Strengths: Weight, low bob considering no lock-out, quick steering geometry, SID rear works great, rear travel adjustable from 3.5"-4.5", obnoxious yellow color.
Weaknesses: Getting old and harder to find replacement parts for. No pro-pedal.
Bottom Line:
Have not had one complaint with this bike, and have about 500 dirt miles on it this year, and I am kinda hard on things. I have replaced a few general maintenance parts, but the frame has been bulletproof!
Submitted by
Rich
a Weekend Warrior
from San Diego, CA
Date Reviewed: June 7, 2001
Strengths: Super ride with excellent components. No other bike came close to level of components (except tires and pedals)and price. Great color combo too!
Weaknesses: A bit on the heavy side. Tires, handlebar and pedals needed to be changed. Went with slightly raised bar, red stripe knoby Panaracers and M-858 pedals - much improved overall ride & performance
Bottom Line:
Definitely a good all around performer - a bit heavier than others, but makes up with excellent handling and climbing. Rear suspension works extremely well: simnple and reliable.
Favorite Trail: Porcupine Rim, Moab UT. Bennie Creek, Payson UT
Duration Product Used: Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$975.00
Purchased At: private owner
Similar Products Used: Gary Fisher Joshua XO Specialized GT I Drive Proflex
Bike Setup: Judy SL, SID rear, All XT
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Submitted by
Ralph Page
a Cross Country Rider
from CA
Date Reviewed: December 21, 2000
Strengths: The Rock Shock Sid Rocks! Their is no comparison to any other shocks that I have tried. The components are Shimano that work very well. I am very plaesed with the brakes. The wheels seem to ride very well. The seat is very comfortable.
Weaknesses: The tires are my major complaint. They do really nice on the road, but for the mountain, they don't do good at all. I am not impressed with the WTB pedals. It could be that they need an adiustment, but how they are now, I don't like them.
Bottom Line:
This is the best bike I have ever riden on. I am so plesased with it. If you love to Mountain Bike, I can;t convince you enough to buy this bike. The frame is awesome, very strong, the yellow and red frame will capture your eye. The suspension it the greatest for any style riding. I you like to road ride, put some slicks on this and you are ready to go. This bike ROCKS!
Similar Products Used: Specialized M-4, Cannondale Super-V.
Bike Setup: Amazing! I am very pleased, except that you need to get bar ends.
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Submitted by
Matt Kipper
a Cross Country Rider
from Carlsbad,CA, USA
Date Reviewed: October 31, 2000
Strengths: Both SIDS rock!! componets climbs like a dream!! adjustable travel wheel set brakes weight is allright
Weaknesses: had no troubles after 3 weeks!! takes to set up suspension but thats ok
Bottom Line:
Heard tires are bad, tried em a couple times and not so bad. think you dont slip and unless you dont know to ride in it. going over rocks is fine. climbs great and fast on road. had no troubles with tires or bike. love the brakes. if you a xc or minor freerider and a climber check out this bike!!!
Similar Products Used: Diamondback XR4 Stumpjumper comp GT XCR...
Bike Setup: stock so far.
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Submitted by
Curt
a Cross Country Rider
from Weatherford, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: September 5, 2000
Strengths: Back in the day (think BMX), Diamondback kicked ---! Good to see they still are! Solid frame & pivots trouble free... keeps up with S-works, Jekkyl, Joshua.... Overall, stock parts leave little need or desire for upgrades. Solid parts will last for quite some time... long enough to save cash to go all out. I didn't trust the WTB pedals on first inspection, but after six months of riding them, they have held up 5 months& 3weeks beyond any expectations I had for them. Their perfomance (once dialed in) is beyond the Shimano SPDs I used before these....
Weaknesses: NEEDS KNOBBIES!!! Cane Creeks not as stiff as some wheels. Wish rear had on-the-fly lock-out. You can lock the SID rear, but only by adding air to the neg. spring.
