Submitted by
Troy
a Weekend Warrior
from Rexburg, ID, USA
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2004
Strengths: great components for the price, never had any mechanical problems whatsoever.
Weaknesses: tires are a bit slippy in the corners, would recomend more agressive ones, I will be purchasing new ones this summer, mars fork is good but not as "plush" as I would like, stock pedals suck.
Bottom Line:
This is a great bike for the price. You can't beat it. You can beat the crap out of it and it will keep coming back for more. If you can find one around in good shape buy it.
Ok i've had the bike for nearly 2 years now and as you can see my review below I am very chuffed with it.
I now run the bike in long travel mode, run flat pedals and Michlen Hot S tyres. I have also changed the bar for an Answer Alulite, put an Easton EA50 stem on it, had the shock serviced by TF Tuned Shox. This bike is used nearly everyday. I very happy with it and have not come acrooss any problems with it apart from the pedal hits the floor through corners. I plan to change the forks to some Manitou Blacks in the new year, respray the frame and upgrade to discs
Favorite Trail: sssh, it's my little special trail
Duration Product Used: 2 Years
Purchased At: Work
Overall Rating:
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Submitted by
Robb Sirat
a Weekend Warrior
from Las Vegas, NV, USA
Date Reviewed: November 8, 2002
Strengths: Reliable predictable handling w/ the right tire selection. Frame feels solid on drops
Weaknesses: 1.) Poorly routed front derailleur cable. Needs a straighter cable approach to the top-pull XT. 2.)No sealed bearing pivots. No pivot upgrades available. 3.)Chain-suck = Chain-rip. Not enough clearance between granny front ring bolts and BB. I have broken chain at least 10 times because it bounced off the ring in between the ring & BB chainring bolts...on the next pedal stroke, I rip it to shreds. Have shortend and relpaced three chains. Am laughed at at the LBS because I'll show up to buy 5 Shimano pins before an epic adventure.
Bottom Line:
I'm a novice rider. I learn by wrecking, then someone told me to buy Overend's book. As I improve, I understand the strengths of the XR-4. It's a tremendous value. Handles well. Strong frame and great combo of components (w/o upgrades) I don't compete. I ride 4-6 mi/ daily on a local singletrack and ride Boulder City (thanks to Bootleg Canyon's curator, Brent Thompson and crew) & Cottonwood Canyon once a week. I've beat the life out of this bike; wrecked hard & landed hard. It's a reliable ride. Similar feel to a 5 minute coast on an Intense Tracer. Wish there were sealed bearing pivot upgrades. Mars 1 is not plush enough for the DH-esque drop-off riding conditions off the beaten XC paths (west-leg, Caldera, east leg) in Boulder city and this 6'2" 200' frame. Weight is an issue only because of my fat butt. But that's not what that fork was designed to do. This is a great XC light DH bike. See you in Bootleg Canyon!
Similar Products Used: none. I started MTB-ing in Nov 2000. Tested it @ Interbike's expo in Blue Diamond. The XR-4 was my first ride.
Bike Setup: LX/XT Mars 1 (soon to be Black Super Air), SID rear, WTB Motoraptors, EA-70 riser, anything but WTB pedals (broke on first clip-in, Sun Rhyno-Lites(Taco-ed the Mavics on a 4 footer), Avid Arch Rivals & levers, stock headset, stem and seatpost.
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Submitted by
Wayne
a Downhiller
from nottingham, uk
Date Reviewed: March 29, 2002
Bottom Line:
O.K I bought this bike cause I needed a bike that I could train, Ride XC and commute on. For what I paid for this Bike I have got a bargin(the Uk model retailed for £2300 and was top of the range). It is well spec'ed with SID SL's, XT/XTR, Avid mag brakes, Fox Float with Lock-out. It is a great bike to ride: sprints well, climbs like a Jet Fighter and has very plush rear suspension. Bad points are that it is heavy for a top of the line bike (27.5lb), it is a bit flexy and the bars and grips make my right hand go numb. On the whole I am very chuffed with my bike and I am looking for suitable upgrades in the future.
