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2008 Diamond Back Mission Review

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ebxtreme

· Just roll it......
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Discussion starter · #1 · (Edited)
So, I recently got a great deal on a Diamond Back Mission frame and I couldn't pass it up. It probably didn't help that my other bike was in need of some serious love at the time! :p Like a lot of folks, I was pleasantly surprised to see DB making nice bikes again the last few years! This isn't a comprehensive review since I've only got ~ 15 rides on the bike so far, but I'll give my initial thoughts. I'll follow up wth more input as things arise along with any issues regarding durability, etc.

About the rider:
I live in Bellingham, WA and have been mt. biking since 1991. I'm pretty light at 155-160 lbs. nekkid. My xc riding location now is Galbraith Mountain (ride 2-3 days a week) along with other locations nearby (Chuckanut, Blanchard, Anacortes). Our typical xc rides include a fair bit of climbing on both trail and fireroad and the descents are sprinkled with berms, roots, intermediate sized jumps and drops. This is really the type of terrain that today's 5x5 and 6x6 "All Mountain" bikes are made for, IMO. My previous bike was a 2005 Reign with most of the same parts that are on the Mission.

Frame Details:
2008 Diamond Back Mission - 150mm of travel - size small (16.5")

Weight: I have no idea nor do I really care. Feels solid, but it's not a tank.... Fully built, I'd guess 34 lbs. or so.....but what do I know!

BB Height (note this was done very scientifically with a beer in one hand, a tape measure in the other and the bike mostly vertical) :p :
  • ~14" with fork at 160mm
  • ~13,25" with fork at 100mm

Chainstay length is 17.3mm which feels fine to me. I realize that there's a whole movement towards shorter chainstays, but I don't think a half an inch would really help my manualling skillz ;) and this feels pretty good to me for a "do all" bike.

Baker approves! Saddle at climb height.
Image


My frame is anodized gray and it's a nice looking frame. Clean welds, super beefy top tube and bottom tube, etc. The headtube is set up for a zero stack headset.....something I've grown to appreciate on a trailbike that I'll run a 160mm fork on. Helps keep the front end low. Diamond Back states the Geo at 68mm with a 150mm fork and mine feels close to that with the 36 on the front.

Because of the sloping TT and uninterrupted seattube, you can drop the seat low as a m'fer. Really nice for jumping or steep descents!
Image


Tire clearance:
I recently cased a hip/gap (50-50'd it really) and ripped my rear tire's sidewall (running tubeless). Well I had a new Syncros 2.6 in the garage, so it's given me a chance to test the tire clearance on the frame. With the 2.6, there's still room to spare between the frame and tire, but when climbing in granny/big cog, the chain rubs slightlyon the knobs. I'm switching back to a 2.35 tubeless shortly anyway, but it's good to know the frame's got space if needed. :thumbsup:

Seattube bridge....it's tight, but it's a 2.6 on there.
Image


Chainstay clearance. Plenty of room.
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Cable Routing:
Although not a deal breaker, lousy cable routing can really be a PITA. The early reigns had terrible routing, so most of the owners jerry-rigged their cables so they wouldn't kink, rub against the bike, etc. The Mission has well thought out cable routing...p. All three cables run down the downtube the cable mounts are in places that make sense. Both the rear der. and rear brake run along the chainstays to avoid weird angles or excessive bending. The rear der. uses full length housing which is a blessing for the folks in the PNW as it cuts cable replacement in half (at least). :thumbsup: The front der. runs under the rear der. BB which could be an issue with rocky chunder coming up an smacking the cables, but I've yet to have an issue.

Rest of build:
  • Fork - 2009 Fox 36 Talas RC2
  • Stem: Thomson - 70mm 0 deg. rise
  • Cranks/BB: 2006 Truvativ Stylo - 22/32/bash
  • Wheels: Hope hubs/ Mavic 823 tubless
  • Tires: 2.35 Hutchinson Octopus (UST)
  • Brakes: XT-XTR - 203mm rotors
  • Cassette: SRAM 11-34 (don't know the model)
  • Headset - FSA zero stack
  • Saddle: Transition (Velo) AM saddle
  • Seatpost and QR: Easton EA50

Ride quality:
This frame has the exact same eff. TT length as my Reign at 22". As a result, it didn't require much to get it dialed in the fit department. Still have some bar height adjustment to figure out, but it's pretty good otherwise.

