Baroque

Hi folks,

I introduced myself to this forum last June while in the process of returning to the joys of cycling after an absence of some years. I bought a Giant Sedona DX with the intention of riding dirt roads, woods trails, etc. This decision proved to be rather premature. I had a moderate foot injury when I bought the bike; about a week and a half later (after only 2-3 rides) I got crutches for the rest of the summer.

Now that I'm ready to try riding again, I find that the Sedona is just too heavy for me to carry, or to manage on rough surfaces or steep hills with a still-tender foot, even in the lowest gears. Soooo....I went back to the local bike shop and asked about trading the Sedona for something lighter.

Their suggestion is a Diamondback Insight 1 hybrid. It sure is light!!! It felt pretty good, but a little small --- they only had a 17" built to test-ride. I'm only 5'8" but the 17" bike felt a bit crammy, like I couldn't stretch my back enough. They offered to build a 19" model tonight or tomorrow so I can test that one.

What do you-all think? I have no knowledge or experience with Diamondback, and sure would appreciate your comments, suggestions, thoughts!

cheers,
Allie

Tom Bombadil

Diamondback bikes are decent values. Seem to sell for a little less markup than say a Trek or a Giant. Sometimes their prices are 10%-20% less than seemingly comparable other bikes, but if you look close, that is usually due to down-leveling a component or two.

Don't know what your dealer is asking for an Insight 1. My concerns about it would be: 1) All-aluminum frame & fork on a lower-end bike usually results in a harsher ride. 2) Key components like the crankset (Suntour) and rear derailleur (Acera) are fairly low-end. 3) Wheels use no-name hubs with generic brakes.

Now in terms of performance per dollar, it may be pretty good. It is relatively lightweight. It has a more aggressive riding position than your Sedona. I like the frame design, it has a high head position.

I think it might be okay on roads, although am not convinced. I am quite skeptical that it would produce a comfortable ride on trails or dirt roads. I've tried a few all-aluminum no-suspension bikes on rough surfaces and didn't like any of them. But that is always left to the individual to determine.

If you like the dealer, then I'd check out the Insight 2, as it does have a carbon fork (which helps a lot IMHO to smooth out the ride). And it has better components, like a Deore-level rear derailleur, Shimano crankset (a lower-end one, but better than that Suntour) and Avid brakes.

stapfam

Although I ride aluminium- I would share the same concern as Tom over the harshness of ally Frame and fork. Possibly unfounded as this will not be used on aggressive terrain. If the frame is light enough- then The components fitted to it are not a major problem- except that they will have to be upgraded as they wear out, which could be fairly quickly due to their low grade.

It is easy for us to say look for a better bike- but in the cheaper range -There is not much difference between bikes. And then there is the fact that the first bike you get get is only part of the learning curve of what your next bike will be. Now if this is a good price up against other bikes in the range- Go for it.

Baroque

Hi Tom, Stamfam,

Thanks so much for your replies. The dealer is asking $349 for the 2008 Intrigue 1, with the Suntour/Acera componentry. I paid $349 for the 2006 model Sedona DX in June, which came boxed with Shimano C101/Alivio componentry (same shop).

The dealer is offering to give me what he thinks he can sell the Sedona for, as a used bike. I was on crutches before I could even get the free 30-day tuneup, so it's pretty much pristine. The dealer also said he would swap out the stem for me to an adjustable one if needed, at no charge.

I'll ask the dealer if he has the Intrigue 2, and will also have another look around the shop (absolutely crammed with bikes) to see if we overlooked any other options. I know I'll miss the awesome suspension of the Sedona, but it's sad to look at it just sitting in the garage, not able to ride it. So I'm really looking forward to finding another bike that I can actually use and enjoy. Thanks so much for your help! I'll take all your advice with me to the shop today. It will help me to stay firmly focused on making the right choice.

best regards! wish me luck,
Allie

stapfam

Suspension on a bike at that price- Or the sedona- Is hardly worth having. Now if you wanted to spend $400 on a fork on its own- you would be getting a fork that works- so at this price- do not worry about rigid forks. They work and steer better than a great number of Suspension bikes in any case.

