Nao_lin

I was shopping for an entry level mountain bike and didn't want to spend more than around 900..

I am a big fan of Giant so i was looking at the Giant Talon 27.5 2016, new from the shop the 4 was being sold at 600 and the 3 at 700.

When I went to the store they had a rental bike that was on sale for 800... it was a 2012 anthem full suspension X 29er 2.. The tires are pretty much new also..

It really seemed that although there were a few scratches on the frame that i would be getting much more bike for my money.. I also rode it and was really impressed. I had them do a full tune up, replace the cable housing and also the front axle and they gave me new pedals and the normal bike store stuff... Water bottle, cages, etc...

So the downsides are that the frame does not have a warranty, but the way i see it if there were some defects they would have shown up by now.. Would do you guys think, would you guys have gone with the 2012 giant anthem instead of the 2016 talon 27.5 3 if they were pretty much the same price? Also the fact that it was a rental and was probably abused.. but i could not find anything wrong with it.

corrado33

Different bikes for different purposes. If it's been a rental bike since 2012 it's likely beat to death.

Nao_lin

I'ts a 2012 model.. I don't think it became a rental until 2013 or 2014.. Back then the Bike retailed at 2,400. The anthem is their cross country FS bike.

So you would have gone with a brand new entry level mountain bike with entry level components "Giant Talon 27.5 4" instead of this one? if these were you options?

corrado33

Again, two completely different bikes. The Anthem most likely needs the suspension components rebuilt, or are very close to needing it. Rental bikes often get ridden hard and left out wet. And a rental bike for 2-3 years? That's quite a while. Shops around here sell their rental bikes at the end of every season.

You are surely getting more bike for your money with the Anthem, but do you NEED a full suspension? What are you going to be riding? Does it fit you? ​Do you want a 29er? How tall are you?

Personally, for a beginner, I always recommend a $1000 hardtail with an air fork. That's all you need unless you are truly diving into extremely technical stuff. (1-2 foot rocks on the trail, every few or so yards, with smaller rocks between.) And, if you end up not liking it, you can still sell it for a good price on craigslist. You may lose a couple hundred dollars, but you come out relatively unscathed. (A 2016 bike with only a few rides on it will sell for probably 75-80% of it's retail price.) With the Anthem if you end up not liking mountain biking, be prepared to take a bath on the resale price, unless you lie about the bike's past and what not.

That's my opinion of course.

Nao_lin

That was my goal.. A good hard tail tail at around 1k.. however for example with Giant, the Giant Talon 1 with air fork was $1,400, the 2 with the best non air fork was 1,100 (more than i wanted to spend). Even last years models (2015) where only about 5 dollars cheaper. Going down to the 3 and the 4 where very entry level components.

I was also shopping around for used, on craigslist, offerup etc, however wasn't finding much at all. I grabbed the anthem while at the shop looking for a discounted talon kind as an impulse buy...

I will be riding any and all of the trails around Vegas, I have been riding road bikes for the last 3,4 years and i'm really into it. I am short.. 5 "5, but when I tested the bike i loved how it rode, I like going fast and found the bike rolled really well with the big tires. I didn't feel my height was a problem..

Wear and tear and having to replace things soon does worry me, I don't know much about shocks. Which is why my post

corrado33

A raleigh tokul 3 is $1000 with an air fork and a decent frame and OK components. Great reviews for that bike. More than most people will ever need.

Personally, at 5'5", I would not buy a 29er. Small bikes with large tires makes frame geometries weird. Aka there are compromises made in the frame geometry to allow for the bigger tires.

Looking at the trails around Vegas, a full suspension bike is overkill.

You can't have a budget of $900 and not look at bikes with "entry level components." You're in the "entry level" price range. That's what you're going to get.

This is all my opinion of course, and what I'd tell any of my friends. Buy what you like and ride the crap out of it.

Nao_lin

The shop just found me a Giant Talon (hard tail) 2015 27.5 2 for only 880 "out the door", the 2016 model is 1,100 (no taxes). I think I'm going to go with this instead.. you are right, the trails I am riding probably don't need a FS, and I think the peace of mind of not knowing how it was ridden for 3 years is better...

Canker

Well I go the other way. The Anthem is a much MUCH nicer bike than the talon 2. Yes being a demo could be a problem but that just depends on how well the shop maintained it. If the drivetain is in good shape and they have serviced the fork and shock it should be fine. I don't care about frame warranties. I've never broken one and even if I did it would more than likely be my fault and not covered anyway plus the saving in buying used would make up for it. The maestro rear suspension on the Anthem is one of the best around which also doesn't hurt. This is a first bike. If you buy a talon 2 and decide to start riding harder stuff in a year or two that fork is going to start becoming a hindrance. The Anthem on the other hand is a bike you can grow into not out of. Downside is there is more to maintain with a rear suspension and of coarse it is used so it may need some real work sooner.

Nao_lin

Thanks for the comments guys...

I had to decide and asked the bike shop to go ahead and order the 2015 Talon 27.5 2.

I am torn 50/50 and honestly at this point i don't think i would tell them to cancel the order, i've already gone back and forth enough.. lol. So that kinda decides it for me..

I think I will try it out, get out there and if I do get to the point were I am wanting to do things where the fork becomes a problem then I will address it at that point..

I will focus on learning the trails around here and seeing what they have to offer..