Take all this with a grain of salt as I dont own either bike and have never even seen either in person.

The Talon is significantly better for the following reasons which, to me, are more important than frame weight-
- significantly better fork. The fact that it has lockout alone makes it much better, but the quality is also better.
- significantly better gearing for where you are. 42-32-24 with a 10speed 11-36 cassette is WAY better for where you will be when compared to 48-38-28 with a 7 speed 11-32 cassette.
- Deore components with hydro disc brakes are a lot better than the Tourney components on the ATX.

The frames, based on Giant's website, are made from the same level of aluminum. Not sure how much lighter the frame alone would be, but the components on the Talon will be lighter for sure. The ATXs handlebar is hiten steel, so that alone will be close to 1 pound heavier than the Talon's.


By all means, ride what you can afford. Just wanted to point out some benefits of the Talon beyond simply being lighter weight. Your tour sounds incredible...based just on the location!