Submitted by
Will
a Cross Country Rider
from Hinsdale
Date Reviewed: August 9, 2007
Strengths: Decent value for the price. Not a bad beginner full suspension.
Weaknesses: I've had mine for two seasons now and three days ago while riding some local trails the lower swing arm snapped. I had been treating it as more of an All Mountain bike than strictly cross country but I still think the frame shouldn't break. The rear shock is stock and useless.
Bottom Line:
If all you can afford is a biker under $700, it'll do. But I wish I had just saved my money and gone with a better bike.
Similar Products Used: Walmart Special and 90's rigid Schwinn rock hopper (whose frame is still intact)
Bike Setup: Tore off Deore and put on SRAM X7 rear derailuer and X9 gripshifters.
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Submitted by
Adam
a Weekend Warrior
from aurora co us
Date Reviewed: February 24, 2007
Strengths: frame, rims, durability
Weaknesses: Weight, suspension,
Bottom Line:
I am dissapointed by this bike, the frame seems indestructable causing a much higher weight. The rear shock is really just a spring, and the suspension has a lot of side to side play. The front is real but not a high quality shock. Their are some decent components on this bike, the rims are durable the brakes are good but not much better than v brakes so dont be sold on that as I was. This bike gets buyers because of name brand components, the components themselves are low end. I wish I would have spent more around $1200 for a better quality bike overall. Buy this used if You only have $400. If You want a better overall bike expect to pay close to a thousand for a hardtail and $1200+ for a full suspension.
Similar Products Used: much cheaper full suspension bikes
Bike Setup: All stock
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Submitted by
mike
a Weekend Warrior
from greensboro nc usa
Date Reviewed: October 3, 2006
Strengths: hayes disc brakes, shimano deore drivetrain with rapid shifters, alex rim are tough and stay true, manitou splice 130 mm,fork, black is awesome color. great frame design easy to upgrade. good climber and floats over roots, logs, and travels thru mud with ease
Weaknesses: spinner sus air shock which cannot be rebuilt no lock out on fork some pinch flats broken chain
Bottom Line:
2005 xsl comp wanted a full suspension. i did my reaseach and discover that the frame design is based on the specialized fsr 4.5 -5 in travel. i also found that there are plenty of good deals on ebay then i had a LBS put mine together,highly recomemded. in short, a go anywhere 2 to 3 hour trail ride reliable bike which is way better than my harttail. i replaced the rear shock and now have very little petal bob and bike is amazing and at the price i paid an amazing deal compared to other brands. the bike is great off trail bike but not a freeride or downhill or race bike. however it is lots and lots of fun. recommended for weekend warriors looking for full suspension and nice components
Similar Products Used: stock k2 hardtail still have and is very good bike
Bike Setup: stock with new rear shock
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Submitted by
Jonathan
a Weekend Warrior
from Norfolk, Va
Date Reviewed: June 26, 2006
Strengths: Good bang for your buck. I can't complain about the price for which I paid for it, especially with all the components. I wanted to get a full suspension bike but not have to spend over $1000. Front shocks work great and I enjoy the 130mm travel. Handles great and soaks up the bumps well.
Weaknesses: Well I had only had the bike for about two months and less than 4 rides when the Spinner rear air shock would not hold air for over 10 mins. So tried to get it replaced under warranty. To find out the warranty is void if you buy the bike off the internet or from a non-authorized dealer. Both of which I did. So thought I was screwed. Called/E-mailed Spinner multiple times got no where. So went out and bought a Fox Ava shock. Which of course works great. As of now Spinner said they will send me a new shock but they are currently out of my size. I will not hold my breath. The Shimano Deore derailers are okay but I am always adjusting them. The Manitou Splice Comp has no adjustment features although if you buy it aftermark then it comes with the ability to make adjustments Little on the heavy side
Bottom Line:
If you want to a FS w/out spending a ton of money then this is the bike for you. Frame is decent and you can upgrade as you see fit. Would from the start get rid of the rear shcok, it's okay but will Fox Shocks are so much better. Still enjoying the ride and plan on riding this one for awhile.
Bike Setup: Pretty much stock except for New Fox Ava rear air shock s/lock out which works great. I enjoy the lockout feature especially on the long up hills.
