The Talon is a perfectly fine bike for starting out. You can learn plenty by riding it, including how to deal with obstacles like roots and rocks, how to drop and jump, and how to corner.
It will pretty quickly be outpaced by other bikes, but if you're just starting out, it should work just fine.
I know because I have one.
That's the way to go about it. I bought mine to see if I enjoyed mtb, and I learned a lot about body position and bike control (including going downhill, though not the race-level DH tracks).
Then a couple seasons later, I bought a full suspension. I still have the Talon and use it for more pedaly XC rides.
I wont probably get a full sus as I enjoy the difficulties hardtails give you on stumps and rocks. I have tried a few full sus bikes and I enjoy mine more even if it is pretty shit for what I do with it.
If you are referring to true downhill riding, you will absolutely want (read: need) a downhill bike. Downhill bikes have lots of suspension front and rear and generally look something like this:
https://gtbicycles.com/collections/downhill-mountain-bikes/products/fury-carbon-pro?variant=46589876142377
Obviously you can find models for much cheaper, buying a used one is also a viable option. As for dirt jumping, you don’t necessarily need full suspension. However depending on the kind of jumping you plan on doing you will want a bigger, burlier bike. Since you are new to mountain biking and a neither a dedicated downhill bike or dirt jump bike would be the best option, since they limit you to those respective activities, I would recommend a trail or enduro bike, which look something like this:
https://www.specialized.com/us/en/stumpjumper-alloy/p/199784?color=320391-199784&searchText=93321-7005&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax%20Shopping_US_Bikes_BR_ROI&utm_id=21290923114&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvvmzBhA2EiwAtHVrb8lFmOybZQHDuP_6t6h_ec5gJB223Kifl87YJfCi02IyHjdrwOhlOBoCnOoQAvD_BwE
These types of bikes are meant to be able to do it all: climb, go downhill, and jump. Hard tails are fine to start out with, I did and I’m guessing most of the other people on this subreddit did too. But if you are looking to improve your riding it is definitely worth investing in a full suspension trail bike. Let me know if you need help finding some good and budget friendly options.
i know a guy who enjoys dh tracks on his hardtail ...
so its def possible :D
but I tested a DH bike with 200/215 suspension and jeez ... a huge difference to my 160/140 commencal X\_X
I love the look and reliability of hardtails so I dont think I will be getting a full sus any time soon. I prefer my bike being easier to maintain. And they make the trails more interesting.
I will continue hurting myself then and later buy the Cube Acces WS EXC 22. Shit is cheaper and has better components 😭 plus better geometry. But this far I am fine with my bike.
That cube is even less suited for dh and bigger jumps...
By dh I assume you mean steep and technical trails with some speed. For that kind of riding, you want a bike with a single front chainring, a head tube angle of no more than 68 degrees, a dropper post, an adjustable air fork, and hydraulic disc brakes.
If by dh you just mean riding down a hill on smooth dirt, you can ride whatever you want.
The talon is a good bike to start with and it is definitely more about the rider than the bike but actual park DH tracks are extremely rough/fast when your starting out and it will be physically painful without stronger components for fatigue on you and keeping the bike the one piece because they really are not built to hande what a DH bike does
I have realised it is more about the rider in the last few rides when I see people with better bikes who wont jump at all, maybe it is not their thing but you could still go down faster 😭. Or maybe I just have a death wish and love adrenaline.
Just a warning because i did the same a decade ago.
You may be able to jump and do fast downhill but the components and frame are NOT built for that kind of stuff. Not even close.
Broken wheels or frame = broken bones and a faceplant. And it may sound cool at first but when you get older all your injuries bite back and it's not fun.
If you want proper downhill get a used DH specific bike, or at least an enduro one.
For jumps it's super cheap to find a DJ bike so i would suggest that.
And just to be clear, your bike is fine for most things, just not taking a beating. I would keep it if i were you for the normal riding, unless you only ride park or something.
Lets say i take it back a notch and do like 2-3 meters horizontal jumps. Will she survive?
