I am in the way to buy a new bike. Kestrel Talon is my first option. Aside from the weight, what is the difference between them? For those of you who had rided both bikes, what was your feeling?
Great bike. I recently bought a regular version. AFAIK, the only difference is weight.
I have a Talon that I actually just replaced. It is a great bike and can be set up for Tri geo. quite well especially with the aero post with fore/aft options. THe difference between the SL and regular is that the SL is not only lighter but it is made from a stiffer higher modulous carbon(800k) while the talon uses 700k which is still stiff and responsive but a bit softer than the 800k. What is interesting is that Kestrel’s flagship Tri-bike the Air-foil uses 700k carbon as well. For longer distances i.e. Ironman the softer carbon is more forgiving and absorbs more road vibe…hence less body fatigue.
the Talon is a very smooth ride and with carbon wheels it absorbs bumps and vibration very well. Even though I just replaced mine with a new tri-bike I am converting it back to road set up for training. It is a great bike and i really love it. For longer distance and for tri. i would go with the Talon…for a road set up I would go with the SL.