Climbing:
This bike climbs nicely on technical terrain. I've got the RP23 set in the "1" position in an effort to reduce the PP platform and keep the shock active. For fireroad climbs, I've been using the lockout which is nice if I want to get out of the saddle and mash for a bit. For steep, non-technical climbs, dropping the fork to 100mm and locking out the rear, this thing climbs great. We just did the 7 summits trail in Rossland and I was getting all kinds of pedal strikes with the fork at 100mm. I ended up putting it at 130mm because it really became an issue with regard to keeping momentum on the rocky climbs. In all honesty, it doesn't really climb bad with the fork fully extended, but I got the TALAS for it's versatility, so I may as well use it.

Cornering:
Due to it's reasonable BB height and ability to drop the saddle a ton, this bike really rails corners and I can get super low if I want to on the bike. The suspension is plush, but the RP23 (with medium internal valving) does start to get overmatched on the fast chunder. Overall, I'd say this is a very good cornering bike. On more rolly, pumpy xc-type of terrain, I keep the fork at 130mm and that really quickens up the steering for the twisty stuff.

Image


Descending:
The standover with the sloped TT is excellent and with the uninterrupted seattube, I can drop the saddle SUPER low (much lower than the reign withe kinked seattube). I have found myself using that extra space on a few occasions where I want to rip through some bermage or on a steep rock roll.

Coffee Run optional rock roll on a fun spine.
Image


Image


Side view with the dogs watching.
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This trail is called Full Monte:
Image


So far, the bike has been a great descender. It's super plush and has been handling all the little gaps and drops I've been hitting on it with aplomb. When I was getting the proper air pressure figured out, I did bottom it a few times, but I think I've got that sorted now and have plenty o' sag. As I stated above, the RP23 is a nice riding shock, but I think it's valved too slow as it does start to get overmatched when stuff gets fast and chundery and the shock is wheezing. I'd vote for DB to go with the lightest possible internal valving and let riders adjust the PP with the external setting. I might get this revalved in the future since that seems to be the weak point of the bike so far. Also, there is some backend flex if you do the "hold the rear tire and seattube and give'r" test. Honestly, I've not felt any flex on the trails yet, but I am pretty light overall. Might be an issue for bigger riders or could possibly lead to reduced bearing life.

More full monte:
Image


A shot with my doggies on 7 summits.
Image


Overall:
So far, so good. I think this is a really nice handling bike. It's burly enough to handle FR-lite terrain (with the proper build), but climbs well enough to get you up there without sapping all of your energy. It definitely rails corners and I'm really happy overall with it's ride. I've hit every jump and drop on Galby with no problemo, but I haven't taken it on the Shore or to the bike park (just closed) yet. I do feel the Reign has a slight advantage over this bike due to maestro suspension which really is a bump eating machine....I seriously can pump that bike through nasty sh!t and feel like I come out of them faster than I entered! Some of that might be the RP23 on the Mission though....I'd really like to ride this rig with a lighter valved shock before I make any more statements on that. Of course, the Reign's achilles (as I've often stated) is the rocker and seatstay bearings which are WAY to small for the forces that take place there. Replacing the terrible stock bearings with enduro's on the Reign did help a lot with durability, but it is a real issue for folks that like to push their bikes hard and/or live in areas like the PNW. The true test for the Mission will be to see how it handles a full winter in the PNW with someone that likes to ride their bike more than maintain them. :D

FYI, the fully built versions of the '09 Missions are coming super nicely speced including Hammerschmidts and other high end components.

Cheers,
EB
 
#5 ·
Yeah, thanks for the review, but it'll be a long time before I can pull the trigger on the Mission.

Just curious, you said your frame size is 16 inches, but how tall are you? Would you say the frame runs large or small, or fairly accurate?

Thanks.
 
Discussion starter · #7 ·
jettabrett92 said:
Yeah, thanks for the review, but it'll be a long time before I can pull the trigger on the Mission.

