Mountain Biking - 2006 Diamondback Response Sport (disc)

not being able to decide which bike to get this year i experienced a moment of weakness at an lbs yesterday. i was lookin' to see what price points there were for bikes with disc brakes. i wanted something with a wide, knobby tire. my primary bike has "cross" tires on it which roll out nice but sometimes i want something beefier under me. there it sat with a retail price of $450 and 120mm travel. i'm sure i don't need that much travel but it looks so cool to see that much chrome coming out the top. obviously they're saving money in the drivetrain (alivio) but for a spare bike with those features at that price i succumbed. there was a specialized bike with similiar components for $120 more. it just seemed like a good value, especially after a discount and some necessary freebies thrown in. and the snow should melt off someday...

http://www.diamondback.com/items.asp?deptid=14&itemid=176

Congratulations!!!!

Congratulations. that really is a cool bike at that price range. I thought about buying the Response Comp, but the color of Response sport looked so great. but, none of the local bike shop had that model. So, I bought a Cinder Cone. But, I really liked the "strong box" frame on that bike. Also, the fact that Diamondback is providing lifetime warrenty with their 2006 line says something about the amount of confidence thay have on this frame.

Can you please let us know how it rides, feels, and what is your general opinion about the frame (strength, geometry, etc.)? thanks

and enjoy your ride.

That is a bike that I also am considering in that price range! Yeah, tell us about when you have had a little time on it!

The Respone Sport defintaly looks better then it used look like in 04' and 05' years ago. They should change the Tektro disc brakes though.

[edit]- The Response Comp is something to look at. Its a nice build.
http://www.diamondback.com/items.asp?deptid=14&itemid=175

i think they do avid brakes on the comp but that's another $200 - and for a spare bike i didn't want to get too spendy. if i got up into a higher price range i would've just got something in the gary fisher 29er line. now i've got a year to decide what i want next - maybe a rig. i had them order a 22" frame for me so i won't actually have it for another week or so. i'll post some thoughts after i get to ride it a bit. the warranty is news to me - nice to know tho'

i may post some more thoughts later but here are some initial impressions. The bike looks AGGRESSIVE in general. of course it has typical POS pedals. of course the drivetrain is low end so one should avoid shifting fast uphill. i would suggest leaving the left in 2 and just shifting on the right. tektro discs are not as "refined" as avid discs but they work well, even on descents, and i can't discern any downside to them. the color, "rusty pipe", looks cool and workmanlike although the nomenclature does invite some grade school humor. for a budget bike it looks suited to rough terrain. the tubes merge from round to square to create a strongbox gusset at the headtube. is it really stronger or does it just look cool? there's so much contact point for the welds it has to be stronger. the fork looks impressive for a budget bike. i have never done, nor will i ever do, anything that requires 120mm of travel so i can't tell you much about the fork. kenda klaw xt 26x2.1 tires are beefy. the knobs are spread out just right so they won't get packed with mud. the side knobs do just what you want them to in the corners and the center knobs grab the terrain when stopping. if you're used to turning tight corners on pavement you'll need a slicker tire on the front. this bike looks like a good value and it looks like it can take a beating. if it's the only bike you're gonna have then try to move up to the response comp. but for a spare bike or a tight budget this looks like a good value.

btw, i got a look at a couple new '06 bikes. the trek soho (casual commuter) looks nifty in a whole-foods-eating/volvo-driving/npr-listening/music-festival-attending/yuppie kind of way. but of more interest was the gary fisher cobia 29er. nice deep blue color with some morphing on the tubes. i just rode it on pavement but it felt very solid. i likely would have bought it instead if the frame was my size.

i may post some more thoughts later but here are some initial impressions. The bike looks AGGRESSIVE in general. of course it has typical POS pedals. of course the drivetrain is low end so one should avoid shifting fast uphill. i would suggest leaving the left in 2 and just shifting on the right. tektro discs are not as "refined" as avid discs but they work well, even on descents, and i can't discern any downside to them. the color, "rusty pipe", looks cool and workmanlike although the nomenclature does invite some grade school humor. for a budget bike it looks suited to rough terrain. the tubes merge from round to square to create a strongbox gusset at the headtube. is it really stronger or does it just look cool? there's so much contact point for the welds it has to be stronger. the fork looks impressive for a budget bike.

Would you mind posting some pictures of the bike? the picture in the DB website does not do justice to the bike, IMHO.

Ok...here it is.....

sweet. enjoy it. thanks for the pic.