Blue Collar Summary:

Diamondback has long provided adventure hungry bikers with the rides they need. The company produced a comfortable, affordable and great looking bike this year in their XSL Trail. The bike ranges from $1065-1100, which is excellent considering the fact that this is a full suspension ride.

I tested this bike over a period of about 3 months, in both winter and spring conditions. Most of my rides were in dry weather, though I did take the XSL out serveral times in sloppier conditions. Since the XSL is a full suspension bike, most of my riding was off road. Among other things, I was able to test the bike’s ability to corner at high speeds, handle creek & log crossings and climb/descend at both firm and plush suspension settings. Most of the time, my zeal to push this bike to its limit caused me to ride way too fast… and I crashed a few times as a result. Ultimately, I found out that the Diamondback XSL Trail is much better suited to survive a head on crash with a tree than my frail body is…..

Disclaimer:

There was no money involved in the writing of this review. This was the first full suspension bike I have ridden, however I reviewed it from an unbiased perspective based soley on its performance.

My Background:

I’m 6′0″ and 170 lbs. Almost all of my riding has been cross country, with most trails ranging from moderate to difficult. All of my bikes, including the vintage Huffy I love so much, have 26 inch wheels. Most of my experience is in riding the traditional multispeed 26′er, however I have done a ride or two on other bikes like the Redline Monocog singlespeed and Gary Fisher X-Caliber (29′er). Though I’ve been riding for about 2 1/2 years, I still consider myself to be a novice and therefore this review illustrates the perspective of a non-professional enthusiast.

Bike Setup:

This bike was completely stock with the exception of the pedals, which were switched from the original Shimano 505’s to Crank Brother Candy C pedals. Given my height, the frame size was perfect.

Specs:

• Frame: Vectra Trail All Mountain 7005 heat treated OS aluminum, zero stack head tube, bi-axial oval / “Near Diamond” down tube, extruded / CNC machined seat mast, sealed bearing pivots, 4.5″ & 5″ rear travel
• Fork:Marzocchi EXR Pro Air 120mm Dual Open Bath SSV Damping System, Dual External preload adjustment, Magnesium slider
• Headset: WTB zero stack 1 1/8″ threadless
• Bottom Bracket: ISIS Sealed Cartridge
• F. Derailleur: Shimano LX 31.8
• R. Derailleur: Shimano LX
• Shift Lever:Shimano Deore 9-spd Rapid Fire
• Cog Set:Sram PG-950 11-32T 9spd
• Rims:WTB Dual Duty XC double wall 32H w/ eyelets, machined sidewalls
• Tires: WTB Moto Raptor 26 X 2.14
• Brakes:Avid Single Digit w/ cartridge pads
• Brake Levers: Avid Speed Dial 7

Performance and Observations:

The first thing that struck me about Diamonback’s XSL trail was simple: its color. The bright red gleam of the XSL made me drool the instant I set my eyes on it. This was my first experience with a full-suspension cycle, and obviously, I couldn’t wait to take it for a spin.

Before I even mounted the XSL, I did a good once over to check out the various components it had which were foreign to me. The rear shock is a Fox Float R, featuring what I called the “little red knob” to adjust ride stiffness. As I stood in awe of the Marzocchi EXR Pro air fork, I promptly unscrewed the cap on the crown and pressed on the valve — letting nearly all of the air out. Obviously I didn’t know what I was doing but at the time I didnt care… I mean…. a bright red FS bike with a Marzocchi fork! I was happy with my Rockshox Judy TT until then, and boy, I was in for a pleasant suprise. I must’ve played with the settings for 15 minutes before I actually got on for a ride.

I hit the trails full of energy, ready to take anything and everything at full speed. I’d long been hearing “once you go full suspension you never go back” so I was truly ready to taste some crazy singletrack action on the XSL. The first obstacle at Peak’s View Park (where I normally ride) is a group of large rocks jutting out of the ground near the entrance to the trail. I’m sure at one time these were relatively flat, but years of runoff and ground erosion have caused them to stick out a bit. Something seemed strangely different as I steamrolled over the rocks with ease. I noticed instantly that, unlike what happens on my HT Trek, the tail didn’t slam to the ground. It seemed to form to the rocks as I rode over them… a feeling I wasn’t used to.