Just curious, you said your frame size is 16 inches, but how tall are you? Would you say the frame runs large or small, or fairly accurate?

Thanks.
Click to expand...
I'm 5' 8" tall. To be honest, I don't really pay attention to the sizing as mfgr's usually describe a frame size.

To me, the most important things are effective top tube length and standover for fit purposes. Of course, other items like wheelbase/chainstay length, etc. are important, but without the other two numbers, it's a moot point. As such, the 22" effective top tube is what I paid most attention to and I'm running a 70mm stem.

Cheers,
EB
 
#8 ·
ebxtreme said:
I'm 5' 8" tall. To be honest, I don't really pay attention to the sizing as mfgr's usually describe a frame size.

To me, the most important things are effective top tube length and standover for fit purposes. Of course, other items like wheelbase/chainstay length, etc. are important, but without the other two numbers, it's a moot point. As such, the 22" effective top tube is what I paid most attention to and I'm running a 70mm stem.

Cheers,
EB
Click to expand...
Yowza. That's an interesting bike fit. If I had more time here I'd extrapolate who a 19" Mission would fit if a 15.5" Mission fit a 5'8" man. Without even doing the math I'm he'd play in the NBA. You must be going for a totally sick free-ride fit.

I'm 5'2" and I ride a 15.5" Mission 3 with an 80mm stem. I'm in complete control of the bike in every situation I've been in to date. The best favor I ever did for myself was getting off 13" and 14" bikes and onto a more aggressive fit with better weight distribution. I corner better, I breathe better, and I'm just all around faster.

As for standover. Tony Ellsworth was the first (I believe) to champion the idea that standover was one of the least important elements in bike fit, and I agree with him 100% Once I started fitting myself in the saddle instead of standing over the bike, my riding improved twenty-fold.
 
Discussion starter · #9 ·
Dorbabatman said:
Yowza. That's an interesting bike fit. If I had more time here I'd extrapolate who a 19" Mission would fit if a 15.5" Mission fit a 5'8" man. Without even doing the math I'm he'd play in the NBA. You must be going for a totally sick free-ride fit.

I'm 5'2" and I ride a 15.5" Mission 3 with an 80mm stem. I'm in complete control of the bike in every situation I've been in to date. The best favor I ever did for myself was getting off 13" and 14" bikes and onto a more aggressive fit with better weight distribution. I corner better, I breathe better, and I'm just all around faster.

As for standover. Tony Ellsworth was the first (I believe) to champion the idea that standover was one of the least important elements in bike fit, and I agree with him 100% Once I started fitting myself in the saddle instead of standing over the bike, my riding improved twenty-fold.
Click to expand...
Cool..... :thumbsup:

I guess it depends on a couple of things.

1. One's riding style and how they prefer a bike to fit. A 22 - 22.5" effective Top Tube is pretty close to perfect for my torso and reach. I also like to run shorter stems (70mm on my xc rig and 50mm on my dh rig). In turn, I've adjusted my climbing technique for a shorter setup. I recently did a 22 mile singletrack ride with 3,900 feet of climbing on this bike and cleaned every climb on the trail....so I'd say it's a matter of technique (not to mention fitness) as much as anything. Also, riding in B.C. over the past half dozen years has affected how I ride a bike and so I've come to expect a lot out of my "xc" bike.....this bike will absolutely get some Shore days this winter, so it has to be competent on the steeps.

2. Trails in your respective area - Most of the trails I ride on my "XC" bike might be considered FR by a lot of places in the country/world. Common items on our xc trails are 3-6 foot drops, 4-10 foot gaps, berms and fast, steep sections. Being able to move the bike under me in these types of conditions is important for my riding style. Having ridden stretched out xc bikes for a long time, my bikes have moved more and more towards a tighter cockpit that allows for better descending, jumping and out of the saddle maneuverability. The adjustable fork helps in keeping my bike versatile, however, for the mandatory climbs around here.

The standover benefits I bring up above is that it helps with lowering my saddle on steeps (arse on rear tire steeps), jumping (getting the seat way out of the way) and cornering where I can get super low and rail the phock out of them. Additionally, standover is important for me when I'm on ladders or skinnies and absolutely have to dab.

