Seth and Diamondback part ways
"Farewell and Thank You, Diamondback Bicycles" from Berm Peak
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Darth Lefty
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Seth and Diamondback part ways
This is a head scratcher. Seth Alvo has been on a victory lap with the successful opening of the local MTB park he organized, and DB were a major sponsor. They've been iconic on his channel for years and I think he was their major conduit into online media. But DB has seemed dead in the water with a bike from mid last decade. I might have thought they needed him more than the other way around. I wonder where either of them will turn up next.
I mean if I were him I wouldn’t want to ride a Diamondback unless I got a serious paycheck out of the agreement. Not a very desirable brand imo.
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Isn't Diamondback a department store brand? Last I checked, they're sold at SportChek. None of the local bike shops carry the brand.
Well, yes and no. They have had some bikes at big box stores pretty consistently, but a bit less than 10 years ago, they had some pretty serious bikes on the budget or entry-level end of things in the Catch, Release, and Sync'r hardtail, among others. But they seem a bit "frozen in time," and certainly aren't getting any attention at all these days.
I see from wikipedia that they were owned by Derby, which is a fairly large European bike distributor, then to Accel, that is similar, if smaller.
In 2019, they were sold to a private equity company, which creates a high likelihood that it's being stripped like a 1983 Cutlass.
ETA: one of the footnotes in the wiki article linked to an article about Accel/Diamondback losing the Dick's Sporting Goods contract, which led to the sale to the PE company. That touches on the "big box bike" aspect that's been raised as well as perhaps a downturn in their financial fortunes leading to this. Loss of Dick's contract forces major adjustments at Accell NA
In 2019, they were sold to a private equity company, which creates a high likelihood that it's being stripped like a 1983 Cutlass.
ETA: one of the footnotes in the wiki article linked to an article about Accel/Diamondback losing the Dick's Sporting Goods contract, which led to the sale to the PE company. That touches on the "big box bike" aspect that's been raised as well as perhaps a downturn in their financial fortunes leading to this. Loss of Dick's contract forces major adjustments at Accell NA
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Couple of thoughts pop up for me.
Seth might be looking to distance himself from “sponsors” so that he can keep his channel moving in the direction he desires. It’s also possible Seth is doing more than fine without being tied to them.
Diamondback might have pulled the plug if sales were sluggish. I wouldn’t put that in Seth if they were sluggish, but they might view it as money going out that’s not leading to a reward.
Either way, I view this as a positive in the end. I think Seth getting on some new bikes can only be a good thing.
Seth might be looking to distance himself from “sponsors” so that he can keep his channel moving in the direction he desires. It’s also possible Seth is doing more than fine without being tied to them.
Diamondback might have pulled the plug if sales were sluggish. I wouldn’t put that in Seth if they were sluggish, but they might view it as money going out that’s not leading to a reward.
Either way, I view this as a positive in the end. I think Seth getting on some new bikes can only be a good thing.
Mmm, I dunno. Eric Porter is much more directly involved with the company for more than a decade. That would be a bigger departure for DB (though not bigger news).
All the recent DB marketing I've seen come across my feed has been e-bikes and they look pretty clunky.
A few years ago I had a Nashbar/Performance bottom build Clutch (women's model but a nice orange colorway that wasn't overtly girl-bike) and liked it a lot. Nashbar was blowing them out at an enormous discount, $1100 for a bike that would have cost well over $2000 from Trek or Spesh at the time and would now be nearing 3. I only sold it because I needed my one MTB to be cheap-hardtail-versatile as my babies grew. Now that they're kids I'm shopping again.
All the recent DB marketing I've seen come across my feed has been e-bikes and they look pretty clunky.
A few years ago I had a Nashbar/Performance bottom build Clutch (women's model but a nice orange colorway that wasn't overtly girl-bike) and liked it a lot. Nashbar was blowing them out at an enormous discount, $1100 for a bike that would have cost well over $2000 from Trek or Spesh at the time and would now be nearing 3. I only sold it because I needed my one MTB to be cheap-hardtail-versatile as my babies grew. Now that they're kids I'm shopping again.
