Giant Talon 0 2011 & XTC 3 2011

swardchill

Hi i used to be up on my bikes but have had 4 years out following cruciate knee surgery, I have just sold my Kona Kikapu and was looking for a decent hardtail but the world of mtb have moved on quite a bit and I am lost. A friend has just bought the Talon 0 and it looks great but is a little small for me to try it out properly and it appears to be quite hard to come by in a large frame. I have found the XTC 3 and at a glance it looks like the same bike. Could anyone advise me if there is a difference, which is better. I am not going to be doing any serious riding my requirements are not heavy duty.

I have also looked at the rockrider for £500 but I will be buying using the cycle to work scheme and did not know if Decathalon participated.

As I look after my bikes, sell on value is also a must as I would like to be changing every 2-3 years so would like to know which bikes hold their value better.

Thanks in advance.

rockmonkeysc

Talon is a trail bike with nice stable geometry & a comfortable riding position. The XTC is a cross country race bike, bit less stable & comfortable but faster steering.
I bought a Talon 3 for the wife, didn't go for a higher spec one because the fork is a bit rubbish on all of them so got the basic model & spent £120 on a Rockshox Tora fork. It's a really nice bike, very nicely finished frame. Transmission is made up of cheap but reliable components, brakes are basic but very effective, wheels aren't the lightest but solid & nicely finished. I would have thought a Giant would hold it's value better than a Decathlon Rockrider though the Talon is one worth keeping & upgrading.

angry_bird

Go and try them out, at the end of the day the Rockrider will probably represent the best value for money, the giants might hold more resale value, but at the end of the day you'll be paying more first off.

Go try them out, the Talon has a little shorter top tube than the XTC and is a little slacker in the head angle, you might like that, you might not. At the end of the day they're both perfectly capable XC bikes, they'll both do exactly the same stuff. XTC has a slightly better spec by the looks of it, probably be a bit lighter, will cost more though. Go try them out. 2 of my mates ride XTCs, considering they're meant to be an "XC race bike" they're slightly slacker than my hardtail which is hardly a racey bike, and they feel nice enough to ride. Not too sure about the rockrider, never ridden one and can't look at it as interwebs is being gay when I tries the website.

rockmonkeysc

XTC does have geometry aimed at fast XC riding and racing. Not quite so forgiving as the Talons geometry. You can also fit a 120mm fork to the Talon for more aggressive riding.

swardchill

Thanks for the input guys, the Canyon yellowstone 4.0 also is playing on my mind, is it comparable, better or worse than the above?

Thanks