Giant Talon

The Talon has been Giant's volume-selling entry-level hardtail since around 2010, sitting just above the recreational ATX and below the trail-focused Fathom. It is the bike most European first-time mountain bikers actually buy. The platform has been refreshed multiple times — most recently with size-specific wheel sizes (27.5 on XS-S, 29 on M-XXL), 1x drivetrains across the lineup, internal cable routing, and dropper-post compatibility. ALUXX aluminium frames are built in Giant's own Taiwan factory at a scale no boutique brand can match, which is why the price-to-spec ratio remains hard to beat even after a decade.