A couple of examples of Galbraith trails (both on my reign). This log is about 5' off the ground and about 8" wide.
Image


A lower log ride.
Image


Cheers,
EB
 
#10 ·
ebxtreme said:
Cool..... :thumbsup:

I guess it depends on a couple of things.

1. One's riding style and how they prefer a bike to fit. A 22 - 22.5" effective Top Tube is pretty close to perfect for my torso and reach. I also like to run shorter stems (70mm on my xc rig and 50mm on my dh rig). In turn, I've adjusted my climbing technique for a shorter setup. I recently did a 22 mile singletrack ride with 3,900 feet of climbing on this bike and cleaned every climb on the trail....so I'd say it's a matter of technique (not to mention fitness) as much as anything. Also, riding in B.C. over the past half dozen years has affected how I ride a bike and so I've come to expect a lot out of my "xc" bike.....this bike will absolutely get some Shore days this winter, so it has to be competent on the steeps.

2. Trails in your respective area - Most of the trails I ride on my "XC" bike might be considered FR by a lot of places in the country/world. Common items on our xc trails are 3-6 foot drops, 4-10 foot gaps, berms and fast, steep sections. Being able to move the bike under me in these types of conditions is important for my riding style. Having ridden stretched out xc bikes for a long time, my bikes have moved more and more towards a tighter cockpit that allows for better descending, jumping and out of the saddle maneuverability. The adjustable fork helps in keeping my bike versatile, however, for the mandatory climbs around here.

The standover benefits I bring up above is that it helps with lowering my saddle on steeps (arse on rear tire steeps), jumping (getting the seat way out of the way) and cornering where I can get super low and rail the phock out of them. Additionally, standover is important for me when I'm on ladders or skinnies and absolutely have to dab.

Cheers,
EB
Click to expand...
Awesomeness. I'm absolutely certain that geography has a lot to do with it. My Mission doesn't get a quarter of the miles that my Sortie gets. Then again, I'm not afraid to 4' drops on the Sortie either. XC rigs aren't nearly as fragile as some think, especially a Sortie with a new '09 SID. Regretably, there isn't anything resembling a gap on local trails. If I saw a gap or a table top, I'm not sure I'd have the foggiest idea what to do with it.

What we do have in some outlying trails are rocks, rocks, and the some more rocks. The Mission can eat up rocky climbs that has the Sortie spinning and breaking traction. The rear wheel of the Mission just tracks the ground like it was fly paper. It's truly a thing of beauty, and more than makes up for the 4 pound difference between my Mission and Sortie.

It goes without saying that the Mission tackles the other side of said rocky climbs with greater aplomb as well. What's a cautious brake controled descent on the Sortie is an 11 on the Wheeeeee! scale on the Mission. It just sucks it up.

What rocks about this is that it just shows the versatility of the Mission. You've built up a free-ride rig around the Mission platform, and I've built up a trail bike that puts the all, back in all mountain. Good on Diamondback.

My build is as follows: 31lb

Stock parts not listed: '07 Mission 3

FSA OS99 80mm much flatter than the stock Vice with the rise from hell and stronger than anyone gives it credit for.
Cranks Shimano XT
Wheels: Chris King HD ISO Disc Hubs laced to DT-Swiss 5.1D rims
Tires: Maxxis Ignitor 2.35 UST
Brakes: Avid Juicy Carbon
Cassette SRAM 990
Saddle Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow
Seatpost: Thomson Elite

Now if it seems like I'm raggin on my Sortie, I'm not. The Sortie shines in other ways. It's fast, almost racer boi XC fast, but at the same time my build is very close to a 4" all mountain build. It's a fast bike that can go where your buddy's 25 pounds of fragility fears to tread.

