2021 Trek Marlin VS Specialized Rockhopper VS Giant Talon Comparison!!

Hello everyone and welcome back to the channel. My name is Lollipop and today we are going to make a great video that has been requested many times in the comments section that compares the Trek Marlin lineup to the Rockhopper specialty lineup and the

giant

talent lineup. These bikes are essentially entry-level mountain bikes for three of the largest and most popular bike brands in the world, so it makes sense that many people want to know which of these bikes is best for them and which brand they should choose. Ultimately now the reason it took me so long to make this video was that I wanted to make separate videos on

rockhopper

s and

talon

s

marlin

s before making the latter, so if you're interested in a specific lineup after watching this video, You can check the description below to find links to videos I already made on the Marlin Rockhopper and Talon bikes In those videos I compared and contrasted the different models in each line, comparing the Marlin Trek 4 5 6 and 7 or comparing the Giant Claw 0 1 2 and so on, in terms of organization for this video, I'll start by discussing what and who these bikes and bike lineups are intended for and then talk about some notable general differences those lineups have from each other before moving on. to a more in-depth

comparison

between the Trek Marlin 6 Specialized Rock Hopper Sport and the Giant Talon 2.

Since these bikes are very similarly priced and have some comparable components, I also want to point out that all of the bikes I talk about in this video will be of

2021

models and as always I will make a table highlighting all the major differences between these bikes in one place. I'll also discuss my thoughts on those three specific models at the end, so to start. I'm going to talk about the name of each of these lineups. The Trek Marlin series has four bikes, with the Marlin 4 being the least expensive and the Marlin 7 being the most expensive and with the highest parts specifications.

The Giant Talon lineup is the opposite. The numbers go down, the level of the piece goes up, so

talon

4 is the least expensive and talon 0 is the most expensive for rock hoppers. Each of the bikes has a different name indicating its level and the lineup starts with the regular rock hopper and ends. According to the Rockhopper expert, all of these bikes are designed to be entry-level mountain bikes and, although there are more expensive models in each of these ranges, their target audience is beginner or intermediate mountain bikers or people on a tighter budget. Most of these bikes can and often are used as rugged commuter bikes, as well as for handling rougher roads, but generally, those will be the least expensive models in each range.

They are all also designed as cross-country mountain bikes, meaning they are more focused on fast pedaling efficiency. and riding lighter trails instead of fun ones or riding really rough terrain or more downhill stretches; However, most of these bikes will still perform well on rougher terrain, although they won't be as good as dedicated trail mountain bikes, which are now more expensive. The thing to know about these bikes is that most use 29-inch diameter wheels which roll faster and allow the bike to maintain its speed better, but generally these small and extra small frame sizes will come with 27. 5 inches in diameter which will be easier to handle. handle and maneuver,

giant

claw bikes actually let you choose between 27.5 or 29 inch wheels for all sizes, plus extra small and extra extra large, but these

specialized

rock hopper bikes are the only ones that also They offer a 26 inch wheel size that is specific to extra extra small frame and

trek

bikes are the only ones that offer a medium large frame that falls between the medium and large frame sizes.

Trek Marlins are also the only bikes with women's-specific models that only have a few different colors, a women's-specific seat, and a 10 millimeter shorter stem in most sizes for better control. Now usually in my

comparison

videos I go into a lot of depth into each difference of the components the bikes have from each other, but since I've already covered them all in the separate videos linked below, I'm going to make it easier for everyone and just I will focus on the main components to make big differences on the road or on the road, so to start we need to talk about the frames.

I'll be showing pictures of all the

2021

frame specs and measurements for the Marlin Rockhopper and Talon bikes right now so you can pause the video and see them all if you want, but I've created a separate table highlighting some of the main measurements and angles here and I'll go over them. Right now, basically, the Marlin has the steepest head tube angle at 69.5 degrees, which translates to better pedaling efficiency and the closest geometry to a full cross-country bike, while the the Rockhopper and Talon have 68.5 degree angles which are still in the cross country realm. country, but they will be a little better on the way down, although it probably won't be too noticeable.

The seat tube angle is slacker on the Marlin and steeper in the heel, which should make the heel pedal more efficiently to compensate for the steeper head tube. Angle I also added the lengths of the chainstays to highlight how they are almost the same and the reach in case you want to see it more clearly. Ultimately, these numbers aren't much different from each other, but the Giant Claw frame should be the best for trail riding. and downhill, while the other two bikes are still completely fine, but not as modern; However, there's more to a bike than just the frame, so let's now compare and contrast the Trek Marlin 6 with the

specialized

Rockhopper Sport and Giant Talon 2 to see how much value each of these bikes offers for its price.

We will now show pictures of the 29 inch wheel versions of these bikes for simplicity, but this shouldn't cause any problems, so first of all I have to mention the price of these. bicycles as they do not cost the same, the

rockhopper

sport is the least expensive at 600 or 500 pounds, while the Giant Talon 2 is next at 620 or 530 pounds and the Marlin 6 is the most expensive at 670 or 530 pounds also for The component upgrades I'm going to talk about the suspension, forks, tires, brakes and then the transmission, focusing on the main differences rather than each change, so let's start by comparing the suspension forks.

All bikes come with quick release axles to make the front wheel easier to remove and also come with 100 millimeter travel forks in most sizes, but the extra small and small frame sizes usually come with 80 millimeters of travel, with the exception of rockhoppers that have 90 millimeters of travel. sport uses a sr suntour xcm 29 which is a coil spring fork that has 30 millimeter stanchions. Both the Giant Talon 2 and Trek Marlin 6 use the SR Suntour lockout that allows you to lock the suspension to make it completely rigid and be able to ride the bike faster on flat areas or on the road in general, it doesn't make much difference.

