Mountain Biking - Anyone use the term "Black Diamond Bikes"?

I picked up my "occasional" issue of Moutain Bike Action and was reading some reviews on the throne last night. I kept reading the term "Black Diamond" frames, or bikes or ? to refer to freeride bikes. Has anyone else heard of this reference? Is it common? Or, is it just one of those things that RC (Rich Cunningham) has a bugaboo about and doesn't like the term "Freeride"?

L8R

I still use the term "freeride" black diamond sounds to weird and dosent fit. It's a term thats used a lot more in downhill skiing than i see in the biking world. but i do have trail maps that are rated with sybols such as a green circle, blue square and black diamonds. but even the "black diamond" trails are nothing to compair to what "free riders" do. so thats one other reson i dont like to use the term black diamond.

It is just one of thoes dumbarse RC/MBA things.

Those guys are some of the biggest hypocrits around. They are always bashing us Freeriders for riding illeagal trails but just about every bike test involving a freeride bike has one or two shots of them riding our local "Illeagal" trails.

I wrote to them about this but I susspect I will get no response ;)

:beer: :beer:

No...I use black diamon to refer to difficult trails...double black diamond to refer to freeride trails...the bike is just a freeride bike :)

Typical MBA. They're just as bad as MXA. Trying to coin a new phrase, dorks. I think that they are also replacing the word "freeride" with "black diamond" in reader's letters. You know those readers weren't privy yet to MBA's new term in the issue that they announced they would begin using it. Yet their letter had the term wedged in their by MBA. It sounds lame.

Hey, you guys should check out my new "black diamond" snowboard? :p

Originally posted by dpdsurf
Hey, you guys should check out my new "black diamond" snowboard?

Do they match your Black Diamond rock climbing harness and your Black Diamond Hefeweizen beer bottles and your Black Diamond XT long-travel shocks on your Jeep? And your... I should stop now :D

I dont like MBA, they write contradictory reviews and they create new niche terms just about every issue. I get it just to see whats new in the bike world and theres a ton of bike porn in there. What pissed me off was when they gave the Fuel 100 the edge with braking against the NRS Air because the Fuel had V's and they were plenty enough power for a XC bike even though in every letter that asks about brakes they'll always say to go with discs

Originally posted by PeterG1185
I dont like MBA, they write contradictory reviews and they create new niche terms just about every issue. I get it just to see whats new in the bike world and theres a ton of bike porn in there.

Agreed. I used to get MBA all the time back in the late 1980s and early 1990s when they had more interesting articles and of course for the bike porn. However, ever since bike companies started putting up their literature on websites in the mid-1990s and with other more unbiased reviewers throwing out better information, I've stopped getting MBA unless I'm stuck at an airport with no connectivity and truly craving for something bicycle related to read.

I think that term is freakin gay. It's freeriding.

I think I'll be taking my "green circle" bike for a ride tonight. The "blue square" is in the shop and the "black diamond" needs a new rim.

dpdsurf, your not making fun of me now are you :p lol

dpdsurf, your not making fun of me now are you lol

Not at all. Well on second thought, are you a "green circle" rider"? Just kidding. Either way it doesn't matter, as long as you ride. Just ask those "pink polka dot" riders over at MBA.

Pure MBA.

lol

black diamond is an album by the Rippingtons.think the folks at MBA listen to jazz?probably not.they heard someone talking about a cool disc they heard while driving from a good freeride and just took it from there

Black Diamond? I think they meant Pink Triangle. Dorks

What exactly was the reasoning behind them starting to call them black diamond bikes/trails anyhow? They didn't like the negative connotation associated with freeriding? Seems pretty http://www.dirtpassion.com/ghey to me.

I think it actually had to do with people not knowing what freeriding is. Everyone started to claim to 'freeride' when in reality they were trailriding. Most bikes can take a trailride but there is a definate 'strength' level required for freeriding. Black diamond defines a definate line between freeriding and trailriding. At least thats what I would assume.

But you are right about the little pink dude :)

So the whole "Black Diamond" thing has nothing to do with the KISS song? That's a shame.

isnt FREEriding supposed to be FREE? without labels and stuff?

I think MBA was trying to alleviate confusion of what freeriding is, but I agree they're dorks.

Originally posted by PeterG1185
I dont like MBA, they write contradictory reviews and they create new niche terms just about every issue. I get it just to see whats new in the bike world and theres a ton of bike porn in there. What pissed me off was when they gave the Fuel 100 the edge with braking against the NRS Air because the Fuel had V's and they were plenty enough power for a XC bike even though in every letter that asks about brakes they'll always say to go with discs

I agree... meatheads, the lot of them :fight: . The magazine is all fluff, no substance.
If you want hard-hitting reviews, pick up the British mags.