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Submitted by
matthew
a Weekend Warrior
from Poplar Branch, NC. USA
Date Reviewed: March 16, 2006
Strengths: will go over anything in it way and soaks up the bumps. Rear air shock is what finally sold me
Weaknesses: Diamondback lists this bike as haveing a deore front deralluir for the 05 but comes with the even cheeper alivio and has a really hard seat. Other than that its not bad
Bottom Line:
This bike is the best I have ever owned and being all black its a looker too. Once u put some upgrades on it it goes for a good bike to a great one. This bike has been handling 5 and 6 foot drops from the day I owned it and still has NO problems. What more can you ask for?
Submitted by
Seth Diehl
a Weekend Warrior
from Glendale, AZ, USA
Date Reviewed: February 20, 2005
Strengths: Bike handles great and looks cool. Bike can take a beating, I crashed at 30 mph once, and did way more damage to myself than the bike, the bike had one scuff on the grip! Solid factory drivetrain. Factory tires are pretty good and sound cool when accelerating. The price! Got mine for $500 as a last year model since the 2005's just came out. Regular price for this bike is about $800.00. And with about $1,000.00 extra in upgrades this bike is the shiznit.
Weaknesses: Factory crank is sound but the bottom of the line Truvativ. Front fork is a POS (I have a Manitou Skareb Super on its way to me in a few days). Bike is a little on the heavy side at 33 lbs when we weighed it at the store. I hope to get mine down to 28 lbs with upgrades. Factory seat sucks, but then again that is every bike for you. Alivio is a cheap front der, ditch that too.
Bottom Line:
Great bike for the price. I chose the cheaper of the XSL line so I could upgrade it how I wanted. The XSL Elite has decent components but it sells for 1,600 to 1,800. For that price I would rather upgrade the cheaper model with even nicer parts. This bike handles great and the factory drivetrain is solid, I am just one of those people who likes to get even nicer stuff. The factory Deore setup did great on its own. The dark gun metal gray color of the bike looks good too. The pictures make it look like it is bright silver, but it is not. The bike climbs well even though it is a little heavy. I opted for more sticky tires so I could climb really steep mountains. The bike has held up well so far and I am having a blast modifying it as I go. I have always loved Diamondbacks, even though a lot of people do not buy them. This one I recommend, just go out and buy a sweet fork afterwords to fully enjoy it! I recommend this bike for people who love to offroad and climb mountains. If you are into downhilling, then I would not feel confident on this bike. Some easy to moderate downhill would be ok, and the bike feels good at speed downhill on roads, but not on rocks or rough terrain. But for climbing steep mountains with lots of crap in your way, I love it. 5 flamin turds all the way.
Similar Products Used: Just store bought crap like Huffy that is dirt cheap and not worth upgrading.
Bike Setup: SRAM X.0 rear der, X.9 trigger shifters (2005) models, Shimano XT front der, XT cogset, Maxxis High Roller 2.35 Super Tacky tires, and soon to upgrade front fork and crankset!
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Submitted by
Walter Hart
a Downhiller
from Victorville,California,USA
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2004
Strengths: light, strong, quality components,disk brakes, good wheels.
Weaknesses: rear shock retaining bolt is wimpy. us a grade 8. the crankset, square taper bottom bracket
Bottom Line:
The best for your buck, i love this bike! It takes all I throw at it! I'm not what you call a gentile rider and this thing just keeps on going. If you like rough fire roads or single track this is the bike for you. It's not much of a downhill bike, stock that is, a longer travel fork and rear shock would do the trick.
Bike Setup: Splined bottom bracket and shimano deore LX Hollowtech crankset and a grade 8 rear shock bolt. I bent the stock one in half.
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Submitted by
Brian Eddy
a Downhiller
from San Mateo, CA
Date Reviewed: April 2, 2004
Strengths: Very Light and strong frame, Adjustable rear shock geometry, comfortablity.
Weaknesses: None!
Bottom Line:
This bike is the bomb and once I get some true perfomance parts on it, it will be ready to tear some stuff up! This is a great high performance bike for any one looking to do some great off roading or single track out of the box.
Similar Products Used: Highly Modified and Customized Royce Union!
Bike Setup: Still stock minus a cut seat post and tightening the rear caliper because I guess Sportmart didn't think it would matter if it was wobbling around and about to fall off the bike.
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Submitted by
Gator Ray
a Weekend Warrior
from Merced, CA
Date Reviewed: March 23, 2004
Strengths: Solid Frame, Burly welds, HD dropouts
Bottom Line:
for the lower price, the bike rides great!!!! my bro has a $1500 specialized and I can't really tell that much of a difference in the rides, especially when hitting some gaps!
