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Submitted by
Kyle MillsDate Reviewed: May 13, 2013
Strengths: Frame holds it's own with anything out there
Price
Campy 11/Easton specWeaknesses: Some inappropriate parts that need to be replaced out of the boxBottom Line: I’d been looking for something to replace my aging Merlin and found a screaming deal on the 2012 Diamondback. It was a bit of an unknown and I really wasn’t looking to go Campy, but the price was just too good to pass up.
Keep in mind that it arrived in the box from the factory. Many of the concerns I have would be corrected by any self-respecting bike shop during buildup.
So without further ado…
Frame
The eight thousand dollar question: Can Diamondback build a high end carbon frame? Yes. It has an aggressive, lively feel to it while still absorbing a lot of road noise. How a bike feels is personal preference, but this one can hang with anything I’ve ever thrown a leg over. Further, it’s a good looking bike to my eye—with tasteful graphics and nice shapes.
The main drawback (as with a number of other high end frames) is that the internal cable routing creates a fair amount of friction and is a pain to maneuver cables through.
Shifting
Out of the box, it’s not good. Campy 11 is notorious for not liking cable friction and this thing has a lot of it. Replacing the cables with properly lubricated Jagwire Rip Cords solves the problem.
Braking
This is the main complaint in the reviews I’ve read and no wonder. The brake cables the bike comes with look like they started life holding up a Soviet bridge. Also, the included brake pads are not designed for carbon rims. Once these issues are corrected it stops fine.
Build Kit Sizes
My 58cm bike was not speced as stated on the website. It came with 46cm bars and 177.5 cranks—neither appropriate for the frame IMHO. I replaced both. Also, keep in mind that this is a standard crank, so if you’re a fan of compacts, you’ll have to swap them out.
Conclusion
Overall, I’m happy with this bike. Even at retail, it’s nicely priced for a SuperRecord/Easton combo and if you buy it from your LBS, you can get them to correct the problems I’ve outlined. Oh, and since I know you were wondering, mine tips the scale at 15.27# with Speedplay X5s, Minoura DuraCages/bolts, and a steel axled SuperRecord compact crank.
Happy riding…
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