Bottom Line:
This bike does everything well. Can't be beat in this price range. The beauty of this bike is that if your riding style changes, she'll be with you with minor adjustments to stock set-up. If you have problems with her, either your mechanic needs help, or the problem is a loose nut behind the bars. If you're gonna race this bike, figure a way to lighten it up a bit. If you want a do-it-all bike that can rock 'n roll, buy this bike, give it some real knobbies & you're set!
Favorite Trail: Cleburne State Park or Dinosaur Valley
Duration Product Used: 6 months
Purchased At: The Bike Rack in Granbury, TX
Similar Products Used: M-4, Jekkyl, Joshua, 4-banger, Rocket88
Bike Setup: Stock, except for knobby tires & bar-ends.
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Submitted by
Ms. Mindy
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, Az. USA
Date Reviewed: August 4, 2000
Strengths: For the price I got it at 1,400 it's a great bike, nice components etc........handles great and is light enough (small 26lbs even) to go anywhere, there are lots of bikes that weigh less, but not for this price.
Weaknesses: Paint is lousy diamondback claims the frames are coated not painted. Take note on the rear shock negative air filler hitting the frame if you just happen to use all the travel. this is a lousy design flaw, I scale in at 130 lbs. and If the shock isnt set right the negative air filler cap will hit the frame on a big hit. My hubby filed a tiny tiny rounded groove in the frame for clearance and then touched up the paint. Stock tires what can I say there a joke.. and last take note on the cane creek wheels, there good but they have play in the hubs, they dont seem to be the same quality as they used to be! cane creek stock on a bike? can you say mass production low quality? Do yourself a favor check the wheels for side to side bearing play and then have them adjusted they might last longer.
Bottom Line:
For 1,400 dollars it was a steal, but considering the flaws I don't think it's worth a whole lot more then that. If your a potential buyer look out for the above things I've mentioned--shock clearance etc....... but don't write this baby totally off because once shes set up, she flys very nicely.......
Similar Products Used: proflex 756 elastomer sponge special.
Bike Setup: stock except for the following: easton monkey lite bars and IRC mythos CC kevlar beads, cane creek headset.......
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Submitted by
Robert Greene
a Weekend Warrior
from San Anselmo, Ca USA
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2000
Strengths: After testing a number of bikes in this price range, I chose the XR8. Simply because it was the most complete package I could find in a FS XC bike at this price.
The suspension combination is perfect, balancing nicely between plushness for comfort and stiffness for attack. I am 185lbs and after playing with the rear shock pressures I settled on the main chamber at my weight plus 10psi and 100psi in the negative. I was riding at 50psi negative as recommended in a magazine for the SID shock(not for this bike though) but I found that too hard. I am aggressive both uphill and downhill and found the 100psi in the negative the best combination for soaking up the bumps downhill and keeping bobbing to a minimum. If the ride is mostly hard climbing then I put 50psi in the negative.
The XT/XTR drivetrain works very well, no slipped changes and feels smooth.
Good combination of quality and light components.
Some bikes may have better components but that shouldn't deter potential XR8 owners as the bike is equipped with products at XT level or above.
The ride and handling are what it's all about and the XR8 rides beautifully, allows me to ride with aggression and confidence and I always feel in control.
Weaknesses: The tires just had to go. If you hunt around you can get a full knobblie set for the same weight if not lighter than the Racing WTB's 520g. At 26.5lbs you could argue that the bike is a little heavy but like I said I tried a lot of bikes (up hill especially)and the smoothness of the XR8 appeard to counter the small weight problem.
Bottom Line:
I am sooooooo pleased with this bike. A lot if not all FS XC in this price range are very close to each other but this bike rides, climbs and descends the most competently of all the ones I tried and that is all that matters in this price range because all your components are solid if not necessarily the lightest available. If I had to be anyway picky it would be about the weight. Like I said I didn't feel it affected the ride. However, if this bike lost 1.0 to 1.5lbs it would be totally awesome, but where from? The most weight could be saved with a lighter set of wheels and/or cranks. Then you are talking a great deal of expense. Buy a light set of knobblies, light tubes,(reducing the amount of rolling mass because that's always a good idea)and let rip. This bike is worth every penny and will still look good in years to come.