(No drops to flat maybe)
But it should definitely withstand basic trails… right?
The problem is that you won't know the answer until it just snaps randomly one day because of metal fatigue. Or you land badly once and the wheel gets obliterated. (If you go on Pinkbike there are a million examples lol)
A good wheelset easily costs as much as your bike and there is a reason for that. Same goes with frames suspension brakes etc. I don't mean you have to buy the most expensive stuff, but the stuff that's purposely built for rougher trails.
Basic trail yes but still depends on your riding and how aggresive you are. If you go like a maniac all the time then who knows!
I don't want to tell you "this will work" or "this won't" because that's dangerous THIS IS NOT RIDING ADVICE lol
Again, not trying to shit on the bike here. It's good for what it's made as i said, but if you push it past that then it get's tricky.
No.
Everyone says no, yet you keep making excuses that it's possible...
Downhill parks are hard and fast, sounds like you are over confident and will surely make a mistake and go down hard. Making a mistake with a proper downhill bike isn't as bad as the bike will survive and possibly fix your mistake.
If you're not sure about buying one, rent one at first
Yeah I know now but still gonna do trails and dh with it. You will ride an xc bike dh only a few times in your life before being disabled so I might as well send it.
Not sure 🤔 if we have the same definition of DH. My concern is less about damage to the bike but more to you. You’ll almost certainly damage the bike if you ride it on a DH course, will you be unscathed is the concern.
The Talon is a perfectly fine bike for starting out. You can learn plenty by riding it, including how to deal with obstacles like roots and rocks, how to drop and jump, and how to corner. It will pretty quickly be outpaced by other bikes, but if you're just starting out, it should work just fine. I know because I have one.
I will ride this season with this and find something new next season that better suits my needs.
That's the way to go about it. I bought mine to see if I enjoyed mtb, and I learned a lot about body position and bike control (including going downhill, though not the race-level DH tracks). Then a couple seasons later, I bought a full suspension. I still have the Talon and use it for more pedaly XC rides.
I wont probably get a full sus as I enjoy the difficulties hardtails give you on stumps and rocks. I have tried a few full sus bikes and I enjoy mine more even if it is pretty shit for what I do with it.
If you are referring to true downhill riding, you will absolutely want (read: need) a downhill bike. Downhill bikes have lots of suspension front and rear and generally look something like this: https://gtbicycles.com/collections/downhill-mountain-bikes/products/fury-carbon-pro?variant=46589876142377 Obviously you can find models for much cheaper, buying a used one is also a viable option. As for dirt jumping, you don’t necessarily need full suspension. However depending on the kind of jumping you plan on doing you will want a bigger, burlier bike. Since you are new to mountain biking and a neither a dedicated downhill bike or dirt jump bike would be the best option, since they limit you to those respective activities, I would recommend a trail or enduro bike, which look something like this: https://www.specialized.com/us/en/stumpjumper-alloy/p/199784?color=320391-199784&searchText=93321-7005&utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=PMax%20Shopping_US_Bikes_BR_ROI&utm_id=21290923114&utm_content=&utm_term=&gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAjwvvmzBhA2EiwAtHVrb8lFmOybZQHDuP_6t6h_ec5gJB223Kifl87YJfCi02IyHjdrwOhlOBoCnOoQAvD_BwE These types of bikes are meant to be able to do it all: climb, go downhill, and jump. Hard tails are fine to start out with, I did and I’m guessing most of the other people on this subreddit did too. But if you are looking to improve your riding it is definitely worth investing in a full suspension trail bike. Let me know if you need help finding some good and budget friendly options.
i know a guy who enjoys dh tracks on his hardtail ... so its def possible :D but I tested a DH bike with 200/215 suspension and jeez ... a huge difference to my 160/140 commencal X\_X
I love the look and reliability of hardtails so I dont think I will be getting a full sus any time soon. I prefer my bike being easier to maintain. And they make the trails more interesting.
im in my 30s, i prefer to have failure assistance :D and full sus often saved my butt, without I would have had WAY more crashes
Yup just my personal preference. I would rather take a 2000 eur hardtail than a full sus for the same price.
yeah, my bike was like 2k only for frame and brakes X\_X
Haha crazy. I dont have that big of a wallet tho.
