Diamondback or GT?

G

gphillipk

Registered
Hi guys & girls,
I did that most odious of mistakes and bought a supermarket bike. I regretted it from the outset and have spent more time taking the bike for repair than riding it...I've resolved to get rid of it and get myself a good entry-level bike. It'll be used for the odd commute to work, but mostly for exercise. Have done what I should have done i.e. research and I've settled on these 2 brands. Basically, I want to get a bike with adjustable front shock, hardtail and the Shimano Alivio groupset.
What're your personal preferences as far as the 2 brands are concerned? Which has better reputation and reliability?
 
Well, I prefer Giant myself (but then my needs are probably different to yours), but of the two you've narrowed it down to, I'd go with the Diamondback, mainly because I'm more familiar with the brand and have only ever heard good things.
 
I wasn't familiar with GT either, so I looked into them real quick and found out they're owned by Pacific Cycle (who also owns Schwinn and Mongoose). I'm not sure about GT, but both Schwinn and Mongoose have gone down hill recently. As far as Diamondback, they used to be some of the best bikes money could buy—10 to 15 years ago, but now I'm not so sure anymore. They're owned by Raleigh America, and from the people I spoke with when I was looking their quality has gone way down since the buyout.

I was all set to get one (Diamondback) in June but decided to go with a cheaper Schwinn that just "felt" better to me...all I wanted it for was some exercise and occasional short trips (save gas). So far it's been a great bike, I'll have to wait and see if any problems arise.

All things considered, I'd suggest you try each one out and see what you like the best. What may be good for one person may be horrible for another. Make sure you get a chance to ride it before you buy it...so in other words spend the extra cash to deal with a real bicycle shop and not an internet supplier or some kind of 'mega-mart' sporting goods store. Based on a few reviews I saw on the net, the GTs win over the Diamondbacks and they'd be my choice if I was limited to just those two. If I was buying something I wanted to keep for a long time...and not limited to those two brands...then I'd buy a Trek or a Specialized.

A good site with reviews is http://www.mtbr.com/.
 
I have an old pair of Diamondback, I love them. I ride mostly in the city, they are very light, very reliable, looks good...(I bought them second hand and still don't want to replace them).
 
Does anybody know of Merida mountain bikes? Their Kalahari series doesn't look too bad. It most probably isn't available in the US coz I've not been able to locate any info/reviews...
 
Meridia is the second largest Taiwanese bicycle maker (behind Giant). Like you, I can't discover any info about the bicycles on-line.
 
Mechanical disk brakes; how reliable are they? I just saw a Schwinn Mesa GSD equipped with such brakes and its quite tempting.
 
Get a specialized, they are amazing quality. I race BMX and have always liked specialized the best and also have a BigHit downhill bike. http://specialized.com they make road and touring bikes as well. Disk brakes arent really important if you are on the road, it is more for trail/downhill where you are constantly applying brake pressure as it assists the braking so it is easier on your fingers. There also isnt a huge difference with mechanical disc brakes vs. traditional. you see the big difference with hydraulic disc brakes.
 
Without trying to shove another name in, (although GT are very good Downhill bikes) i really think you should consider Marin

IMO, the best bikes in the world.
 
Lt Major Burns said:
Without trying to shove another name in, (although GT are very good Downhill bikes) i really think you should consider Marin

IMO, the best bikes in the world.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the suggestion, but I'm limited to what's available on the local market. And from the quick browse of their products, they're rather expensive...as a comparison, the Shwinn Mesa bike I saw today is about the same price as their 3rd cheapest bike and that has an Acera rear derailleur while the Mesa had a Deore RD.
 
Sounds like you looked at the Mesa GSX, which I've been told is a very nice bike for the money. Mine's a Mesa GS, so I don't have the "disc brakes" but other than that it's pretty much the same as the rest of the Mesa line with some minor exceptions such as the front fork/suspension and stock derailleur (The Mesa has a Shimano Altus, The Mesa GS and Mesa GSD have a Shimano Alivio, and the Mesa GSX has the Shimano Deore).

Remember you can always change the derailleur out if you're not happy with the stock one, so I wouldn't put priority on that necessarily. I'll probably be adding an XTR or XTR Rapid Rise to mine soon since I'm not very happy with the Alivio system at all...it's just too slow and has miss-shifted under load (stress) too many times. After reading some reviews on it, I'm not the only one having those issues it seems.

The Mesas are a bit on the heavy side, probably 5 pounds or so heavier than most mid-level bikes. In all honesty the weight isn't too bad, all things considered. I can lift it on top of my SUV without a problem, or put it in back if need be. Most of the weight is from the frame...which is very stoutly built. I'd have to say that's the best thing about this bike...the frame. Definitely worth throwing money into upgrades later on. The rims are another matter all together...I've already bent my back one, though it was due mainly to my own stupidity more than anything else. I had it laying in the back of the SUV and a had some other items around it...which at some point migrated on top of it.


There's not much more to say really...everyone you speak with will have a different opinion on who makes the best bike. Some will have a good reason, others will just like the one they have (brand loyalty) because they have it. Regardless, that really doesn't mean much nor should it. You need to go out and try a few, seeing which feels best and fits you the best. It's really no different than buying a car...you wouldn't do that without test-driving one or looking at it, would you?
 
I finally settled on a bike; its a South African brand (Silverback) that not well known yet. I got good components for a fair price: It has a Deore LX RD and Deore FD, Suntour shock, Deore shifters...., but a one year guarantee on the frame.
I was sorely tempted by a Giant Iguana (with those hydraulic disc brakes...yum), but it has a nasty FD (Alivio) and I nearly damaged the chain when test riding. That put me off the bike.
 
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