Submitted by
Boyan Shahov - Pupinator
a Downhiller
from Sofia, Bulgaria Date Reviewed: December 16, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Vitosha Mountain and Sopot DH park
Duration Product Used:
2 Years
Price Paid:
$570.00
Purchased At:
2006
Strengths:
Low price, Light weight, Manoeuvrable, Large travel, Short Weehl base, Good looking
Weaknesses:
Light weight - More thin and fragile aluminum, High BB, Short Handle bar to seddle distance (only for tall riders, for me is advantage)
Similar Products Used:
Dragomir Diesel
Bike Setup:
Fork: Marzocchi Shiver DC 2004, BB and Crancks: Race Face Diabolus, RD: Shimano XT 2007, Wheels: Sun MAG 30.
Bottom Line:
I am riding this frame for over two years now and have no problems with it. Mine is actually one of the first frames that was delivered and manufactured by the Dragomir company. I cannot hide that it has some drawbacks like high BB and fragile frame (mainly due to the light weight of the frame - 3 600g). However I have never had any problems with the structural integrity of the frame. According to the latest reports from friends who have the later versions of this frame the problems mentioned above seems to be solved. At this point the BB is lower with over 20 mm than the first manufactured (like mine).
I would like to point out that some of the best riders in Bulgaria, including the national champion, are riding Dragomir Factory DH bike. Actually more than 3 years those frames are rode in official competitions and races. Due to this fact some of the frames might be broken. However this does not change the facts mentioned above.
As a conclusion please note that this is not an expensive frame and I think that a quality received with frames for 2000 or 3000 $ cannot be expected with this product. But it is a fair deal for someone who wants to buy a non-expensive frame with good qualities and light weight.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Hater
a Weekend Warrior
from Sofia, Bulgaria Date Reviewed: December 2, 2008
Duration Product Used:
Tested or demo'ed only
Strengths:
Humm.. the frame is light, and cheap.
Weaknesses:
The frame's geo, suspension isn't aligned properly (pivots are not coaxial)
Similar Products Used:
None that bad.
Bike Setup:
Marzocchi suspension, with Shimano Saint groupo etc.
Bottom Line:
I'm going to start with an interesting fact. The Drag(omir) brand is owned by the official dealer of Marzocchi for Bulgaria, and the dealer does not cover warenty on rear shocks used with this frame.
A few years back i've had the chance to check the first batch of those frames when they arrived (it's made in China and assembled in Bulgaria). 13 out of the 15 frames that came had bad alignment on the suspension pivots. Without the shock the frame would move 9 inches up, and ~1 inch to the left. The geo on those was pretty "fun" too, it had 16" / 405mm BB Height with a 570mm A2C fork and a 62* Head Angle. The cockpit is pretty small too. The suspension is a "Horst link" or something like the, a Virtual pivot design, but if you check it you can find out the virtual pivot (CC) moves about 2mm (i could move to the left too ;) ).
So the first batch was tested for a while, and than produced... without changing nothing, and the test frames did have a few some new air intake after the tests. One of them adopted a "freedrive" design when the CnC'd element with the BB and Main pivot got detached from the down tube.
Never the less there was a new batch. The new frames have a more reasonable BB Height ( 15" / 380mm ) and a smaller shock plate, for a bit lower leverage (but that did not have any effect). I don't know what condition those came in, but a friend, who works in a bike shop stated, 2 out of 6 rear shocks he repaired ware with heavy damage from those frames, and one frame had a 5mm offset between the shock's fixed and moving pivots. As far as i know those are a tad stronger, but still if you hit your fork's bumper to the frame hard enough it'll put a dent in the top tube.
so... Who should buy it? - I'm not sure i hate someone so much, to recomend this frame to him.
It is half the price of any of the good ones but... that's up to you, and how much you value your health.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
What's New
»
BEST OF MTBR - Check out the highest rated bikes, parts, & gear!
»
LED BIKE LIGHT SHOOTOUT 3 - We test all the newest products and latest light and battery technology in this comprehensive guide»
$
Overall Rating:
Overall Rating:
