Giant has revealed its 2026 Talon E+ hardtail electric mountain bike, bringing to fruition a brand new frame that is best suited to everyday trail exploration, or, if your prefer, commuting with off-road shortcuts.
Slimmed down around a 430Wh EnergyPak battery, which can be charged to 80% in around two hours, the leaner and lighter aluminium hardtail drops 13% of its weight on the prior generation’s build, even managing to cut a little weight from the SyncDrive Sport 2 motor, a mid-drive that has a 75Nm torque support.
As with many of Giant’s modern e-bikes, there are no less than six different sensors that deliver ride metrics in real time, meaning that Smart Assist mode will draw on your pedalling input data, cadence and speed, along with the incline slope you’re riding on, in order to deliver the perfect level of support, something that also helps preserve your battery level. The upshot of all of this for you is a 400% additional ride support when calling on the highest level of assist via the handlebar-mounted controller.
At a little over 20kg (21.7kg), the nimble hardtail platform brings into play some of the digital upgrades recently written about in our Giant Explore E+ first ride review, inclusive of custom motor tuning and range optimisation controls in the RideControl mobile app. Add to that, the Find my Bike feature now gives compatibility with the Apple Airtag ecosystem.
This is a platform that offers 100mm of front suspension, which makes the Talon E+ Giant’s answer to cross-country exploration and light trail riding, but not too inefficient for regular commuting, if you like to have a bit of versatility and the option to take the gravel path to your workplace.
Despite its tubing reduction, the Giant Talon E+ frame is dropper post compatible with internal routing, not to mention there are mounts ready to take a rear carrier, mudguards or a kickstand, should you wish to use the bike about town. With room for two bottle cages, a range extender battery is easily fitted, opening up a further 250Wh or 50% extra range.
Other interesting features on the new Talon include a new PIN-controlled locking system via the RideControl app, as well as a Giant’s tubeless tyre system, which means lowered concern for punctures on any terrain.
If you are in the market for a hardtail electric mountain bike we’ve a buyer’s guide for that. A similar hardtail mountain bike to the 2026 Giant Talon E+, which comes in at £2,299, is Trek’s £2,999 Marlin, a bike that we reviewed recently.