Similar Products Used: A lot, but these are the ones I would compare the XR8 against. Specialized FSR Stumpjumper XC Comp (excellent alternative)The XR8 is a neater descender though. Sugar 2 (Good bike if you are happy with a slightly harsher ride). Giant XTC NRS (the weight was more apparent but great value for money). Schwinn Rocket Stage 1, similar in ride to the Sugar but a bit pricey amongst this competition.
Bike Setup: As standard but with VelociRaptor tires. I could have and maybe should have picked tires equal in weight to the originals but I didn't realize until after. However the rear has tremendous grip and the front glides, grips and turns very well.
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Submitted by
scott zordan
a Cross Country Rider
from Alta, Utah. USA
Bike Setup: a little different than stock: I use a Marzocchi Z2 atom, 1.5" riser bars, and Mavic 517's with "real" knobbies, and a race face shorty stem.
Strengths: Good componentry Bright Yellow paint job
Weaknesses: A bit heavy Scary semi-slick tires
Bottom Line:
First and foremost, those tires have gotta go! The Velociraptor Lasers are just plain scary on the descents. Other than that, it's capable going up and a lot of fun to get back down. I was somewhat disappointed in the weight, but I still manage to race the thing. Overall, it's a fun trail bike, and you gotta love the color scheme. It also works as a great post-race excuse: "I would have beat 'em if I was on a hardtail", but one gets tired of making excuses. If you're looking for a race-dedicated bike, you should probably look elsewhere.
Bike Setup: Large frame Stock set-up with bar-ends added
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Submitted by
Dale Christensen
a Cross Country Rider
from Springville, UT, USA
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2000
Strengths: Nice components, nice colors, good price ($1999)for what you get.
Weaknesses: I would have liked to have a rear suspension shock lock-out to use on flat smooth rides, but the SID air shock is very nice and bobbing is pretty minimal as long as you do not stand and crank.
Bottom Line:
I love it! This is my first really nice mountain bike, and I love dual suspension! I am still a beginner to intermediate rider and I ride a lot of rough terrain in the Utah mountains. The ride is smooth and gives so much control. The shocks are easily adjustable for the kind of riding you do. My wife got the XR-4 and, other than a few component changes, it is the same bike and rides just as well but was $400 less. The XR-4 would probably be the best bang for the buck among the XR- series. Her bike was about 1 lb. heavier and uses LX cranks/shifters, but XT rear components. Hers also comes with the Manitou Mars Fork whereas the XR-8 has the RS SID SL fork. Both bikes cause heads to turn wherever we ride because they look so cool!
Similar Products Used: This is my first real mountain bike. I have tried the Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Pro and feel the ride of both is comparable.
Bike Setup: Standard specs--excellent components. Bike weighed about 25.9 lbs (medium frame) out of the box.
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Submitted by
Aaron
a Weekend Warrior
from Wrangell Alaska USA
Date Reviewed: May 20, 2000
Strengths: All
Weaknesses: None
Bottom Line:
This bike rules it climbs like a hard tail and desends like a free ride bike. It is a light weight full suspension X country bike. The bottem line is that this bike is sweet.
Submitted by
Steve
a Cross Country Rider
from Hailey, ID USA
Date Reviewed: April 25, 2000
Strengths: Fit, great component mix, reasonable weight, price
Weaknesses: tires - semi-slicks (but easy to change!)
Bottom Line:
So far a very comfortable and fast cross country trail bike. Great climber, great descender. Suspension bobs a bit when you push hard but I'm still fine tuning the setup. I'm 5'9" with a 30" inseam, medium frame fits perfectly. Might be a bit heavy if you're a serious racer type but if you're a hard core trail rider, you can't beat this bike.