The next thing I was itching to try was some log crossings. Generally large logs scare me; when I rode in a group I would sometimes slip back unnoticed so I could carry my bike over the big ones. Well, I decided “I’m finally on a full suspension bike, so now I have no excuse”, and before long I was jumping every dead tree I could find. I’m still not great at log crossings mind you, but riding the Diamondback alleviated a lot of my fears and made the majority of the logs easily managable.

Another thing I was concerned about was speed and cornering agility. I’m not sure how much the Diamondback weighs, but truthfully it didn’t feel much heavier than what I’m accustomed to. Acceleration was a breeze despite the larger tires (2.14″ WTB Moto Raptors), and I was able to ride for just as long as I usually could without experiencing a great deal of roll resistance. Corners were a different story, however. I assumed that the somewhat thick tires would help this bike perform well on tight turns… but I had numerous wash-outs and crashes even on the easier corners. Maybe it was my inexperience, maybe the bike is ill-suited for tight turns at moderate speeds, maybe a mix of both… but I must’ve had at least 5 accidents in 2 weeks while leaning into turns.

In reality, what this bike seems to lack in cornering it more than makes up in its excellent ability to perform well on descents. There are several trails at Peak’s View that I’d previously approached with great caution while going a white-knuckled 5mph with the brakes nearly locked. Fear not…. riding the Diamondback XSL Trail totally destroyed these irrational fears. By the end of my third ride I was going backwards down a trail I’d barely ever attempted… as fast as I could. Maybe it was all in my head, but I tend to believe that it was because this ride has the hardware necessary to go balls out down some steep singletrack and keep you right where you want to be. The XSL even allows you to adjust rear travel between 4.5″ and 5″, something that undoubtedly will come in handy on a day where you’re facing a particularly technical trail. The “little red knob” on the Fox Float R rear shock was a feature that I utilized on many occasions, especially when facing long, steep climbs. All I had to do was reach under the seat a give the dial a quick turn to eliminate any threat of tail bob. The Diamondback felt more like a hardtail with the rear shock set at its firmest setting… quite an impressive feat considering the bike’s price. The front fork was great, too. All of my previous knowledge of Marzocchi (and air forks in general) had come from magazines and internet reviews, so I was anxious to try one out. The Marzocchi Exr Pro performed extremely well (especially compared to my old $65 fork) and left little to be desired. The rebound on this fork was incredible, and when properly adjusted for my weight the Exr recovered from sizable drops with ease. I would’ve loved to see a lockout option, but this fork didn’t have one… I can’t really complain though; 120mm of travel will take care of me any day of the week.

The drivetrain performed admirably as well. From time to time I’ve heard people complain about the quality of Shimano’s Deore LX product line, but the LX on the Diamondback seemed to hold up very well. Despite my crashes, foul ups and lead feet, the Shimano parts on the XSL never failed to impress. I did get chain stuck on a few separate occasions, but I was mostly to blame due to my reluctance to ride off of the trail and avoid the muddy troughs. Diamondback used various components from Truvativ on the XSL, and as I expected, they took a beating and held up just fine. I did strip the threads on one of the crankarms (causing the pedal to fall off) but that was our fault for twisting the part in sideways. No big deal… a lesson learned.

All in all, I was very satisfied with this bike… especially since before I gave it a try, I’d never ridden anything with rear suspension. After spending the majority of the summer in Chicago riding on city paths with my Trek hardtail, I couldn’t help but miss the Diamondback and the challenge of some truly technical trails. This ride provides a low-cost, high quality transition into the world of full suspension mountain biking and I would recommend it to anyone interested in more agressive riding.

Strengths:
• Excellent climbing/decending stability
• Handles logs and large obstacles very well
• Provides seemless and reliable shifting
• Adjustable rear travel (4.5″ to 5″)
• Feels like a hardtail when it needs to

Weaknesses:
• Unpredictable on quick corners