I called Diamondback about the recall and was told that I needed to take my bike back to the dealer and he would give me a refund or credit for the original purchase price. Since I was pretty happy with the X-10 and have had time to shop around for similar bikes I've still not found anything to match the quality to value ratio of the DB line. I told my dealer to order me a Coil SS. He said there was about a $100.00 price difference but that the store owner would probably shave that back a bit and that he would expect DB to cut some slack since they've been jerking me around on this since December. We'll see. I'll post results when this gets resolved.
While I LOVED this bike and would have recomended it to anyone interested in a beginers full suspension I have found out that Diamondback is issueing a volentery recall on it and the x-20, which uses the same frame. The frames are cracking and people have gotten hurt. Diamondback says that you should take your biek back to the distributor where you got it. I have been told (not by Diamondback but by my distributor) that they will prob replace it with the 2003 Coil SS.
Strengths: Bulletproof frame. Surprisingly good rims and brakes. Decent components. Fairly light. Nothing comes close for the money.
Weaknesses: Bottom bracket is way too low. Just pedaling in slight turns or going over small roots will snag pedals. Not enough travel in the rear. Rear shock ain't much. Frame design puts quite a bit of pedaling effort into working rear susp. Tires will bust you up on wet leaves.
Bottom Line:
I've put over 250 miles on this bike in just under 3 months. Over 200 on hilly, twisty, rooty singletrack around where I live. The thing is durable. Only minor adjustment of brakes and shifters and nothing has come loose so far. I routinely do 6-8' drops at speed off dirt hills w/no problems. So far no squeaks or rattles. I started riding this summer with a CHEAP full susp alum frame from TAR-GIT. I just knew the front end on that thing would get me killed so I started shopping. After reading poor reviews of suntour forks I was wary of this bike. Plus I didn't particularly like the looks of it. But DB has a good rep and the price was the real driver since I didn't have a lot to spend. I'm about 160 lbs and with the f & r preload torqued the pedals still hit the ground if I'm not paying attention. The traction pins work great with sneakers but tend to grab the ground and can be rough on bare shins. I'm looking into getting a shock 1/2 in. longer eye to eye to get more ground clearance. I'm practically trying to bend a rim so I'll have an excuse to put discs on this bike. No luck so far. I've tried several types of H2O bottles and can't find one that the front tire won't hit when it gets rough. I put it in a ziplock when it gets muddy. You'd be hard pressed to find anything else this good for 400 bucks. I tried.
Bike Setup: Since I have purchased my X-10 I have done the following upgrades: FOX Vanilla Rear, Rock Shox Psylo XC 80mm-125mm Forks, LX Shifters and Levers, XT Rear Cassette (9-speed upgrade), Wellgo Clipless, Cateye Speedometer, Inline barends and plenty of Lizard Skins for protection.
Strengths: KNARLY LOOKS, LIGHTWEIGHT, THE 7005 ALUMINUM ALLOY CONTAINS MAGNESIUM, MANGANESE, ALUMINUM, AND TITANIUM. NICE MIX. SMOOTH RIDE, ACCELERATES GREAT, BRAKES WORK VERY WELL. FRONT FORK WORKS WELL. LOVE THE SHIFTERS.
Weaknesses: NEED A HEAVIER SPRING IN REAR, NEED SCHEMATICS OR INFO ON THE FRONT SHOCK, SO AS TO MAINTAIN OR MODIFY. SLIGHT RATTLING SOUND FROM THE REAR SHOCK. OTHERWISE NO MAJOR WEAKNESSES.
Bottom Line:
I HIGHLY RECCOMEND THIS BIKE TO ANYONE. GREAT FOR THE PRICE AND IS A BLAST TO RIDE, ON THE ROAD OR OFF. LOVE THE GRAPHIX, AND PAINT SCHEME. CUTTING EDGE TECHNOLOGY USE OF THE 7005 ALUMINUM ALLOY. NEED TO IMPROVE THE REAR SHOCK A LITTLE, MIGHT AS WELL SWICH TO A FOX, OR ROX SHOCK. ALTHOUGH THE RST DOES DO THE JOB. THE MORE PUNISHING RIDER, MIGHT NEED A HEAVIER, I AM PROBABLY GOING TO UPGRADE THE REAR SHOCK. ----LOVE MY DIAMOND BACK---
Bike Setup: OTHERWISE STOCK, CATEYE COMPUTER, BAR ENDS, SADDLE BAG, AND GEL-SEAT COVER, AND LIZARD SKINS.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Eric
a Weekend Warrior
from Missouri City, TX USA
Date Reviewed: September 4, 2002
Strengths: Durable and solid, well built, price
Weaknesses: It's a little heavy but not horribly so
Bottom Line:
I seems to be solid and have that sturdy feel to it vs a more 'clanky' sounding bike. I have been pretty rough on it for my newness to the game, I'm about 200lbs so I tightened up the forks almost all the way and it feels pretty good.
