Diamondback Overdrive 29'er. A Second Look

Hello and Welcome, Just a few months ago I did a Blog Post titled "Searching for the Best Cheap 29'er?". One of the 29'ers that impressed me was the 2012 Diamondback Overdrive.

The following is the description and what I had to say about the 2012 Diamondback Overdrive 29'er then. The 2012 Diamondback 29er. Brakes Tektro Novela Disc w 6 inch Rotors. (2013 Diamondback Overdrive base model no disc brakes) Shift Sram x4 Trigger. Tires WTB. Front derailleur Shimano. Fork SR SunTour. Rear derailleur Sram. This is a nice "resell able" brand name bike that makes the cut easily. The 549.00 price is a little out of my specified range. If I was going to spend that much money I think this would be a real good choice. If you found it on sale for 500.00 then yes definitely a winner.

Left: Advertisement introducing the Overdrive 29'ers in 2008. Now I was certainly not in the market for a new 29'er Mountain Bike. After all, this was just a favor for a friend and something to blog about. But "what if" I found a NEW 2012 Overdrive 29'er for say about $350

Above: Me showing-off my Awesome new Cycling Jersey that I received as a gift along with a bag of gourmet coffee (which by the way is excellent) and some really cool stickers from my friends Laura and Brian at "Roos Roast Coffee Roasters" in AnnArbor Mi. Thanks again guys! You Rock! OK back to the story. Well shortly after the BIG Holiday. I found myself with an extra 500.00 . So I decided to go back and take a second look at the Diamondback Overdrive 29er. When I spotted the 2012 Overdrive on sale for a mere 354.00 (m.s.r.p. 600.00) I just could not resist. Even my darling wife thought it was a good idea (and that never happens) Well how could I walk away from this fantastic deal? I couldn't. Here is just one example of why I think this is a really awesome deal. On Oct. 29th 2012 a damaged one of these (including frame damage) was sold on the e bay for 227.50 + 21.42 shipping That is about 106 dollars less than I just paid for this brand spanking new one Still in the box! I hate to say it but.. With the shipping industry being what it is, this was at best "a roll of the dice". Fortunately this box showed up at my front door in near perfect condition. Here's to you Mr UPS Guy! Well done!

Above: Here I am installing the mtb pedals. For the first ride I thought it best to just go with stock pedals with no toe clips and straps. This will be my first time riding a 29er, so I am going to keep it "as simple as possible". Besides, while we are having a thaw right now, I am not sure if the paved trail will be free of snow and ice once I get back in the woods.

Above: As always I did apply a wee bit of grease to the pedal threads before threading them in by hand. It is my belief that everything should be screwed or threaded in by hand (for starters) to avoid cross-threading. For now I will install the stock saddle and change it latter if necessary. The assembly (what there is of it) instructions are pretty good. I did have to be sure the tire and brake disc rotation matched when installing the front disc. The front caliper directions show an adapter, but that does not apply to this bike. Which is a good thing, since I could not locate one anywhere in the box or parts bags. Both the disc and caliper bolted into place without a hitch.

Above: Here I have mounted the front wheel. I left the caliper just loose enough that I could still maneuver it (the caliper) into position while sliding the disc into place between the two pads inside the caliper. Once the wheel is on I can adjust the caliper position using a LED Flashlight to make sure the gap between the pads and disc looks good. Once I am satisfied with the caliper position I tighten the mounting bolts. Now I can connect the cable to the caliper. It rubbed a little (disc to pads) when I first spun the wheel. Then I realized they (The Calipers) are self adjusting. After a few good pulls on the brake lever while spinning the wheel the caliper adjusted itself quite nicely. The cable routing and hook up are simple and the directions are pretty clear.

Now I can trim the brake cable and crimp-on a cable tip. Since I still have handlebar and possibly shifter & lever position adjustments to make, I will not trim the cable too short. For now I will tilt the handlebars close to what looks correct and snug up the clamp. I will take a few wrenches with me on the ride to make final handlebar and saddle adjustments on the spot. I suggest that If you want to re-grease the front wheel bearings you do this before you install the disc. Then wipe off any excess grease and clean any grease off your hands before handling the disc.

Above: The trail map picture taken in the summer. This is a short trail marked in yellow. I like to ride the outer perimeter (RED) usually 4 or 5 laps. This combined with the ride to and from the park is about 8 or 10 miles depending on the route taken. The first ride went really well. I was able to make all my final adjustments in the parking lot before entering the trail. One part of the trail was very hard slush and snow. The kind of partially melted ice that breaks up under your tires. The bike handled it really well, and so did I for that matter :) It brought back memories of riding through the snow and slush on my paper route as a boy.

Above: This is what the trail looked like on my last visit. This was obviously before the thaw. This powder was not too deep and would actually have been fairly easy to ride through. That is if you can stand the cold. The soft half frozen ice is tricky because as it breaks under the weight of the tires the bike gets pushed around a bit. Your weight is constantly shifting to adjust. It is sort like riding a unicycle on a bumpy surface.

Above: Now back at home I will start to make some equipment changes to suit my needs and riding style. I was not able to find a comfortable riding position for the stock saddle. And I was wearing my padded Canari Cycling Shorts under my long Adidas jogging pants. So I just went ahead and installed the Speed V Comp Saddle. Nothing fancy, just very comfortable and not bad looking either. And the W.T.B. logo matches the same on the WTB Wolverine 29'er tires. How fitting "Wolverine" tires, and myself only 3/4 of an hour away from the "Big House". Home of the UM Wolverines football team, Go Blue!

Above: Another change I made right away was to install the clip-less pedals. Now that I feel confident riding the 29'er and I enjoyed it immensely, no sense delaying the inevitable. I have a feeling this is going to be my "main ride" for quite a while.

Above: I will also be replacing the grips. These just are not wide enough for my large manly hands..ltms.... Seriously, they really are not wide enough. And they need more padding. I will order some phat clamp-ons tomorrow.

I will also be ordering a new wedge tool bag. I think I will get a detachable bag. Hopefully I will be able to find one similar to my old red Cannondale wedge bag. I really should have kept that one for myself. But it really did look good on that chrome framed Raleigh Teton.

Above: The suspension fork has dampening adjustment at the top of the fork legs. And rebound adjustment on the lower (bottom) fork legs. This suspension is "no big deal" by today's standards. But should easily handle anything my 56 year old and tired body can throw at it.

Above: I could not help but notice, that looks like the same rear derailleur I installed on Laura's bike. And I think the shifters and levers are the same as well. AND!! Is that a pie plate I see behind the cassette? Have I lived so long that they have come back into fashion? Cool!! Because I have a boat load of vintage pie plates laying around the shop / garage. UPDATE: The 2012 Diamondback Overdrive is no longer available on Amazon. If they do not sell out, I would imagine the 2013 Diamondback Overdrive will be marked down after the 2013 holiday season. It might be worth the wait.

Above: I really do love the new jersey. But Please, take the bloody picture already! How long do you think I can suck in my gut? My God I look like I`m about to fall over...LOL.. Until next time Please RIDE SAFELY and Remember to Always....RESCUE, RESTORE & RECYCLE Cheers, Hugh

A sincere Thank You to those of you who have been using or just checking out "Hugh's Online Bike Shop". It is pretty well stocked now and it is getting a little more organized every day. If you have not visited it yet and would like to. The link is in the top right column just below the Followers