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I really like the Talon 0 as it seems like Giant is a really good value for money brand compared to some of the others. I haven't seen a new 2021 Talon 0 for under R16999 in the Cape Town area though. Even on Giant's website the recommended retail price is R17545. And then it doesn't include tubeless ready tires - I haven't had a bike with TR tires before, but from what I understand after talking to a lot of people this is a big advantage when you don't want flats all the time. I also know about the Shimano vs SRAM shifting and that makes me lean towards the Talon, but what about the brakes - Tektro TKD 143 on the Giant vs Shimano MT200 on the Trek? I'm new to all of this and just know the Shimano brand, so whenever I see Shimano, I like ???? It looks like there will always be trade-offs, at least with the bikes I have compared.

Thank you! I will have a look at what I can find over the next few weeks. I am leaning towards the Trek as I like the warranty, colour, tubeless-ready tires and specs overall for the price in a new bike. I have looked at some secondhand bikes, but for my first decent MTB I'd rather go new as I trust myself to look after the bike since I will be very gentle with it since I'm a novice rider.

Hi, I'm looking to buy a new mountain bike for the first time. My budget is up to R20k, but I have already looked at a few bikes and made a list of my favourites. I have looked at a few bikes within my budget including the Giant Talon 0 (2021), Trek Marlin 8 (2022), Specialized Rockhopper Expert (2021) and Silverback Stride SX (2021). These four bikes are my top picks, but I lean towards the Marlin 8 and Talon 0 more. Does anyone have any advice between these two bikes? I will use the bike for commuting and some off-road riding over weekends, so currently it looks like it might come down to external looks, brand preference and warranty as I won't be pushing the bike to its limits anytime soon, but that might change over time. If I go with the Talon 0 I will upgrade the tires to tubeless tires, so it will cost a bit more than the Marlin 8.