In case you missed it in your research, this bike (at least mine) has double-walled rims and presta valves FYI (I had to buy a new air pump to fit the presta valve). I've probably logged about 20-30 miles of single track use and have no complaints as of yet.
I guess the only real down side is that there is no good place for a water bottle other than on the underside of the bottom bar. This is a fact of the frame design though and a common trait of bikes with similar frame types. You CAN put one on there, it's just that is will catch a lot of dirt and dust from the trail. It's not a big thing by any means, you might want to look at one of those backpack water systems if you're concerned though.
If you want to try full suspension but want a brand name bike, this is about as cheap as you can get, and it seems to be built well. For a casual weekend warrior type who wants something a little more interesting to ride, this is a good deal.
Strengths: Light,Can be abused,good traction off road, very fasr,and good looks
Weaknesses: I haven't encountered any weaknesses
Bottom Line:
This bike is great if your going off road, if you want traction it's wonderfull. If you want to race for money this will win you the race with the shocks tightened, and this is a GREAT VALUE FOR 500 U.S. Dollars
Bike Setup: I bought disc brakes, Lightened the frame, and tightened the front shocks.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Josh
a Cross Country Rider
from Harrisburg, PA United States
Date Reviewed: August 8, 2002
Strengths: Great value, comfortable seat, suspension is plush for a stock set up, fork is adjustable, wide tires
Weaknesses: chain rubs front derailur and creates an annoying sound reflectors on the wheels rattle annoyingly when at speed
Bottom Line:
For the money it is a good deal, especially when the retail is $550 and you get it for $400. The ride is great and feels light at the controls. I would recommend this bike to anyone who is looking to change from a hardtail or rigid frame bike. The only thing I would change is the standard equipment tire. The WTB Tyrannos' are not that great for rock crawlin' or heavy off road use.
Similar Products Used: Royce Union full suspension
Bike Setup: Stock (with plans to upgrade of course)
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Brian
a Cross Country Rider
from Scranton, Pa, US
Date Reviewed: August 1, 2002
Strengths: Paid a great price. Awesome looks. Quality front forks and 7005 aluminum. Comes mount-ready for disc brake add ons.
Weaknesses: Center of gravity is off. Climbing hills and braking down hill could be better if this design defect were corrected. Also, overall braking is poor.
Bottom Line:
Great dual suspension bike for the price, but, i would think twice if i were a novice or going all out on rocky terrien, you may end up going over the bars. Though you'll look good doing it!
Bike Setup: Factory setup. Plan to add disc brakes.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Bryan Hollohan
a Cross Country Rider
from Sydney,N.S,Canada
Date Reviewed: July 20, 2002
Strengths: the front frame and the components on it are holding up to the riding.
Weaknesses: the rear swing arm broke twice on me in 3 weeks b/c the bearing in the swing-arm siezed and it broke at the weakest point. Also the rear suspension doesn't have enough travel for the condition of the bike.
Bottom Line:
it's a good bike not to many of them sold and i think they should re-design the rear swingarm and if it holds then it would be a good bike
Similar Products Used: the specialized enduro sport
Bike Setup: i up graded to shimano deore disc brakes and the suntour shock is not bad but its soon another up grade
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
tim
a Weekend Warrior
from wellington newzealand
Date Reviewed: June 27, 2002
Strengths: light, strong, relaible can take a lot of moderate hits
Weaknesses: sun tour shox suck so does high stem rear shock not to hot ether
Bottom Line:
good first full suspension bike especialy when done up a bit frame is bulky but looks better than a lot of other bikes basicaly front and rear suspension need to be changed and discs added once this is done this moddle rocks.
Bike Setup: stock except for 130 mm z1 wedge bomers shorter stem and maxxis mofo front tyer
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
Chris Robb
a Cross Country Rider
from Phoenix, Arizona
Date Reviewed: May 30, 2002
Strengths: Cost or bang for the buck. Targeted for the guy (or girl) who just goes for the trails on the weekends, no real hard thrashing, and weighs about 150 pounds or less.
Weaknesses: Frame on this particular model,(I just got back from the shop getting another on warranty.) Broke for no particular reason? I ride this bike primarily to skool.
Bottom Line:
Good bike for the buck. Compare apples to apples when purchasing. Junk the rear shock in favor of something that matches your riding style and weight. Would'nt want to jump off small buildings with it, but that's not what it's designed for. Next bike soon is a Fisher Sugar or the Specialized Stumpjumper with FOX FORX.
Similar Products Used: Giant Warp. Test rode a new Specialized and a Fisher Sugar
Bike Setup: Mavic rims/Shimano hubs, disk brakes, FOX Vanilla rear shock. Changed tires, tubes. minor changes for comfort other than that (seat, grips, etc.)
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