Little Darwin

Honestly, I can understand the issue of lifting the bike, but how often do you need to lift it?

The weight is also an issue when climbing, so if you ride where there are a lot of hills, that is a concern as well.

But, I would like to note that unless climbing hills or lifting the bike, the weight is virtually meaningless while riding.

However, in my opinion, you may be better served to take a couple of steps to lighten your Sedona DX(which has a fairly decent component mix, as that is what I have ridden for 3K miles)

What year is your Sedona? In other words, does it have disk brakes? You can lose a couple of pounds by moving to a Rigid fork. The Tange Chromoly fork is fairly light, and going threadless is fairly easy. My LBS set me up pretty quickly. There are also rigid forks available that support disk brakes, but they are a little heavier, but still lighter than the suspension fork.

Get rid of the suspension seat post, for a lighter rigid post.

You can also go lighter on the wheels if you are not a heavyweight like me.

You will notice some harsher jolts if you aren't prepared for potholes, but the overall ride is still very nice, and the bike will be several pounds lighter. ANd I like the livlier response without the pogo stick front suspension.

This will be a little more expensive than a straight up trade, but in my opinion, I ended up with a better bike.

Tom Bombadil

I don't fully agree with this. He said he would be riding dirt roads and wood trails. A lightweight suspension, as found on my hybrids, does help smooth the ride on these surfaces. That's why they are so popular with people who ride graveled bike trails.

You don't need a high end mountain bike suspension to do this job. And having no suspension at all results in a ride that many find unpleasant. Many road bikers talk about some bikes having a harsh ride that wears them out. And this is when riding on asphalt. What do you think the same bike will feel like on a gravel trail?

Now if he is going to ride mountain bike trails, with serious bumps and obstacles, then I agree that having a good suspension would be worth it.

I ride dirt and gravel trails all the time. I'd say about 90% of all of the bikes I see on them have suspensions. And those suspensions, while not absorbing many 3" obstacles, do make for a smoother, more comfortable ride by absorbing thousands of tiny bumps.

If Baroque gets a bike without suspension, I think he will need to be careful about selecting one that is not too harsh on uneven surfaces.

I do agree with Little Darwin that he should think hard about getting rid of the Sedona, which does seem like a reasonably decent bike for what he wants to do.

Baroque

<gulp> I'm not quite in $400 fork league yet! Maybe next year :-)

I forgot to mention that with the ongoing foot problem, I expect to be doing more riding on paved roads/trails or other smooth surfaces for awhile.

Baroque

I live in a 2nd floor apartment at present, so I have to carry the bike up and down a steep flight stairs....and the hills are more numerous, and steeper, than I realized before I started biking again...
I don't have disk brakes, but the thought of replacing the fork did cross my mind. I'm just not sure that changing out the fork, wheels, etc is going to give me the bike I need right now. Food for thought, though, and I'll certainly ask the dealer what he thinks of this option. Yesterday he advised me to be sure that I have a problem before I start fixing a problem. When I told him that I had to get off the bike and walk up hills because I simply can't put enough pressure on my foot to pedal up the long, winding, and very steep hills around here, he was more convinced that I really need a lighter bike.

Baroque

Whoops...I should have mentioned, I'm a she and while my hubby is willing to carry my bike for me, I want to be able to do it myself, and of course, I'll still have to do the pedalling. For the time being, I'll be sticking to smoother roads, but it would be nice to have a bike that could withstand gravel trails and woods roads next year. Right now I'm feeling very conflicted; feeling bad about getting rid of the Sedona that I spent so much time choosing, yet when I lift it I think wow, I sure wish I had a lighter bike. Am hoping to find a compromise bike of some kind.

tsl

Some people don't ride from home. They have to lift the bike on and off a car carrier.

As for myself, every ride begins by lifting the bike down from here...


...and carrying it down these...


...reversing the process when I get home. So there is value for light weight besides weight-weenieism.

For what it's worth, the bike in the second photo is a Giant Cypress DX, the 700c version of the Sedona. Clearly I used to carry it like that, but do I want to? NO. It weighs a ton. I much prefer carrying my road bikes down for a ride.