Sortie Build 27lb

Frame up build

Shifters SRAM X9
F. derailleur Shimano LX
R. dereailleur SRAM X0
Fork: '09 Rockshox SID Race. Finally, the SID is stiffer than the Reba. It's truly a flagship product once again.
Stem: Thomson X2
Cranks: Shimano XT
Wheels: Chris King ISO Disc laced to Mavic 819 rims
Tires: WTB Wolverine 2.2
Brakes: Hayes 9 Carbon
Cassette: SRAM 990
Saddle: Selle Italia Max Flite Gel Flow
Seatpost Thomson Elite
 
#11 ·
My Mission 2 08 rocks

I have a stock mission 2 2008. I have changed the wheels to my own handbuilt xt hubs laced to rhyno lite rims. and yeti lock on grips and better sram cassette. my bike weighs in at 31 lbs. I love the way my bike rides, great for long epic rides and great fr bike for most people. As to size and such mentioned early, I am 5'10" and 160lbs, I bought a med. 17" frame. Very happy with the 23" TT length and stand over height is very nice, less than 30". I would really like to upgrade the rear shock to RP23 but for now the float R has given my no probs. I highly recommend the mission to anyone on the fence.:thumbsup: I have been riding since early 90's and can say WOW Holy S#it about my mission. Best overall bike period. :D .

Rock on all you mission lovers and for you haters out there, try and keep up!!:cool:
 
Discussion starter · #12 ·
Few updates:

I've been on the Mission about 2-3 days a week and Fall's definitely here in the PNW, so the riding has been pretty wet. Rides have primarily been on Galbraith Mt. and I've been mixing it up with XC routes and "FR lite" routes hitting trails like Evolution, Mullet, Cheech and Chong's Wild Ride, Safety Break, etc.

I'm still really liking the bike overall. The geometry is pretty dialed and it climbs/descends really nicely. The rear shock (rp23) still seems to be the limiter as it wheezes when the riding gets faster with more chunder. I'm putting about 165 psi and have it set in the "1" position for PP (lightest platform) and running the rebound almost full open. I do think the medium internal compression valving is too slow for someone that's going to descend on this bike like it were a dh rig. I've got a spare RP2 that I'm gonna throw on it to see how that works.....but that's my input to the DB folks.

Some pics of the bike in it's current form. It'll likely look like this until spring, so we'll see how well the bearings hold up. :p

Image


Drive side:
Image


Non-drive side:
Image


Cheers,
EB
 
#13 ·
ebxtreme said:
I do think the medium internal compression valving is too slow for someone that's going to descend on this bike like it were a dh rig. I've got a spare RP2 that I'm gonna throw on it to see how that works.....but that's my input to the DB folks.
Cheers,
EB
Click to expand...
Hey dude
An observation I had when riding RG's med-size mission back-to-back with my large RFX down Last Frontier. His mission had the Rp2 and I had the Roco coil TST. I belive his Rp2 had the firmest available compression damping preset.

Overall I was REAL impressed with the mission. The geometry with the Talas 36 was perfect.:thumbsup:
Hence I am stoked to see more missions in our riding crew.

On the drops on that trail (1-3'), the rp2 felt like it was spiking hard, compared to my bike. This seemed to be a good&bad thing- at least the shock wasn't bottoming out!

No big deal- just a tuning issue. I wonder if the rp2 that comes with the "softest" compression might feel better? I bet PUSH could do wonders here too.

Pretty minor complaint about an otherwise stellar testride. :thumbsup:
 
Discussion starter · #14 ·
FM said:
Hey dude
An observation I had when riding RG's med-size mission back-to-back with my large RFX down Last Frontier. His mission had the Rp2 and I had the Roco coil TST. I belive his Rp2 had the firmest available compression damping preset.

Overall I was REAL impressed with the mission. The geometry with the Talas 36 was perfect.:thumbsup:
Hence I am stoked to see more missions in our riding crew.

On the drops on that trail (1-3'), the rp2 felt like it was spiking hard, compared to my bike. This seemed to be a good&bad thing- at least the shock wasn't bottoming out!

No big deal- just a tuning issue. I wonder if the rp2 that comes with the "softest" compression might feel better? I bet PUSH could do wonders here too.

Pretty minor complaint about an otherwise stellar testride. :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
FM,

Good observation. Mine with the RP23 feels pretty nice off the stump drops on evo, some of the medium gaps, climbing and more rolly types of terrain. Anytime, it gets going fast with quick, successive hits, the shock starts to have an audible wheeze and feels almost like it's packing up. Doesn't feel nearly as reactive to the terrain as it gets faster and faster. I would normally suspect the rebound as the culprit, but that actually feels fast enough (just barely).

