Strengths: Great stock components the frame is super strong. The rear suspension on mine (RockShox Deluxe) is amazing! I got a killer deal on it.
Weaknesses: In my opinion the frame is a little unattractive, but the riding is great! I would also say that the handle grips, and bars are a little bit awkward for me, it just doesn't seem like everything is in the right place. Who knows maybe I just need to adjust some things.
Bottom Line:
Great bike if you're looking to buy it's a great purchase
Submitted by
RJM
a Weekend Warrior
from Lake Charles
Date Reviewed: May 21, 2009
Strengths: Plush travel, strong frame.
Weaknesses: Terrible Narrow rims given 2.4 tires with it. Quality of rims bad (WTB) on my 2001 XTS 3
Bottom Line:
Great bang for buck. Plush travel, wish I had stronger springs (sag would probably be little less and closer to optimal) on fork and rear as I weigh 210, but I don't huck but do ride hard, so this has been a fantastic trail bike. I'd buy high end Diamondback again, for sure.....they get nicer and nicer every year (of course the are closing the gap price wise with the boutique brands....)
Similar Products Used: Specaillized big hit 2, jamis diablo, demo 9
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Submitted by
Kyle Grawehr
a Downhiller
from Denville, NJ, USA
Date Reviewed: February 26, 2007
Strengths: sturdy frame, good suspension, very quick, brake system is great
Weaknesses: rear derialler broke twice(within the same week) rear wheel jumps around when going over quick bumps and the fork clicks when climbing. but other than that its great
Submitted by
Doug Espinosa
a Downhiller
from Camas,WA
Date Reviewed: January 19, 2007
Strengths: The bike has a very Beefey frame. the suspension it great it can take over 5 feet to flat without bottoming out.thats all i have done so far. i have only had it for about 2 weeks. rear shock has nice adjustments. great crancks and handle bars. Very nice brakes. tires and wheelset has very good traction and has great traction.
Weaknesses: no chain tensioner=floppy chain. the seatpost is to high, but that is an easy adjustment. loose grips. but that is probally my fault
Bottom Line:
this is a sick bike for tyhe money. it only cost me 1 grand. can take the big hits. easy to pedal. Plush suspension. it is also not to heavy. and if people give you crap about buying it from gi joes or that its a diamondback tell them to go be a fred. GO BUY IT IS A VERY AWESOME BIKE.!!! STRAIGHT UP
Similar Products Used: 2006 kona stinky 2006 specialized big hit fsr
Bike Setup: STOCK!!!
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Submitted by
andy myers
a Weekend Warrior
from spokane
Date Reviewed: September 11, 2006
Strengths: strong frame, point and shoot and let the suspension do the rest
Weaknesses: none
Bottom Line:
bad ass bike cant beat it for the price. suspension kicks ass. rides like a dream. if you want excellent quality for a good price this is your bike. reccomend for all who want step up thier game and ride like a champ.
Similar Products Used: cannondale lefty specialized demo pro
Bike Setup: all stock so far
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Submitted by
chris james
a Downhiller
from spokane wa
Date Reviewed: February 7, 2006
Strengths: great value, good stock brakes
Weaknesses: fork sucks for drops bigger than about 5 feet, seat is too high for real freeriding, stupid adapters for 10mm frame dropouts makes the back wheel move aound
Bottom Line:
its a good starter freeride bike, but once you start to do some jumping and drops you realize the suspension equiped is limited and you will bottom out routinely. Too heavy for a real trail bike. This frame is pretty badass but with a better fork and chainguid this bike would be pretty rad
Bike Setup: switched to single ring with bashguard and chain guide (a must), ride with seat post cut short as possible, 8" rotor on back,
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Submitted by
kel patrick
a Downhiller
from noosaville qld australia
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2005
Strengths: This bike is a weapon just point shoot and hold on. my bike is the 2005 model the standard of gear is a fair bit better than previous models ie shocks f + b wave roters single track rims and the frame is a bit more chunkey cant beat this bike for the money @ $1750 aus just buy one u wont be dissapointed
Weaknesses: apart from the $hit my mates gave me for riding a diamond back til i smoked them ,I had a little trouble with the rear derailer due to bushes in the rear linkage having worn out,my fault for not noticeng sooner, but apart from that not a thing
Similar Products Used: diamond back bsx pro norco sasquach giant big hit spec haro x2
Bike Setup: stock apart from front dh chain ring and chain guide
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Submitted by
BikeCzar
a Downhiller
from Woodstock, VA
Date Reviewed: July 13, 2005
Strengths: Frame is burly but not too heavy, nice and long for the craziness, pretty decent fork and shocks, adjustable shackle, good components for the most part.
Weaknesses: LX drivetrain, no bash guard or tensioner (you will throw the chain in the rough stuff), seat post height is a compromise, I leave mine to XC levels for the most part, may get a second post/seat combo for pure DH.
