Giant Talon 4

Giant Talon 4 (2025)

The Giant Talon 4 is a recreational hardtail mountain bike. It's reliable, affordable and very capable on easy mountain bike trails (most bikes at this price aren't).

It features a lightweight frame, front suspension and 27.5-inch or 29-inch wheels (depending on frame size).

For 2025, the Talon has had several big changes.

There are so many changes that this is the best Giant Talon 4 yet.

In this preview, we'll explain the basics and explain the Talon 4 build.

What is the Giant Talon 4?

The Giant Talon 4 is a recreational mountain bike for fitness, family rides and light trails.

Who should consider the Giant Talon 4?

Riders who are mostly riding with family and mates on trails that aren't steep or technical.

You want a bike that has a great balance between calm handling and a stable, grounded overall feel.

And a riding position that's a good balance of relaxed and sporty. This makes it easier on the back and less pressure on the hands.

Giant made the Talon 4 available in a huge range of frame sizes (from XS to XL).

These sizes suit pre-teens (from 10 years old) to adults.

What's so good about this new Talon 4?

So much. In short it's the handling.

From the ground up it's a completely different mountain bike.

Warning:

This might get a bit technical but we'll do our best to simplify it. But it will help you understand Talon 4 better.

Let's start at the front of the bike.

The steering angle has been adjusted so that the steering response is a little slower. This is a design trend we've been seeing in performance mountain bikes for a few years.

It makes the Talon 4 easier to handle over loose or wet surfaces where grip is poor. These are situations where you don't want nervous or twitchy steering.

And the steering has a self-centering effect.

Off-roading is dynamic. Every tree root and rock is trying to deflect your front wheel.

The Talon's ability to minimise the front wheel from turning away sharply gives riders much more control. It calms the steering down.

The new Talon 4 is longer (called the wheelbase).

This creates a very stable bike in high-speed situations; hugging the ground and delivering more control - especially over uneven dirt and gravel trails.

Talon 4 Key Components

The gears first.

For the first time on the Talon 4, Giant has used a single chain-ring on the front. This single gear is paired to 8 gears on the back; a solid mid-range setup.

This simplifies the drive train because there's no front derailleur, gear shifter and cable. Less moving parts means less maintenance.

And also for the first time, the gears are sourced from microSHIFT and not Shimano.

Which makes the Talon 4 even better.

Surprised? Thought so.

microSHIFT makes excellent quality components - especially in the midrange. Like for like, they are slightly better than Shimano.

The shifting mechanism is robust and designed for mountain bike trails.

Tektro mechanical disc brakes are perfect for easy off-road trails and suburban bike paths where the terrain isn't steep.

These don't have as much stopping power as hydraulic disc brakes do (like on the Giant Talon 3) but they are so much better than rim brakes.

Plus, the brake levers can be adjusted for smaller hands so they are easier to reach.

Maxxis Ikon tyres are a versatile 2.20-inches wide. They are easy rolling on pavement while still feeling grippy on loose surfaces.

If you're spending more time on off-road trails, the Talon 4 can accommodate tyres up to 2.40-inches wide.