I think the medium compression tune on the RP23 is the culprit. Interestingly, the RP2 I have is from a Blur LT and is also a medium compression tune, so I'm not sure I'll gain anything....but it's a high volume can, so maybe that'll change things up a bit (or maybe it'll bottom easier!). I'm gonna swap that out and give it a try next ride. The last step would be a Push tune.....which I'd be ok with considering how much I paid for the frame.

I'll let you know what I find out with the shock swap.

Cheers,
EB
 
#17 ·
I'll chime in here, as well.

After my first "ride" today at the Colonnade, I'm just pleased as hell with the bike, the componentry I picked (or was recommended - Thanks EB!), and the overall stability of it.

This bike is a huge change for me. I've always been an XC guy, but over the past few years, I've wanted to become more of a FR guy. 'll never be hitting the big gaps (not interested), but I love TTFs and trail "junk" so this bike will be a perfect fit.

Tooling around the park gives some great impressions, and quick. Riding through Limestone Loop really shows how tight the steering is. I was jacked with confidence as the smallish skinnies on the top section, and at the bottom, were easily rideable. The rock garden descent was an easy descent as well. The bike was plush out of the box. I've not set up the RP23 yet... at least not to where I'd ultimately like it, but it did a great job first day out. The Talas 36 on front is the real deal. What a great fork. Stopping power is great with the Saints.

The difficult sections, including the 2 rollercoasters, and the jump zones were a blast. Again, the bike is very confidence inspiring, and had me grinning ear to ear. I attempted sections I'd not before, and can't wait to get back, just to get another crack at that last stump ride near the bottom of the gully. Damn thing. :mad:

Didn't ride Bob's Octogon of Death, because I like my new derailleur, and would like to keep it for awhile. :rolleyes: That, and I was pretty burnt out by the time I thought about it.

Let a few buddies try out the bike on Limestone, the rock garden, and the pump track. All of them said they loved the bike, and were jealous. One rides a Giant Reign, and the other a Turner. I love both of their bikes, so no slamming here. Just a point that they could tell (and I told them not to lie.... I can tell) it was a fun bike, with a great layout. The cockpit is just right. ...the only thing I still have to get used to is the BB height. Man... it's low. Which is great if you're railing, which I intend to do a lot of this year. :thumbsup:

So... if you're reading this thread, chances are you own, or are considering, a Mission. You couldn't do much better, especially for the money. This bike is the best Quality to Dollar I've spent in a long time.

Now... about those Hammerschmidts..... :cool:
 
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#19 ·
Hi guys,
I`m sitting in Norway waiting for my new -08 Mission 3 frame (probably the only one in cold north) - can`t wait to get staring building the bike.... But I have some forks "issues". I`m thinking about putting on a Lyrik U-turn, does anyone have experience with this? Iknow it has longer "axel - crown" length than the 36 Talas, but not how much. Maybe one of you know the AC length of the Fox?
Further on I will put on the SLX AM crank 22/36/bash, Juicy 5, complete X9 group and Halo Freedom wheels. I think that`ll be a nice setup.

Please come with some tips/experience on the fork issue..
 
Discussion starter · #20 ·
Mr.Trail said:
Hi guys,
I`m sitting in Norway waiting for my new -08 Mission 3 frame (probably the only one in cold north) - can`t wait to get staring building the bike.... But I have some forks "issues". I`m thinking about putting on a Lyrik U-turn, does anyone have experience with this? Iknow it has longer "axel - crown" length than the 36 Talas, but not how much. Maybe one of you know the AC length of the Fox?
Further on I will put on the SLX AM crank 22/36/bash, Juicy 5, complete X9 group and Halo Freedom wheels. I think that`ll be a nice setup.

Please come with some tips/experience on the fork issue..
Click to expand...
Axle to Crown height is the same for the 36 and Lyrik - 545mm (when they're both at 160mm), so I wouldn't worrry about it.

Sounds like it'll be a nice setup for ya.

EB
 
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