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New Diamondback Hook

27K views 50 replies 25 participants last post by  JdmSkylineGtr 
#1 · (Edited)
Hey guys, I just got my Diamondback Hook in the mail today and thought it would be a good idea to start a thread for it since there is currently none. Wont be able too hit the trails until the weekend probably. Nursing school life:madman:. Anybody have ideas for upgrades?
Oh and I'm new here aw well lol.
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#2 ·
Hey Mcnasty! Welcome. The hook looks like a killer ride. I don't know your riding experience, but ride what ya got and upgrade as things wear. My first replacement would be the 8spd cassette.....you could upgrade to a good 9spd and get a lower gear. Of course, the rear der and shifter would have to be upgraded as well, but they can be found relatively inexpensive if you shop around. The cable actuated brakes would be next. Def. get some shimano hydros........best brakes I have ever used. Other than that , the fork. I bet it's a boat anchor! Anyway, that's my .02! :)
 
#4 ·
That hook looks great. I would love to get a ride report from you. I'm probably going to pick up the Sync'r in a few weeks, but I haven't been able to find any information online about how they handle on the trails. DB should really get to work trying to promote these bikes, so people can actually see what they have to offer.
 
#5 ·
Hey guys, I picked up a DB Line two weeks ago. Haven't had a chance to take it to any trails, but I took it downtown for a 'