Same hard-working, overbuilt aluminum chassis as the Diablo 2.0, but decked out with Manitou’s Swinger 4-way coil shock and the Manitou Stance Blunt fork for 175mm of rear travel and 170mm up front. Maxxis 2.7” front and 2.5” rear High Rollers provide total traction, with a bulletproof SRAM X-7 rear derailleur and matching X-7 triggers calling the gear changes, and a TruVativ Hussefelt 36/24 crank for motive power. Big, powerful Hayes HFX-9HD discs with 8” rotors puts you in control on smoking descents.
Submitted by
goncarrasco
a Weekend Warrior
from Norfolk, VA, USA Date Reviewed: October 2, 2009
Favorite Trail:
all of them
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1100.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
All specs are more than decent: HFX9, X-7, Hussefelt, Laserdisc FRs, Higher Roller 2.7/2.5, Power V DH, Swinger X4, 5050X. Not a single weak link.
Reading other comments on this bike, I was a bit anxious to get the bike and see how good the Manitou Stance Blunt 170 fork performed. Yeah, not too many things to set-up in it. But it is solid, with little flex and good travel. I used to ride with a Travis Single 180 and this fork is not too far from the Travis's performance.
Highlight is the frame, for sure. It is fantastic, with incredible welding and very little lateral flex. I was afraid a 15.5 would be too small, but it's good for my 5'7" 160 lbs built, and I'm actually using the telescopic seatpost at the lowest possible position. Nice and tight, yet not too small. 1.5 headcups are great. Perfect angles for freeriding.
Weaknesses:
Cable routing is badly planned. Had to re-think rear cable routing and cable-tie it.
2005 Iron Horse 7point3, 2006 Iron Horse Yakuza Aniki, 2005 KHS Witch Doctor, 2003 DiamondBack X2, 2000 K2 Beast,
Bike Setup:
All stock.
Bottom Line:
Bike's solid good, with only the fork as an apparent weak link. I suggest you guys try it before replacing it for something nicer.
Price is unbeatable at 1100 at JensonUSA. After all, it's a brand new 7" freeride bike for a bit more than a grand.
Now, JensonUSA was supposed to tune the bike before sending it. Chain tensioner wasn't properly setup, front derrailleur wasn't either. I know how to do it right, but some people might not like that.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Tulsa
a Downhiller
from Tulsa, Ok Date Reviewed: September 26, 2009
Great bike, I am very happy with this bike, its not super heavy and can go anywhere, the Geometry is great, I am 6' and ride a 15.5, which in measurements is comparable to other medium bikes, they run big, and this size is perfect for me
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
JamisRider1
a Downhiller
from dee snuts Date Reviewed: October 30, 2008
Favorite Trail:
the ones with the dirt
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1200.00
Purchased At:
jenson usa
Strengths:
looks gnarly, handels pretty good, super plush, pretty easy to pedel, not to heavy, and hits jumps pretty well. tires are sweet. The price is also very good for the bike.
Weaknesses:
their is very little adjustments on the fork, fork blows out real easy(dont bother getting it fixed it will just blow out again, and it still rides fine with the blown out seals.). i snaped the rear shock in two places because the psi was set 10 below my weight. derailer hanger will snap if you ride it hard. DO NOT OVER TIGHTEN LOWER STANTION THRU-AXEL CLAMPS ON FORK, they WILL snap.
Similar Products Used:
diablo 2.0
Bike Setup:
stock exept for x-9 trigger shifters and derailers.
Bottom Line:
If you are an intermediate rider this is a great bike, because their is enough suspention to take the bigger jumps, and it is light enough to whip around and trick. the price is great for the parts and everything else. If you are an expert rider you will thrash the bike. It sucks up rocks and ditches very well, but gets thrashed on the big drops and hard hits.(if you 360 it you will also thrash it =). Get this bike if you are proggressing from begginer to an intermediate rider and go to town on it.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Devin
a Downhiller
from Reno,NV Date Reviewed: August 12, 2008
Favorite Trail:
mountains
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1400.00
Purchased At:
Jenson
Strengths:
Durability, price, rear shock, good components for the $
Weaknesses:
fork is quite basic but will suffice, bb height is low so keep the pedals level through any type of rock garden
Similar Products Used:
probably
Bike Setup:
stock for now except for the Crank Brothers Acid 1 pedals that I alternate with the platforms depending on the ride
Bottom Line:
badass freeride bike for $1400, Jamis has a great warranty on their products so this makes this an awesome toy and a great investment. Two gears in front and the scoping seatpost make it possible to climb when needed. Awesome ride.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
timrippeth
a Downhiller
from Reno, NV, United States Date Reviewed: June 23, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Live Wire, Anything in Downieville, A Line, Crabapple Hits
Solid bike for the price. Upgrade the fork and you will have a strong budget freerider. The BB is a little bit lower than what I am used to, but I will adapt. The hanger broke on my 3rd ride, so that is frustrating
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Wayne Cerv
a Downhiller
from St George UTAH Date Reviewed: May 13, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Dark Hollow/Brianhead UTAH
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$1500.00
Purchased At:
Jenson USA
Strengths:
Most of the components are excellent.
