Diamondback Bicycles 2014 Overdrive Mountain Bike with 29-Inch Wheels

CUSTOMER REVIEW



Now that I've owned other bikes I feel like I can give this an honest review.



This was my first mountain bike and it never let me down while I was getting familiar with the sport. I put quite a few miles on beginner single track without any hiccups. I recently moved and there are a ton of tracks near me. Anything from beginner to expert is within minutes. I regularly ride an expert trail that has a quite a few climbs, jumps, drops and tree logs to clear. Long story short, if you're a beginner this is a great bike but once you start moving to more advanced rides you will want something better. Here's my review...



Clearance. If you're a beginner...a 29 inch wheel will make the sport more enjoyable. I now own a full-suspension 26er and it's taken me some time to adjust to the lesser clearance.



Components. Haven't had anything fail yet. Once I set everything up correctly, I have no complaints. If you're having issues shifting...chances are you're out of adjustment and need to spend some time fine tuning. When I first got the bike, I was pretty frustrated with the front dérailleur. I was pretty positive it was junk and needed to be replaced. I finally took the time to learn how to set it up and I wish I would have sooner.



Brakes. Again, take the time to learn how they work! I was having rubbing issues at first but after some time on Google...I figured out how to adjust and wah-lah. No more rubbing and no issues stopping. Super easy to service.



Tires are decent. I never noticed anything until I hit steeper terrain. They tend to slide easily, making steep climbs harder.



I'm 6'1'' 175lbs and the Large frame fits me well. As expected.



Front fork. Okay, this one is a little tricky. Like I said, I was riding beginner tracks at first so the fork served me well. Once I got on rougher tracks, I could tell my buddies with nicer bikes weren't taking the same beating I was. The preload adjustment does nothing for me...not sure why it's even there. I bought a Trek full-suspension bike and it's unreal how much easier the trails are on my upper body. The fork is fine for beginner or even moderate tracks. You'll feel it once you're on the big tracks, though.



Overall, I've been super pleased with my purchase and would buy again. I do own a full-suspension Trek now but will keep this bike as a backup / hardtail option and upgrade the fork.