Well, it’s been a fun six months already with the Diamondback Overdrive Pro. Now it’s time for me to give you my final thoughts on this long black big wheeler.
First of all, thanks go out to Diamondback for fixing us up with the Overdrive Pro. It’s a great bike with some interesting quirks. Here are my final thoughts and a result of a little experiment for you.
Weight: This was a concern going in, but it turned out to be a bit of a non-issue, with the exception of the few times I had to hike-a-bike. I did do a bit of an experiment though. I pulled off the stock wheels and tires and swapped them out with a middle of the road replacement wheel set and different tires. The Overdrive Pro went from 32 lbs to just under 30, at 29.7lbs. Wheels and tires are a great upgrade, and I figured that most Overdrive owners would look there as a first place to change things out. (Besides the personalized touches like saddles, handle bars, and pedals) Again, I’ve no doubt that if someone put the Overdrive on a serious weight loss program that it could get into the 25-26lb range pretty quickly. The frame is worth it if you get on with the geometry.
Components: All throughout the test period, the Overdrive Pro’s components shined. I was pleasantly surprised at the amount of abuse and adverse conditions they could handle. On my last ride, I was shifting under load and it snapped off the changes without hesitation. Nice! especially after so much muck and mire had been thrown at the drivetrains parts. There are a lot of solid component specs on this rig, but my favorite had to be the Dual Release Rapid Fire shifters. Nice stuff!
The Frame: This is where you will either love or hate the DB Overdrive Pro. It’s a longish, slightly slack frame which really, really likes fast carving and big sweeping turns. If your trails turn all techy and tight, the Diamondback will hold it’s own, but it isn’t best here. I have said in other updates that I liked the way it dealt with slow speed handling, and I do, but it really is at home on some fast, open terrain. I found out up in Decorah, Iowa that these sorts of trails were the Diamondback’s forte’, and it reminded me of my first rides in Bootleg Canyon aboard another DB Overdrive Pro. The frame itself is plenty stiff and climbs well. I thought the standover was a bit tight for my liking, but I made do. It wouldn’t put me off this bike, but all the same, it might be worth looking into if you are wanting some clearance.
Final Analysis: The Diamondback Overdrive Pro, and it’s lesser priced sibling, the Overdrive, are unique rigs with their more “29″er-ish” traits. I thought the bike was on the stable side handling-wise, in a good way. Those fighting tech fests in gnarly terrain may want to look elsewhere, but for most other riders looking for a 29″er, these Overdrives should be on your radar. It’s components are very serviceable and will do the job. The frame is solid, well built, and stiff where it needs to be. My advice would be to look to the wheels as your first upgrade, which would drop a significant amount of weight right where it matters most. As it stands though, the 2008 Diamondback Overdrive Pro gets my thumbs up as a worthy hardtail 29″er trail rig.
Tim,
after reviewing the geo off the website, it doesn’t look that slack and long when comparing to GF bikes and to Niner. The GF is actually just as long and much more slack and the Niner has same TT length with a degree steeper HA. It looks quite similar to others out there as well.
Just curious if it was really that different than most other 29ers out there. Do you usually ride a medium sized bike?
THX
Fishers are unique because head tube angles and fork offsets are created to work together. The forks are different, wildly different. You’d hurt yourself with a Fisher’s fork in an Intense Spyder, for instance.
Tbone: Hey, thanks for your comment. By the way, I’m Guitar Ted. Tim is doing the J.E.T. 9 review. Perhaps there was some confusion there due to that. Anyway……….
Cloxxki is correct, the geometry has to be looked at from a “whole package” viewpoint. Also worth noting: The Fisher site gives sagged and unsagged geometry numbers.
In the head angle department, Diamondback is a degree slacker than most available, and yes: It does make a differance, especially when you take into account the fork, it’s offset, and that it has 100mm travel.
As far as sizing, this bike is a large. I generally find myself “in between” sizing on most stock mass produced bikes. For instance, my custom bike is a 19 incher with a slightly shorter top tube than the large Diamondback.
Hope that clears things up a bit.
Nice review. Great advice on the wheels. Rolling weight not only makes the bike lighter, but also greatly affects the handling and quickness of the bike. Wheels can be one of the most important upgrades on a bike.
At 32 lbs. stock, I think they might lose some sales on a hard tail. Those of us that have been riding a long time know that the weight can be shaved easily, but a first time buyer generally goes for the lighter rig. With other bikes in the market like the On One, this price range is getting very competitive and the bikes are starting to ride much like their higher priced competition.
Wheel weight can really impact how a bike feels. That’s different from being fast or slow, those effects are near impossible to grasp with a stopwatch. We’re fighting so much more than wheel weight. Like 50 to 100 times more. And we can only shave off part of that 1-2%, never all.
My gut an butt are now 4 full wheelsets overweight. I need to get lighter wheels
32 lbs?!?!?! WTF?!? I thought it was a hardtail. Apparently it’s a Rocky Mtn. Slayer.. Sweet Jesus, man.
GT,
Sorry for getting you guys mixxed up. I hope I didnt sound un-appreciative of the review – thanks. I gotcha now.
Hola,
I am the only one in Bariloche, Patagonia, who dare have a 29er!! I do have a Redline Monocog.
Can yo explain the geometry isse on the DB Overdrive Pro??? What’s the difference with, let’s say the Gary Fisher X-caliber??? I am 6′ 3″ and I owe to buy a 22 and/or 21″..
Muchas gracias!!!
Diego Allolio
Bariloche
Diego: Basically your question is pitting two different philosophies on 29″ers against each other.
Fisher X-Caliber (2008 or newer) G2 geometry will make the bike feel more like a 26″er. None of the “heaviness” in steering will be prevalent.
Daimondback: A much more stable, slower/heavier feel than G2. Some folks crave the stability which they feel allows for more control on high speed technical single track.