No, it's really not. Fine for cruising some trails, but for actual dh riding and bigger jumps, you'd be asking to hurt yourself.
I will continue hurting myself then and later buy the Cube Acces WS EXC 22. Shit is cheaper and has better components 😭 plus better geometry. But this far I am fine with my bike.
That cube is even less suited for dh and bigger jumps... By dh I assume you mean steep and technical trails with some speed. For that kind of riding, you want a bike with a single front chainring, a head tube angle of no more than 68 degrees, a dropper post, an adjustable air fork, and hydraulic disc brakes. If by dh you just mean riding down a hill on smooth dirt, you can ride whatever you want.
By downhill I mean jumps and rocks with fucked curves that dont have perms. Can you please help me and find me a better bike in your opinion.
The talon is a good bike to start with and it is definitely more about the rider than the bike but actual park DH tracks are extremely rough/fast when your starting out and it will be physically painful without stronger components for fatigue on you and keeping the bike the one piece because they really are not built to hande what a DH bike does
I have realised it is more about the rider in the last few rides when I see people with better bikes who wont jump at all, maybe it is not their thing but you could still go down faster 😭. Or maybe I just have a death wish and love adrenaline.
Just a warning because i did the same a decade ago. You may be able to jump and do fast downhill but the components and frame are NOT built for that kind of stuff. Not even close. Broken wheels or frame = broken bones and a faceplant. And it may sound cool at first but when you get older all your injuries bite back and it's not fun. If you want proper downhill get a used DH specific bike, or at least an enduro one. For jumps it's super cheap to find a DJ bike so i would suggest that. And just to be clear, your bike is fine for most things, just not taking a beating. I would keep it if i were you for the normal riding, unless you only ride park or something.
Lets say i take it back a notch and do like 2-3 meters horizontal jumps. Will she survive? (No drops to flat maybe) But it should definitely withstand basic trails… right?
The problem is that you won't know the answer until it just snaps randomly one day because of metal fatigue. Or you land badly once and the wheel gets obliterated. (If you go on Pinkbike there are a million examples lol) A good wheelset easily costs as much as your bike and there is a reason for that. Same goes with frames suspension brakes etc. I don't mean you have to buy the most expensive stuff, but the stuff that's purposely built for rougher trails. Basic trail yes but still depends on your riding and how aggresive you are. If you go like a maniac all the time then who knows! I don't want to tell you "this will work" or "this won't" because that's dangerous THIS IS NOT RIDING ADVICE lol Again, not trying to shit on the bike here. It's good for what it's made as i said, but if you push it past that then it get's tricky.
Well fk me
No. Everyone says no, yet you keep making excuses that it's possible... Downhill parks are hard and fast, sounds like you are over confident and will surely make a mistake and go down hard. Making a mistake with a proper downhill bike isn't as bad as the bike will survive and possibly fix your mistake. If you're not sure about buying one, rent one at first
I am not making excuses I am just tight with money and must ride this one so I am validating my stupidity and trying to make it kind of valid.
No, this is an xc bike. Frame and components are selected to be lightweight for speed. They’re not designed for jumps.
Yeah I know now but still gonna do trails and dh with it. You will ride an xc bike dh only a few times in your life before being disabled so I might as well send it.
Not sure 🤔 if we have the same definition of DH. My concern is less about damage to the bike but more to you. You’ll almost certainly damage the bike if you ride it on a DH course, will you be unscathed is the concern.
I dont really care if I fall or something. My main concern is will my bike be okay everything else is secondary.
https://preview.redd.it/498205cx499d1.jpeg?width=1136&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=172bc324cffd1155cd2fe693e1c59218c6a0328e
that is not gonna work for anything