Weaknesses:
Pedals and forks suck.
Similar Products Used:
Blah Blah Blah
Bike Setup:
Stock set up except new Brooklyn Veggie Burger pedals and Marz 888 dual crowns.
Bottom Line:
This bike takes the pain. If you are considering buying one, buy it now from Jenson USA for about $1300. The components alone are worth that price. You can put some really good front suspension on it and still be under 2 grand.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Jake Olsen
a Weekend Warrior
from Temecula, CA Date Reviewed: April 29, 2008
Favorite Trail:
Anything technical with good air time.
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1400.00
Purchased At:
JensonUSA
Strengths:
Burly build, good fit, and this beast inspires more confidence everytime you ride.
Basically stock, except for handlebars, I put on Spank Lounge bars, and XO trigger shifters, ODI Rogue grips, Crank Bros Acid pedals, and soon a Chris King reducer and Marzocchi Super T.
Bottom Line:
The Diablo is an amazing rig for the price. Are there better--sure, but not at such a sweet deal. The Diablos Bottom Bracket IS low, so you have to watch pedal placement in technical areas(if pedaling), and in deep turns, but if you're flying through a rock garden, even the pedals out, lean back and let the Diablo do the rest! And amazingly, despite the bike being 43lbs, it still pedals well and powers up hills like a freak. The size of this bike kicks a$$ too. I am 6'5", 230lbs, and the 19.5" fits me like a glove--even my Large Ellsworth and XL Banshee didnt fit like this. This rig is sweet, all the way around. If you are on the edge, dont think about it, just buy it, you definitely wont regret it!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Robert Davis
a Downhiller
from Titusville N.J. U.S. Date Reviewed: April 8, 2008
Favorite Trail:
All of Diablo freeride park
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1390.00
Purchased At:
Jensonusa.com
Strengths:
Well built frame, its sturdy and handles anything you can throw at it. I'm sure the manitou stance blunt works fine, I switched it out with a marzocchi super T and a 1.5 in reducer cup which is sick by the way.
Weaknesses:
There were only two weaknesses with my bike and one (well possibly both were due to a mechanic error, not mechanical, a mechanic)was due to someone who didn't know too much about bikes, despite him working in a bike shop. The first problem was the wireing (wiring, wyring, whatever)its a little wierd. wires going here there and everywhere and the one that connected to the back brake actually kinked because it wasn't pulled taught enough, however after a new wire and some electrical tape we solved that problem. The other problem I am to believe was partially due to poor product quality (due to the reviews)and a mechanic error (mind you its a person not a part, the same person that is now my mechanic and will be working on my bike before I go bombing down hills this summer at races... awesome.) he basically dismembered the rear swinger 4 way shock to put the new spring on when all you had to do was take off the top piece and slip off the old one off. well never the less the seals blew and it began to leak. who knows when I'll get that back but I'm planning on ordering a revox isx due to the great reviews (it seems as though manitou finally got their sh!t straight,(strait,strayte, what f*cking ever)
Similar Products Used:
none in this category, I had a Giant pistol 1 which I beat the hell out of but that was so I could see what direction of MTBiking I wanted to take...
Bike Setup:
Stock 1.0 except for the Supert T up front and hopefully the new revox in the back
Bottom Line:
This bike despite wiring, wireing, wyering (still can't figure out how to spell that stupid f*cking word)and rear shock in my case is phenominal, I got the smallest (15.5 in) and because its got an almost rediculously low center of gravity, it corners like god himself decendeded from the heavens and sits on you handlebars smiling pleasantly as you blast through corners, leaving others wondering how you did it and who the F*CK that old man sitting on your handlebars was. If your not sure if you want to get into freeriding or downhilling, but know that you want to do something stupid on a mountain bike, you can't go wrong with the diablo, its incredibly priced right now at jensonusa.com and depending what way you choose you can adjust the bike to better suit your path.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Gravity Assist
a Downhiller
from El Centro CA, Date Reviewed: June 14, 2007
Favorite Trail:
Anderson truck, Corral & Nobal Canyons, Fontana
Duration Product Used:
1 Year
Price Paid:
$850.00
Purchased At:
gift.