bottom line this is a pretty darn good ride for the money. When I was shopping for a fs bike, I rode them all!! I liked the gt team fs better, but did not have $3000. I have been pretty pleased with most aspects of the bike except for the pedals. Very hard to dial these pedals in. You are either coming out of them, or they have a death grip on your feet!!! Over the last year have had zero mechanical problems with this bike, and think that most of the people that have had mechanical problems can blame the bike shop they bought it from for not properly assembling and lubing the bike before sale. Have found that the rims are a tad bit heavy, particularly the rear, but are definately tough. The weighed in somewhere around 27lbs out of the shop, and when I bought this bike, you couldn't even get close to this weight and quality for 1100 bones from any other bike manufacturer. The mars1 shock hasn't exactly been impressive. Was pretty scratchy from the getgo and my lbs put quite a bit of time into dialing it in for me. Has never really met my expectations and I am considering dxing it for something else??? Overall though, this bike is excellent, and I am a picky picky son of a gun. Climbs good, descends good, looks good, geometry is good, handling is great. I have beat the crap out of it so durability is good. Probably a little heavy for xc, but I still use it for xc, and free ride. Buy it and enjoy!!!!!
This bike has been great! Not a single problem in 1.5 years of ownership. Felt that I needed to put a review out here as my next bike will probably be another Diamondback.
Strengths: Scott paid for it. Sweet dual suspension, just right for trails. Handles quick. Great price!
Weaknesses: I can't take it home with me
Bottom Line:
This bike is nice, but Scott is only an average rider and not up to the potential of the Diamondback. Rick and I whipped him Saturday on our old hardtails. He came coasting back with the chicks. Not the bike's fault though. I'm just jeolous because I spent more money on a hard tail. Check one out. A lot of bang for the buck.
Submitted by
Scott
a Weekend Warrior
from Fernandina Beach, FL USA
Date Reviewed: July 14, 2001
Strengths: Everything except anything that has Koski on it!
Weaknesses: Anything that has Koski written on it. It's not that Koski's all that bad, I just don't like it.
Bottom Line:
I'm the only Diamondback in a pack of Cannondales and it's the fastest bike. It's not just my opinion, the Cannondale riders have gotten their best times on MY Bike. It handles great in the turns and soaks up the bumps. It weighs under 27 lbs (stock) and climbs like a beast! Do yourself a favor and buy one of these bikes today!
Strengths: this is a great bike. I like the mars fork and sid air shock . I like the bike for the price and the mavic rims. It rides like a cadilac over rough terrain
Weaknesses: I had a problem with the lx deore holltech crank , I chiped a tooth . I also dont like the the handle bars and tires. I dont like the clipless pedals that come with the bike.
Bottom Line:
I really like the bike for the price and durability. I think you will like this bike.
Similar Products Used: I also have a gary fisher tasarjaria with xt cranks.
Bike Setup: I have changed the cranks and cassette to xtr shimano . I changed the tires to more aggressive tread. I changed the handle bars to carbon fiber risers and I changed the pedals to atac clipless pedals I really like them .
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Submitted by
David
a Cross Country Rider
from Oakland
Date Reviewed: May 14, 2001
Strengths: Component mix for that price. Looks damn good. Light. Very strong frame.
Weaknesses: Tires. Pedals. Paint job.
Bottom Line:
Changing tires will really get your blood pumping on tight turns. Can't beat the components at the price I paid. Great on killer climbs. After the bike arrived I took the bike apart and applied my own lube, and made sure there was enough. Had no creeking sounds and its very smooth now. Great bike!
Bike Setup: Changed to Shimano DH clipless pedals. Panaracer. Got some clear tape at ACE hardware to protect paint job, works magic, haven't had a chip yet after 300 miles (off road only rides)
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Submitted by
Bob
a Cross Country Rider
from Arizona
Date Reviewed: May 10, 2001
Strengths: Okay components for the price. Shifters are good.
Weaknesses: Pivots creak, frame is heavy, wheels go out of true, rear SID loses air by end of ride, pedals are death-traps, paint chips easily, tires don't work well in mud.
