wanted to ride. I decided that the hardtails I was looking at couldn't handle the trails I wanted to do and would eventually break. And it was also super rough on the body(ankles, wrists etc didn't feel too good the day after riding  . ) I began looking at very low budget full suspension mtbs such as the Giant Stance and other bikes around the $1700 - $2000 price range. I found many bad reviews on the bikes and even the guys at my lbs would tell me it would eventually break on the trails I wanted to do. So I continued to look and found that if I spend a few hundred coin more than the stance I could score myself a much more realiable bike in comparison. So I narrowed my options to the Scott Genius 750 or the Giant Trance 3, I liked the Scott more so I bought it for a good price and the lbs has been taking care of me since. I don't regret buying the bike as I love it now and it's much better on those same downhill tracks.


Jolson59 - Thanks for your insight!


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## Jstrong (Jan 9, 2017)

I have a Trek XCal and a Giant Talon. Both are great bikes for the price(under 1k)I do feel that you get a lot for the money with Giant. We were able to get my son hydraulic disc brakes on a Giant that cost $540.00. Had to spend a few hundred more to get that on the Trek. That was my experience.


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## Broll (Mar 27, 2017)

Seeing if any one else has thoughts on these two bikes or any others in this price range. Looking at these for my first mountain bike. Thanks.


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