Spring has sprung here and now we’re bustin’ out all the review stuff again out on the local trails. One of the latest rigs to get thrashed is the Diamondback Overdrive Pro.

If you have not read the previous update, you might check that out. I tell you there about the different way in which Diamondback approached the handling on this bike. It will figure heavily into this update as well.

First off, let me give you the lowdown on the trails I rode the Overdrive Pro on for this update. The local loop I hit up is very technical. Lots of up and down, slow speed manuevering, and log hops galore. It has been a bit on the muddy side yet too, making the difficulty factor much higher. Basically it is a trail that a 29″er is supposed to be poor at, much less a 29″er that doesn’t follow the trend to make the big wheels handle like a 26″er.

Well, let me say that what I found in the Diamondback’s handling in the winter translated right over to the spring muck, mire, and steeps. It was super stable at low and high speeds lending a sense of security and confidence that a “twitchier” bike would not have done. It motored through the mud with nary a slip out and launched over log piles and obstacles with ease. I was really impressed with how the 100mm travel Reba worked with this frame geometry. It didn’t feel like I was driving a truck so much as it seemed that the bike was on a rail, even in slippery conditions. I had a hoot on it riding these trails and I would not hesitate to grab this bike for a woods adventure anytime.

In fact, I’m going to do just that when it dries up a bit more because I think the Overdrive Pro is going to be the rig that I clean this entire loop on for the first time ever. Really, it’s that good at technical stuff. It doesn’t look like it should be on paper, and it certainly isn’t a lightweight, but it is a whole lot of fun to ride on technical woodsy trails.

One of the little things I noticed was that this rig has rack mounts! An obscure but useful feature that some of you may want to know about on the Overdrive series. Being able to fit a rack, (with some modding on the disc side, but do-able) might make this the “do-it-all” bike you are looking for. Commuting on your 29″er now becomes an option here, which I think is a cool feature.

We’ll be motoring up to the home of the Big Wheeled Ballyhoo with the Overdrive Pro soon and will report back on our findings. Stay Tuned!