Giant Talon 2 Vs Specialized Rockhopper Sport 2022 – Better Bike for Beginners

Which bike should you choose as a beginner between the Giant Talon 2 Vs Specialized Rockhopper in 2022?

Specialized have been making their brilliant entry level bike the Rockhopper for many years. It is a reliable, playful and great looking frame. It is a great entry point to a new rider into the world of mountain biking to discover the type of riding you love to do.

The Rockhopper sits below the Specialized Fuse and Specialized Chisel higher end mountain bikes. However it is just as capable on most trails for a novice/intermediate rider.

The Giant Talon series of mountain bikes is Giant’s range that gives you a versatile off-roading  machine. Despite its low price you won’t find yourself wanting on any trails with the Talon.

It is a huge step above department store bikes and is far more capable and reliable when the trails get rougher and steeper. Talon’s can take a huge beating for miles on end and keep going without complaint.

The Specialized Rockhopper Sport 2022 is priced at $800.

The Giant Talon 2 2022 is priced at $750.

How do does the Rockhopper Sport compare to the Talon 2?

Specialized Rockhopper Vs Giant Talon 2 – What’s Similar?

100MM Coil Suspension Fork

The Specialized Rockhopper Sport and the Talon 2 are both spec’d a suntour 100mm coil suspension fork up front. The 100mm of fork travel takes the edge off of harsh terrain, bumps and drops. Combined with the wide tires at low pressures is what makes mountain bikes so comfortable.

The Suntour XCM30 on the Giant provides a fork lockout feature. This means while riding you can quickly turn the lockout to either turn the suspension on or off.

Turning the suspension off will make for more efficient riding as your pedalling energy won’t compress the fork unnecessarily. This is best used when climbing up steep terrain slowly or when riding on smooth paved surfaces

Lighter weight aluminum frame

The Specialized and Giant are both built on a lightly constructed aluminum frame. This frame material is stiff and strong with the main benefit being the weight advantage it has over steel. With a lighter frame weight you can go further with less energy. You’ll also be able throw the bike around corners more easily and pull off cool jumps and hops more readily, increasing the fun factor off-road or in your local bike parks.

Specialized Rockhopper Sport Vs Giant Talon 2 – What’s Different?

Tire Widths

The Rockhopper is equipped with wider 2.35″ sized tires, as compared to the 2.2″ width tires on the Talon 2. The wider tires provide better cushioning to further dampen out the imperfections on the road surface. This makes for an overall more comfortable ride at the expense of more tire drag, meaning less speed and efficiency. This makes them the preferred choice when going faster over rougher surfaces at faster speeds.

With the 2.2″ wide tires on the Talon it allows you to cover long distances with less effort. They are not uncomfortable by any means just less so than wider tires as the tire pressure has to be run higher.

This is more pronounced over rougher surfaces. If the area you are riding is mostly smooth then 2.2″ tires are preferred, especially if covering longer distances.

Handlebar Width

Handlebar width is often down to personal preference, but in general the wider then handlebars the more precise your control will be over the steering. The downside to this of course is that too wide and you can struggle to get through narrow gaps. If can also be uncomfortable to ride with handlebars so wide for long periods too, especially if your shoulders are naturally more narrow.

The Giant comes spec’d with 780mm wide handlebars, the general standard for pure trail riding bikes. A good choice if most of your riding will be off-road on trails and not navigating through city traffic.

The Specialized handlebars are 740mm wide. Still very suitable for trail riding with the additional benefit of being more manageable in narrow city traffic and narrower single-track trails.

2x vs 1x Drivetrain System

The Specialized uses the 2x drivetrain system. This gives you a double front chain ring. Along side the 9 gear rear cog you’ll have a wide ranging 18 gears to chose from.

This is generally preferred for flatter terrain and paved surfaces where you can make use of the higher top end speed.

The downside is the extra derailleur at the front being another wear and tear part to be maintained. Additionally some preferred the simplicity of the 1x system where you’ll only need to use one lever to change gears.

The Giant’s 1x system gives you a wide 11-46 range cog on the back. This gives you good gear option for both steep uphill and flat terrains without the need for a front derailleur. The advantage is weight savings and simplicity.

As there are only 9 gears however the jump between cogs will mean a big difference in pedalling frequency. This is in comparison to the 2X system with smaller ratio increments between the gears.

The 1x system is generally preferred for off-road trail riding as top speeds are generally slower. Lastly there is one less part to worry about breaking/failing when you’re out on a ride.

Specialized Rockhopper Sport vs Giant Talon 2 – Head to Head

Rack Mounts

Both bikes are well equipped with bottle cage mounts on the downtube and seat tube. The Giant Talon 2 however also provides rear pannier mounting points on the seat stays, giving you an extra option to carry luggage.

Colour Options

The Giant is available in 2 colour options, the Phantom Green and the Knight Shield. Both gloss style paint jobs that sparkle under direct sunlight.

The Specialized Rockhopper gives you 4 options to chose from. 2 Satin colours in slate / cool grey or forest green/oasis. The gloss colour variants are available as blaze /ice papaya or white mountains / dusty turquoise.

Specialized Rockhopper Sport vs Giant Talon 2 Specifications