Diamondback Bikes – Home of the Best Discount Mountain Bikes

Diamondback Bikes

Diamondback Bikes – The History

Diamondback Bikes is a solid brand of discount mountain bikes that dates back to the late 1970s.  Started in 1977 in Camarillo, California, Diamondback Bicycles also makes quality high end mountain bicycles as well. The Diamondback Bicycles Mission Carbon full suspension mountain bike is in the category of  best mountain bike. The Mission Carbon is not one of the discount mountain bikes.

It stands to reason that the term mountain bike is associated with the Diamondback Bikes brand name because Camarillo is located in the Santa Monica Mountains. The company was then called Western State Imports. As the years progressed, Diamondback Bikes have been sold all over the world. Some of the countries in which Diamondback Bikes are distributed include the United States, Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and Bangladesh.

Review of Diamondback Full Suspension Mountain Bikes
Pro
  • A full suspension mountain bike has a frame that is, essentially, two pieces
  • The two sections of the frame can move independently of each other.
  • Level Link suspension system
  • Lightweight aluminum frame has an incredible strength to weight ratio
Contra
  • Not Cheap
Review:
Diamondback bicycles are not discount mountain bikes. They are not cheap. However, the inevitable conclusion is that the Diamondback Bicycles Release 3 Full Suspension Mountain Bike and the Diamondback Mission Carbon Full Suspension Mountain Bike are worth the investment. You get what you pay for. And in this case what you’re paying for is quality and reliability. Diamondback is known for making top quality, durable, discount mountain bikes at considerably less cost than its competitors. They make almost every type of bike on the market.

Diamondback Bikes

Early Pioneer of the Mountain Bike

In 1982, Diamondback Bicycles pioneered one of the initial mountain bike lines.  That was the Diamondback Ridge Runner. Today, the company makes a variety of bike models, including mountain bicycles, cruiser bikes, hybrid bikes,  BMX bikes, road bikes, and electric bikes. BMX bikes that were advertised under the brand name Centurion were the first bicycles offered by Diamondback Bicycles.  However, before long, the company expanded to include the mountain bike line as well. Beginning in 1990, Western States Imports started selling its mountain bike models as well as its road bicycles under the Diamondback Bicycles name. The term BMX Bikes, while known as a bicycle racing term, now includes a much wider variety of bicycles used in off-road riding.

Diamondback Bikes and Raleigh Bicycles

Since 1979, a great many professional bicycle riders have successfully competed under the sponsorship of Diamondback Bicycles.  In 1999, Diamondback Bicycles was purchased by the Derby Cycle Corporation, which also owned the world famous Raleigh Bike Company. Derby promptly merged Raleigh and Diamondback. However, two years later, Derby Cycle Corporation was able to sell Raleigh and Diamondback, and currently, both brands continue to share the same owners. So, when considering the history of the Diamondback bikes brand, you need to look at two individual companies, Centurion and Raleigh.  By 2011, Diamondback Bikes offered models in a number of styles, including dual sport, comfort, and cruiser. Still a major bicycle brand Diamondback Bicycles is based in Kent, Washington.

Diamondback Bikes Review

Full Suspension Mountain Bike

This Diamond Bikes review is chronicling the adventurous ride captured in the above video. The video maker rode on his brand new Diamondback Full Suspension Mountain Bike. Before this video, the full suspension mountain bike had only been taken out on the mountain trails  3 or 4 times. The video gives you a very good review of this bicycle’s capabilities. This review of the Diamondback Mission 2 mountain bike is a review of one of the best Diamondback bikes.

Diamondback Release 3 Full Suspension Mountain Bike
Diamondback Bikes

Diamondback Bikes Full Suspension Mountain Bike

This is not your typical big bike magazine or bike blog review. By watching the video as well we get an exclusive viewpoint, through the eyes of a hardcore bike enthusiast. Watch the video accompanying this article, as it tells you stuff about this Diamondback mountain bike that no words can tell you. If you’ve watched a video review by this rider before, you may be aware that he incorporates a lot of BMX and tests into his riding. In other words, he really subjects a bike to stress to see how it performs.

Full Suspension Diamondback Bikes

Unlike a hardtail bike, a full suspension mountain bike has a frame that is, essentially, two pieces. The advantages of this are that the two sections of the frame can move independently of each other. Not unlike a car, the suspension in a full suspension mountain bike is accomplished by use of a shock absorber.  The placement of the shock absorber allows for control of the rate of movement of the two pieces of the frame. On the other hand, a hardtail bike has a solid, one-piece frame. Suspension in the hardtail mountain bike is only in the front fork.

There is no better review than watching a video of a rider who is really serious about his bikes and bike riding. It is a very big deal for this rider to admit that a full suspension mountain bike has captured his imagination in this way. He admits that he’s ridden a lot of full suspension mountain bikes before. And, he’s even raced one full suspension mountain bike. Although this rider has previously been impressed with a few such bikes, he has always felt like something was missing. In what is one of the best endorsements you will ever get, this hardcore bike enthusiast confesses that his Diamondback Mission 2 is close to the only suspension mountain bike that he would attempt the kind of ride seen in the video. He’s done a 360 on all of his mountain bikes using the same small trail entrance shown in the video as a kind of test for purposes of comparison. As he said in the video,

“The fact that my Mission 2 didn’t hold me back was a total surprise, not because of the suspension, but rather the super long chain stay.”

Diamondback is now out with release 3, a new generation of its Full Suspension Mountain Bike. This one is an improvement over the high quality Mission 2, which is no longer available.