Bottom Line:
Is there anything I like about this bike? Well, the seatpost and Koski stem haven't given me any problems. I swapped the tires for some Fire XC's and replaced the brakes with a set of Avid Mechanicals. It rides better now, but there are better F/S bikes out there that you can get a deal on. It's too heavy for a XC race bike, but good for a weekend warrior. Since I've had problems with the shock and pivots, I can't recommend it for downhill or freeride. Others may have had better luck because the other postings are favorable (one reason why I bought it).
Bike Setup: Stock LX, XT mix with Mars upfront and SID in back.
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Submitted by
Greg C
a Weekend Warrior
from Fairfax Va
Date Reviewed: May 4, 2001
Strengths: I used to race a Diamondback Pro back in the glory days of BMX so 15 years later I got another DB. This bike kicks butt for the price. The rear shock alone costs a few hundred. Fairly light. GT makes an I drive bike for about $140 less than I paid for this. Cant remember the model but it is the flat black one. I took the GT out and the parts were inferior and it weighed a ton, maybe 5 pounds heavier than the diamond back, and needed a shock upgrade. The Diamond Back -Great parts for the price. If I spent less on a bike I would have had to settle for the fox shock on another bike and would not have been happy.
Weaknesses: Tires are not too good. Paint of frame does not look like it will hold up. Pedals- couldnt get me feet out of them and wrecked a few times. Put some ritcheys on. All minor things.
Bottom Line:
Cant beat it for the price. If you are going to go spend $600 on a bike, save some bucks and get this. You'll end up upgrading a cheaper bike, spend more than this DB costs and have a weaker bike.
If you eat 6 times a day, get 30 grams of protein each meal and a starch the size of your fist, drink plenty of water, lift weights, do cardio 3x per week and ride this bike, you will be totally unstoppable.
Similar Products Used: Have a Specialized stump jumper which I love.
Bike Setup: stock except for the pedals. will get new bars also and tires
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Submitted by
Yosuke Yamamoto
a Weekend Warrior
from Corvallis, OR
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2001
Strengths: The bike has a very strong (but heavy) frame, along with very nice components for the price I paid. A light wheelset along with solid shimano components round out a "smart" speced bike.
Weaknesses: Lots of creaking noise, but I guess that's to be expected of FS bikes? This is my first full suspension. I moved the rear suspension to 6" of travel, so in the process got rid of the Mars fork and put some Z3 air forks on their to give me 4" up front. It feels like a pretty good match, although the bike is now very heavy. The bike was heavy to begin with (27.5lbs I believe). I also didn't like the flat bars, I put some risers on their. The tires also were not very grippy, so I went with FireXC pro's. For the strength and weight of the frame, I think it was a stretch for diamondback to market this as a XC bike. It's more of a mix of XC/Freeride bike, and it works for that. Just remember it's heavy though. Also I was skeptic about the "thermoplastic" pedals...so I got rid of them for $55.
Bottom Line:
This is a very fun trail bike. It's so comfortable that it's well suited for extended hour rides. It's not light, but light enough to be ridden with enough speed up the hills, and the travel helps in bombing down the hills. The component spec is very excellent and if you can find a deal on one still, jump on it. A bike that originally had a MSRP of $1750 can be had for less than $1000 now, and that in my mind is a great deal.
Similar Products Used: Other mt bikes I've owned: Trek 8700, Trek 830, Diamondback outlook. First full suspension bike.
Bike Setup: DBR XR4 frame, stock everything except for: Z3 flylight air ('00), Shimano PD535 pedals (4 to 5 years old, i love 'em), Koski riser bar, Panaracer fire XC Pro 2.1.
Strengths: very good component mix good fork decent color
Weaknesses: heavy bike pedals paint job chips tires could be better saddle does not fit well for me
Bottom Line:
best bang for the buck bike. imagine having a manitou mars fork with mavic xrides and XT /LX components for the price.
the bike is heavy but it does not seem so when riding.im just a weekend warrior and not much into racing anyways so this bike suits me just fine.If im thinking of upgrading later if i like to do racing, ill get a chameleon frame and put the DBR components on it.
if you are racing ,other bikes will be better but if you are just fond of riding and would like a bike that rides good , will last and is upgradable , get this bike.