Strengths:
A nice even break between too much, and too little. nicely overbuilt, still pretty light for what it is, I like the 12mm x 150mm rear spacing on it; it makes it more compatible with DH set ups. has oversized bearings at the pivot, and a drop it for a floating brake mount, should you ever want one...
Weaknesses:
bottom brackett is a little low for a freeride/ Dh hibrid bike,and you can't adjust the high/low speed compression properly without taking the shock off because its hidden in the frame... sucks! should have welded drop-ins for complete cable mounts instead of segmented spots where you have to cut and size the cable; due to the high strain, put on bikes like these, segmented cables often blow with a quickness... but what ever.
Similar Products Used:
Trek Session, Raliegh Ram XT, King Fisher, Haro Werx 7 SP180, santa cruz bullet, and more, I just can't remember them all.
Bike Setup:
FSA Gravity group, Fox 40/ manitou travis TPC
Bottom Line:
This bike is truly underated! I've ether owned or tried just about every bike in its class,( new age 7 inch travel 1.5 standard FREERIDE) and with the exeption the Haro Werx 7 and the Santa cruz Bullit, This bike pretty much beats em all in feeling, hucks, and jumps. It pedals pretty nice as well for what it is... it is very nicely spec'd nothing cheap, all very nice... Oh, and not that this bike was made to climb or anything, but it doesn't do a bad job...
I mean think about it, you don't want to over-pay for a garbage trek session 77, or something like that... definately look into this... its worth a try if anything.
I live in the Socal area, and hit a lot of these high-end enduro/ entry-level DH trails, and this bike is perfect for all of it,, its travel( which feels like a little more then 7 inches) is very nicely tuned, comes with manitou's most high-end Ti shock, unbeatable... you can run this bike, thrash it, crash it, and it still keeps going.
I did, however, break the seat tube completely off, which, if I may add, Jamis has a Superb warranty coverage... returned the frame within a week! All I had to do was send em some pic's of the damage. And I believe the seatpost issue to be an anomoly or factory defect on that frame, have had no problems with the new one.
Can't go wrong if you want a slightly heavy, but very agressive do-it-all Mountain bike that you can thrash, and not have to worry about completely re-tuning the bike when you get home...
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Alex Wilson
a Downhiller
from Somserset Date Reviewed: July 11, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Diablo freeride park
Duration Product Used:
3 months
Price Paid:
$1250.00
Strengths:
Awesome geometry equaling amazing handling and great feel over drops, jumps, turns and anything you throw at it!!!very well specked and good reliably suspension design...
Weaknesses:
None except for the Manitou front fork which right out of the box issues occured
Similar Products Used:
Azonic DS-1, Kona Stinky, Giant dh, Demo 8...
Bike Setup:
Stock
Bottom Line:
There is nothing out there better for the money. Personally looking for a great geometry and i found it with this bike. AWESOME BIKE!!!!!!!
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
Eldon Hansen
a Weekend Warrior
from San Antonio, TX, USA Date Reviewed: July 6, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Macallister
Duration Product Used:
Less than 1 month
Price Paid:
$1900.00
Purchased At:
DROP ZONE CYCLING
Strengths:
Smooth ride!! Nothing gets in its way, very fun bike. Currently it is more bike then I can handle. I am still trying to get the courage to use this bike for what it is made for.
Weaknesses:
None that I have found yet.
Similar Products Used:
I used to have a Schwinn Mesa GS.
Bike Setup:
Stock except for the pedals, Perfect for me
Bottom Line:
Highly recomend this bike. You cant go wrong with this bike.
Value Rating:Overall Rating:
Submitted by
David Scheer
a Cross Country Rider
from Williams Lake BC Date Reviewed: June 11, 2006
Favorite Trail:
Aflo Daddy
Duration Product Used:
6 months
Price Paid:
$2500.00
Purchased At:
Barking Spider Mountain Bike
Strengths:
Stable platform on the rear, a double ring chainset and a teloscoping seat post means you can actually ride up hill on this bike! Chain guide works well at keeping the chain on the rings. Perfect geometry for free ride! and great bump eating suspension! Everything on this bike is overbuilt and should take years of abuse!
Weaknesses:
Manitou stance is ok for medium sized drops and jumps, but flexes wildly on very high speed bumpy descents.
Similar Products Used:
Rocky mountain Pipeline. Jamis XLT
Bike Setup:
Original except switched to grip shifters.
Bottom Line:
I would buy this bike again in a heart beat! Works so well at what it is intended to do. Its well equiped for the price. The only thing I might change is the fork, it works well for free riding but I wouldn,t want to race downhill with it. This bike wasn,t intended to race so its not really a fault, just an obsevation. Id highly recomend this bike to anyone who wants big hit capability but also likes to ride to the top!
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:
