What do you think of this?

[PotomacCyclist]

They are a big-box budget bike manufacturer, but they are trying to move into the upper-end of the market. I don’t know if they will remain in the big-box retailer category or not.

At a triathlon meeting last fall, Diamondback sent a representative who talked up their new high-end triathlon bike. They gave one of the bikes away in a raffle and offered significant discounts to all club members.

I didn’t win the bike and I haven’t bought their bikes, so I can’t speak to the quality. I just know that they are trying to break into the high end of the bike market.

As for the ad, I have no idea. It does seem odd that he has a “friend” who gets a wholesale deal on the bikes and he is selling multiple bikes on CL.

If you look up the model on other websites, it does show a list price in the $1,700 range. On Amazon, the actual price is $1,541. No customer reviews.

– Performance Bicycle listing: $1,499. No reviews.
– Dick’s Sporting Goods: $1699.99. No reviews.

No reviews anywhere, except some site that lists the supposed top 10 hybrid bikes, but all of them are Diamondback bikes, LOL.

This is the only review I can find, and it’s not much of a review. It’s a video that includes excerpts of other reviews, except there aren’t any names or organizations associated with any of those reviews. Really bizarre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRjH2vmvzXk

On the Diamondback website, many of the “city” bikes are listed in the $250-$350 range. Other bikes run between $550 and $1200, for what it’s worth.

[DismalScientist]

Price (at Performance) seems appropriate for specs.

I think branding non-specialty bikes is complete hogwash. Most frames are produced in a handful of Chinese plants, regardless of brand. Components are made by a few companies and are the same regardless of bicycle brand.

I don’t know about the CL ad. Does this guy know how to assemble bicycles?

Will this be too much bicycle? Is your wife’s name Frederica?

What’s wrong with Bikes Direct anyway?

[Crickey7]

The phrase “budget carbon” fills my mind’s eye with images of catastrophic frame failures.

[jabberwocky]

FWIW, I had a buddy a few years ago I rode DH with who ran a Diamondback of some sort. I was surprised when I saw it, but it was a high-end build and seemed like a nice enough bike. I think they at least dabble in high end stuff.

[krazygl00]

@PotomacCyclist 115111 wrote:

They are a big-box budget bike manufacturer, but they are trying to move into the upper-end of the market. I don’t know if they will remain in the big-box retailer category or not.

At a triathlon meeting last fall, Diamondback sent a representative who talked up their new high-end triathlon bike. They gave one of the bikes away in a raffle and offered significant discounts to all club members.

I didn’t win the bike and I haven’t bought their bikes, so I can’t speak to the quality. I just know that they are trying to break into the high end of the bike market.

As for the ad, I have no idea. It does seem odd that he has a “friend” who gets a wholesale deal on the bikes and he is selling multiple bikes on CL.

If you look up the model on other websites, it does show a list price in the $1,700 range. On Amazon, the actual price is $1,541. No customer reviews.

– Performance Bicycle listing: $1,499. No reviews.
– Dick’s Sporting Goods: $1699.99. No reviews.

No reviews anywhere, except some site that lists the supposed top 10 hybrid bikes, but all of them are Diamondback bikes, LOL.

This is the only review I can find, and it’s not much of a review. It’s a video that includes excerpts of other reviews, except there aren’t any names or organizations associated with any of those reviews. Really bizarre.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zRjH2vmvzXk

On the Diamondback website, many of the “city” bikes are listed in the $250-$350 range. Other bikes run between $550 and $1200, for what it’s worth.

These are good insights. I found similar search results online and sort of a lack of well-rounded reviews. This coupled with the odd CL sales thing has me hesitating.

@DismalScientist 115116 wrote:

Price (at Performance) seems appropriate for specs.

I think branding non-specialty bikes is complete hogwash. Most frames are produced in a handful of Chinese plants, regardless of brand. Components are made by a few companies and are the same regardless of bicycle brand.

I don’t know about the CL ad. Does this guy know how to assemble bicycles?

Will this be too much bicycle? Is your wife’s name Frederica?

What’s wrong with Bikes Direct anyway?

Nothing specifically wrong with Bikes Direct at all except to be aware of what you’re buying.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Diamondback provides bikes to a pro team (Optum-Kelly), so they certainly aren’t junk. They do (or used to) have a line that sold in big box stores, but they’re a pretty mainstream brand. I’d wager they come off the same production lines as Fuji, Scattante, GT, etc…

[Anonymous]

Feedback from my similar question (as relates to diamondback bikes, not potentially sketchy craigslist guy) a few months ago.

http://bikearlingtonforum.com/showthread.php?7887-diamondback-road-bikes

I’m very happy with the bike, though it is my first/only carbon bike and I certainly won’t pretend to be an expert on the subject. It has not disintegrated on me or anything yet.

[vvill]

What I said in that other thread about DB, pretty much. And agree with the sentiment that it’s basically Fuji/Scattante/GT/etc.

FWIW there was a legit “ex-demo” DB liquidation a few months ago on the DC Used Bicycle Marketplace facebook group where prices were eminently affordable (I would’ve considered buying one if it fit my needs at the time although they went pretty fast anyway), and I’ve also seen them on The Clymb. So it’s possible the seller bought something like this and is trying to just turn a bit of $ on the deal.

[hozn]

Yeah, as I probably expressed in other thread, their mountain bikes (at least the full-sussers) are actually pretty well respected. They may alao sell department store bikes, but they at least have a marketing department convincing me they are a notch above Fuji, Scattante, etc. I don’t know much about their non-mtb offerings, to be fair, but their road bikes have nice spec/price ratio.

That CL listing price looks reasonable to me.

[Sunyata]

FYI – Diamondback is owned by Raleigh America. Their frames are made in China/Taiwan by Kinesis Ind., which was founded by Giant.

Not sure if that helps with the decision.

[hozn]

My only issue with DB — and Raleigh more generally — is that their [frame] warranty is voided by using their bikes in any competitions or if the bike is not assembled by an authorized dealer/LBS. They may not be the only company to do that, but those are a couple horrible warranty clauses. Of course I’m going to race my mountain bike, thanks. Of course, I’m going to build that frame up myself. I’m sure they don’t enforce those clauses strictly, but they should remove them; that would be the only aspect of Diamondback/Raleigh that feels department-store grade.

[krazygl00]

Then of course I find a bike like this and it makes me feel confused and weird. I guess I sort of get what they’re going for there; at least who they might be appealing to, and either their designers/marketers are idiosyncratic geniuses or deranged lunatics.

[Terpfan]

@krazygl00 115176 wrote:

Then of course I find a bike like this and it makes me feel confused and weird. I guess I sort of get what they’re going for there; at least who they might be appealing to, and either their designers/marketers are idiosyncratic geniuses or deranged lunatics.

The first one had disc brakes. I wish I had disc brakes.

Also, did she want the new bike or did you talk your wife into it? If the latter, share advice, please.

And an example of high-end DB stuff: http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/Product_10052_10551_1149309_-1_400315__400315

[mstone]

@krazygl00 115176 wrote:

Then of course I find a bike like this and it makes me feel confused and weird. I guess I sort of get what they’re going for there; at least who they might be appealing to, and either their designers/marketers are idiosyncratic geniuses or deranged lunatics.

Wow. I’ve seen hybrids with clip-on aero bars before, but never as an intentional design from a manufacturer.

[Crickey7]

That is some schizophrenic design/marketing. And I get it that the $10k bike might be just as good as other $10k bikes, but at that price point, you’re entering into a rarified market where labels matter big time.

[Author]

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