Here, but if you use the bikes to get around or ride in flatter areas, the lock function will help you a lot in terms of pedaling efficiency. Next we have the tires, most of them are B wire tires meaning they are not tubeless ready, the Rockhopper Sport. uses self-made ground control sport tires and they are 2.3 inches wide, the talon 2 is actually confusing because according to the giant's website it has 2.2 inch wide kenda booster tires or maxis tires 2.4 inch wide recon, but actually pictures and videos of this bike, it comes with 2.25 inch wide maxis ardent race tires that are actually tubeless ready, then the

marlin

6 uses bontrager xr2 tires comp from

trek

's own brand that are 2.2 inches wide, generally the wider tires will provide more traction on the trails, but it also makes the bikes a little heavier, the Marlin has the thinner tires, although 2 .2 inches is pretty normal for cross country, while the Talon and Rockhopper have slightly wider tires that will be noticeably better in terms of grip and traction if the Talon bike comes tubeless. burning tires at the ready, it's a good upgrade to see for sure as the giant will have a completely tubeless setup as it is also the only bike in this video that comes with tubeless rims, having that setup will allow you to eventually go easier . tubeless, which eliminates the risk of getting your inner tube punctured by a thorn or other sharp object and allows you to run the tires at a lower psi for better grip.

Now let's talk about the brakes, these are all actually very similar from the rockhopper and the marlin. It actually uses the same Techro M275 hydraulic disc brakes, while the Giant Claw uses a different model, but there are still entry-level hydraulic brakes from Tectro and they shouldn't have too many differences. All bikes use 160-millimeter diameter rear and 180-millimeter front brake rotors. rotors on the larger sizes but the giant claw also uses 180 millimeter front rotors on the mid size frame which should help with better stopping power overall these brakes are good entry level brakes that are common at this price level and they will.

They all do the job well and lastly we have the main difference between these three bikes, which is the transmission. I'm going to list the specs on these drivetrains right now to get you started and then I'll talk about which one I think is the best. The best part is that Rockhopper Sport uses a primarily Shimano Altus 2x9 drivetrain, which means it has two gears or chainrings on the front crankset. and nine gears or teeth on the rear cassette. This bike uses a strong crankset that has 36 teeth on the largest chainring and 22 teeth. in the smallest one and it has a Sunrace brand cassette from 11 to 36 teeth.

Now the Talon 2 has different drivetrains depending on which country you're in, but I'm going to focus on the US model of this bike if you're curious. The UK version of this bike comes with a Shimano mixed 2x8 drivetrain which is quite similar to the drivetrains offered on the other two bikes; However, in the US the Talon 2 gets a nice upgrade to a 1x9 drivetrain, so there is no longer a front derailleur on this bike. which makes things simpler for trail riding so this bike only has a single chainring in the crankset which is a 30 or 32 tooth crank according to Giant and has a Micro brand 11 to 42 tooth cassette Shift.

This bike also comes with a clutch rear end. derailleur that adds tension to the chain so there is less chance of the chain skipping gears or completely falling off the bike when riding over really rough terrain and the marlin 6 comes with a shimano altus 2x8 drivetrain complete with the altus crankset which uses 36 and 22 tooth chainrings and an 11 to 34 tooth Shimano cassette, now based only on these drivetrains, the Giant Talon 2 is the most trail focused and most high-end mountain bikes come with one per drivetrain As they are simpler and have fewer parts that could potentially malfunction, the rear cassette in the clutch has a much wider range than those on the other two bikes, but since the other two bikes have two different sized front chainrings, They will be able to have harder gears to go faster on their bike and also more easily. gear ratios for hill climbing, so now that I've covered the main difference between these bikes, I'll show that chart now and go over what I think about each of these models and what type of rider they are best for the rockhopper.

Sport and Marlin 6 are actually quite similar in terms of geometry and all the components they come with. Some may argue that the rockhopper is better for the trail because it has a little wider tires and a little more trail oriented geometry, but the marlin 6 does have the lockout feature which is really nice to have, it uses a shimano drivetrain complete instead of mixing several different parts, which is not necessarily good or bad, but at least it will be objectively reliable based on components and geometry, I think more so. People can agree that the Giant Talon 2, at least theUS model, it is the best for trail riding and mountain biking as it has tubeless rims and probably tubeless tires as well, and has a unique drivetrain that is definitely more trail focused.

The heel geometry is also the most modern and will probably be the best on the trail; However, the number of gears you get on the Talon 2 is not as much as you would get on a 1 by 10 or 1 by 12 mountain bike. drivetrain, which is more typical to see in a setup, since It has fewer gears and fewer speeds, the other two bikes have easier gears to climb and harder gears to pedal so the bike travels faster, although on a real trail this might not be the case. Where you will notice this, however, is on the highway or on longer trips.

Personally, I think the Talon 2 is best for trail-only use, but if you're looking for a bike for commuting and trail riding, the Marlin 6 is probably best. a better bet as it has more gears and still has the lockout feature for faster riding, the specialized then falls into the category of being the most affordable mountain bike and is still a great beginner mountain bike to start with, although these these are just my thoughts and usually in my videos I try to just give you the facts and let you decide but I wanted to have a little discussion here to show you what I'm thinking if you have anything to add or think I made a mistake somewhere or I just have any suggestion. overall please leave them in the comments section below and I will try to get to all of them but overall I hope this video helped you in some way and if it did please leave a like and subscribe and anyway many Thanks for watching and keep riding your bike.