Its an excellent bike for long excursions and for rough terrain. Not the best bike to race. Very plush and excellent lateral stiffness, strong maintenance-free concenctric pivot, cool looking with excellent cable routes. It is less efficient than the santa cruz SL... but it's definetilly more plush, and there is no pedal feed-back. You can get it now (frame)for $399 on Jensonusa.com Make your choice.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
gaupo cortez
a Racer
from laguna beach, ca Date Reviewed: August 30, 1999
Favorite Trail:
San Juan
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Strengths:
smooth ride, pedals well on flat ground and is nimble in on single track.
Weaknesses:
In decreasing radius turns the carbon frame @ the BB/swingarm tends to wind up and store energy which then recoils and makes the bike want to stand up or high side For being carbon the bike is a little heavy. Climbing anthing steep was a problem as the FOX float air shock installed is too soft at factory recommended preassures. Due to the concentric pivot point the swing arm wants to pull up towards the seat tube with every peddle stroke. The temporary fix was to over inflate the FOX shock so the rear end was semi locked out which makes the bike handle terrible every where else. A coil shock may work better. shock set up was difficult as the shock is housed inside the frame.
The concentric pivot lends itself better to a DH application. But as a DH rig the Diablo's suspension is too short and the carbon fibers springy charicteristics make it unstable in high G turns and speed. As a X-country bike it is good in moderate terrain as long as there are no steep hills or G out climbs. As an all around play bike it's weight to material to cost ratio is out of wack with other choices in the market like the Specialized M1 series. This bike may have been a good idea 5 years ago but the market moved on, sorry.
Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Bruce Doherty
a Cross-Country Rider
from Cape May Court House, NJ Date Reviewed: April 27, 1999
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Strengths:
Nicely finished product with a strong feel. Easy to set up for varing terrain. Great climber...
Weaknesses:
Stock set upanticipates that the Diablo will be used for more downhill than x-country....not really a weakness...
Similar Products Used:
Specialzed FSR, Jamis Dakar , and Jamis Dakar Pro
Bike Setup:
Stock, other than a new stem to correct my riding position.
Bottom Line:
Without predjudice...might be in the top ten bicycles that I have owned in my cycling lifetime...I'm 52 and a bicycle store owner.
Overall Rating:
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