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Seth and Eric are the best things about diamondback by far.
Their bikes in 2016-2018 were pretty relevant, and actually a pretty good deal. Especially if you could get the corporate discount.
But since the got bought out, it’s been super stagnant. And at this point it’s pretty obvious that their bikes are quite outdated in most respects.
Curious what Seth will ride now that he’s not beholden to a specific brand.
Their bikes in 2016-2018 were pretty relevant, and actually a pretty good deal. Especially if you could get the corporate discount.
But since the got bought out, it’s been super stagnant. And at this point it’s pretty obvious that their bikes are quite outdated in most respects.
Curious what Seth will ride now that he’s not beholden to a specific brand.
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airborne
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In 2016, I bought a Mason Comp with a Fox Performance fork and GX drivetrain for $1200. Some specs were a bit wonky, but the geo was great. I made a few upgrades to it and still have it as my backup.
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Did you actually read all the comments? Based on your comment, I'd say no. 😉
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I work in a bike shop that sells Diamondback. We picked the brand up due to shortages, to fill in gaps with our primary line. They were bought out by the Alta group, and they are still in the process of redirecting the brand. They are going to bring the brand back up in quality, although I see them as a great value, not cutting edge. We've been really impressed with the quality and packaging of the bikes we got, and they sell well at the $2500-$3500 price point.
I think we're about to see some e-mtbs from them, and I think they will be updating their MTBs as they find their groove. Given the current state of the industry in general, I'm happy with our experience with them so far.
Those of you that are comparing geometry and looking for the most cutting edge tech will probably continue to seek out boutique brands. The folks that just want a decent bike to get into the sport are going to be happy with a Diamondback and I think the Release line is a pretty reasonable offering. I'm certainly going to be watching how they grow and innovate to determine how much of their products we'll be offering in the future. Right now we're selling their commuter style e-bikes and the basic FS mtbs the most.
I think we're about to see some e-mtbs from them, and I think they will be updating their MTBs as they find their groove. Given the current state of the industry in general, I'm happy with our experience with them so far.
Those of you that are comparing geometry and looking for the most cutting edge tech will probably continue to seek out boutique brands. The folks that just want a decent bike to get into the sport are going to be happy with a Diamondback and I think the Release line is a pretty reasonable offering. I'm certainly going to be watching how they grow and innovate to determine how much of their products we'll be offering in the future. Right now we're selling their commuter style e-bikes and the basic FS mtbs the most.
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I bought a DB Release 1 at the end of 2016 and still think it was a great bike. It had a GX drivetrain and a Rockshox suspension that worked really well, all for about $1100. There was nothing else around that could touch it for value. Then after a year or two the company was sold and the new owners apparently weren't interested in giving great deals to riders anymore. Add to that the fact that they allowed all the momentum they had with the development of the Catch and Release in 2016 to totally dissipate. All that effort to come up with a great new design and 6 years later... crickets. Sad to say, but Seth is probably better off without them.
Yeah I did. You were the only one that was right. Everyone else is just speculating without watching the video.
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I watched the video and despite what he says, I haven't seen Diamondback even have bikes to sell for years. So until they get their company off the round, I doubt that it matters all that much.
It's my fault. I bought a Release 29-1 a few months back. While I didn't buy it "because" Seth and Porter ride them, I did enable the purchase by using the logic that if it holds up to what they do, it's probably fine for me.
It like what @BicyclesOnMain said; if you're after the latest and greatest, you're probably not going to buy a DB, but I just liked the bike and kept coming back to it, so I bought it. Sue me. Thus far it's been 100% fine, but it doesn't have much time on it yet. They do need some new stuff, though.
It'll be interesting to see what goes on with Porter and why this happened.
It like what @BicyclesOnMain said; if you're after the latest and greatest, you're probably not going to buy a DB, but I just liked the bike and kept coming back to it, so I bought it. Sue me. Thus far it's been 100% fine, but it doesn't have much time on it yet. They do need some new stuff, though.
It'll be interesting to see what goes on with Porter and why this happened.
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