Diamondback Bikes

All-Mountain and Trail Bikes

Diamondback bikes include both all-mountain bikes and trail bikes. The All-mountain Diamondback bicycles, like the Mission 2, have more suspension and stronger frame. Bikes like this full suspension mountain bike need such features to handle the rough terrain coming down the side of a mountain. Trail bikes, on the other hand, are somewhere between a cross-country bike and a mountain bike.

Level Link Suspension

Diamondback has equipped its trail bikes with its patent-pending Level Link technology. Level Link is Diamondback’s  short-bar four-link suspension platform created for their next generation of trail bikes. This Level-Link suspension isolates horizontal the pedaling forces and controls chain growth. In so doing it increases pedaling efficiency. The system soaks up small and large hits. In essence, you won’t feel the bumps. When you’re climbing, the rear wheel stays planted for the solid grip you will need on long roads and rough trails.

Diamondback Mountain Bikes – Quite Durable

As a full suspension Mountain bike, the Diamondback Mission 2 and the newer, Release 3 Full Suspension Mountain Bike, can handle almost anything. The lightweight aluminum frame has an incredible strength to weight ratio. The aluminum and gearing mechanism allow the bike to climb steep hills efficiently. At the same time, the frame is stiff and durable enough for the harshest of terrains. Hypothetically, a 360 like the one he does in the video should feel like 360 ing the local school bus compared to a hardtail (a bike with front suspension only). Now, in this review video, his Diamondback Mission 2 Full Suspension Mountain Bike had the rear shock absorber in climb mode for this 360, but it still gave him just enough squish to actually stick the landing.

Schwinn Dual-Suspension Men’s Mountain Bike 

Schwinn S29 Mens Mountain Bike, 29-Inch Wheels, 18-Inch/Medium Aluminum Frame, Dual-Suspension, Mechanical Disc Brakes, Multiple Colors

The knuckle box is the heart of Diamondback’s long-standing suspension platform. It allows for efficient pedaling and long travel suspension.  The knuckle box has a very low center of gravity, making it much more stable. With the Knuckle box suspension linkage, firm Easton wheels, and a smart selection of solid parts, the Diamondback Mission 2 bike definitely holds up under the stress of rugged terrain riding. In fact, as the rider points out in the video, the only thing that gives is the part of the bike that’s supposed to give, its suspension. That’s what you want from a full suspension mountain bike when you’re riding over big hills, rocks, and the like.

diamondback bikes

Diamondback Bikes Knuckle Box Frame

Mission 2 – Squishy, but Firm

For most bike riding, the rider uses the middle setting. It is still squishy but still firm enough for flats and short hill climbs. On technical climbs, the dangling even helps keep the rear rotation grounded. If you like to ride very fast and take a lot of chances, the rider recommends the Diamondback Mission2. He illustrates that this bike can handle the abuse.  At precisely under 32 pounds, the Release 3 Full Suspension Mountain Bike is no featherweight. In fact, it’s one of the best of the Diamondback bikes. And, for a 6-inch all-mountain bike, the prices are pretty good. The solid body-build implies the Diamondback Bicycles Release 3 Full Suspension Mountain Bike crashes as well as it rides. This review clearly confirms that if you’re looking for the best mountain bike engineered and manufactured for rugged terrain, then these Diamondback bikes are worth checking out.

Adjustable Saddle

Lowering the saddle o0n this bike is essential if you plan on using the bike in really rugged terrain. The Diamondback bikes manufacturer thought of that, so they made this a standard feature. They, likewise, had the ability to include the Southpaw lever, which is far superior to the one that comes with the KS Lev. As for the drivetrain, this bike is set up extremely similar to the Sync’s Pro, so no grievances there.

Wide Bars

The Sram GX 11 changing is truly smooth and light to the touch. The rider says that he prefers Shimano. However, his comparison between the Sync’s and the Diamondback Bicycles Release 3 Full Suspension Mountain Bike  reveals that this derailleur can take a beating. Like any bicycle in the all mountain classification, the Mission 2 has a short stem and wide bars. This is especially important when riding technical trails since a bump in the course can knock the bars right out of your hands.

Strong Endorsement of Diamondback Bicycles Release 3 Full Suspension Mountain Bike

With the added leverage, the case for wide bars makes sense even for a small rider like him. Getting in between trees just takes a bit of practice. Clearly, this rider is not a gearhead who likes to talk about components and measurements. He does not obsess over weight. This guy’s a real pro, and an honest one. You can’t get clearer than this comment:

“At the end of the day, I judge a bike based on how excited I am to ride it, and what I can do with it once it’s out on the trails. In that sense I hold this bike in the highest regard.”

In what can only be construed as a strong endorsement for Diamondback bikes, the rider points out that, as strange as it may seem, enough, only one other person was able to keep up with him on his cross-country adventure. That rider was himself riding one of these Diamondback bikes. In this case, the other rider was riding the earlier generation of this same bike, the Diamondback Bicycles Mission 1.

Good value for Money

These Diamondback bicycles are not discount mountain bikes. They are not cheap. However, the inevitable conclusion is that the Diamondback Bicycles  Release 3 Full Suspension Mountain Bike is worth the investment. You get what you pay for.  And in this case what you’re paying for is quality and reliability. Diamondback is known for making top quality, durable,  discount mountain bikes at considerably less cost than its competitors. They make almost every type of bike on the market.

However, do your research. and take into account the type of bike riding you’ll actually be doing. Unless you’re a dedicated bike enthusiast, it’s possible that the Diamondback Bicycles Mission 2 might be overkill. On the other hand, it’s a perfectly suited bike for any type of course you’re going to end up on. Either way, if you want to check out other serious diamondback mountain bike options, go here.

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For More details on the Diamondback Mountain Bikes, click here.