Bottom Line:
Mine was an '03 leftover, so I get it on the cheap ($995US) and I don't regret it at all. This is a great FR bike for someone that also goes up hills, I didn't like the triple chainring up front, but I'm actually warming up to it now. It climbs great if you stay in the saddle, and sprints aren't too bad with the bob, but it ain't an XC bike for sure. Don't buy it to race, buy it to ride.
Submitted by
Battle Cruiser
a Racer
from Austin, TX, USA
Date Reviewed: March 1, 2005
Strengths: Long frame length fits me well. I like the Marzocchi fork. The fork is air adjustable (schrader valves) and easily tuned to your weight and riding style. Overall it feels strong and stiff. Hayes hydralic disks are great. I like the shift levers.
Weaknesses: The frame design places the seat too high for free riding. I cut the the seat post short and dropped the seat down to the clamp and the seat is still 4-6" too high. The wheel set is crap, low quality hubs don't fit the dropouts and the rims are too skinny. The two inside chainrings are too small to be useful - single ring and bash guard would be a better choice.
Bottom Line:
Mine is a large frame (I'm 6'3", 240lbs). Overall sharp looking bike, excellent fork, exellent disk brakes, lame rear shock (one of the air models would have been better). The rear shock is adjustable from too much dampening to way too much dampening. The shift levers feel good but the derailer needs stronger springs and even a little dirt screws up the shifting. Bumps or washboard will easily throw off the chain.
I have an agressive riding style and rarely ever sit down. Ths seat on this bike is too high and is always in my way. The bike can handle jumps and 4' drops but the seat thing is really distracting. The wheelset is a big disapointment. The axles are 9mm which move around and chew up the 10mm dropouts. You can't get the QR skewer tight enough to prevent the movement. I'm not a big fan of QR hardware, bolt-on axles would be a much better choice for this type of bike. I would have prefered sealed cartridge bearings instead of the cheap cup-and-cone style. And I hate skinny rims!!
For the price it is a good value but needs some work.
Submitted by
fatcat
a Weekend Warrior
from los angeles, california USA
Date Reviewed: July 11, 2004
Strengths: rolls over mostly anything on the trail, can be ridden uphill for a 40lb bike, lots of travel for cheap, the dual crown Marzocchi 155 mm air fork is plush
Weaknesses: the Marzocchi fork makes clicking annoying noises while climbing, its a interrupted seat tube frame.
Bottom Line:
pedals uphill better than my Bullit used to (perhaps the Pro Pedal Fox?)--its a real cheap way to go big--6.5" rear travel and 6" up front, costs just as much as a 2004 Stinky but gives you a bit more better parts and 1/2" more rear suspension.
I believe its a pound or two lighter than a Stinky as well. Trade in or resale will suck though. Its like buying a Saturn vs a Honda Accord--both are great cars mechanically but the trade in on the Honda will be better. I rate this as one of the best big hit bikes on the market. Check out the specs and try one out or ordre one if your dealer doesnt have on in stock--its well worth it.
Similar Products Used: 04 Kona Stinky, 02 Santa Cruz Bullit
Bike Setup: took off big chain ring and put a Hussefelt bash ring on it and put short bar ends on it (looks retarded but when climbing I reach for them) changed wheels to wider Sun Rhyno Lite Disks, cut an inch off each end of the stupidly long Hussefelt handlebar (the new nice 31.8 ones)
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Submitted by
ernie
a
from la crescenta, california
Date Reviewed: June 18, 2004
Strengths: easy to pedal uphill for a bike that's almost 40 lbs, the Marzocchi dual crown air is light and has 6" of travel, and this bike goes over good sized rocks with no problem. The Fox Vanilla R Pro Pedal seems to be doing its job as there is little rear bob.
Weaknesses: Who decided to put a big chain ring on this thing?
Bottom Line:
Its a great value with Hayes brakes, 6" DropOff Air, Truvativ Hussefelt junk and the Pro Pedal rear shock.
I was going to buy another (I sold my old one) Santa Cruz Bullit but with a few hundred extra, I bought a whole bike instead of just a frame. Good thing I went cheap.
Many others have posted about the pedaling for such a heavy bike and they are correct--it pedals uphill. In fact, I went up a pretty steep fireroad today with it. I also went on a little rocky singletrack and was smooth sailing. I did get cocky and it bronco'd me off while going too fast down a sandy singletrack.
I recommend this bike for both novice and experienced riders, since you get a little of both worlds---good solid parts and frame with a nice pricetag. The only thing that sucks are the LX parts, but on a bike like this, you'll end up snapping the rear deraileur off and breaking the shifters within a year anyway.
Last year's parts on this frame were wimpy so I guess the company decided to really upgrade a few parts and with the exception of the shifters, its good stuff all around. Last year's Psylo compared to this Marzocchi is a joke.
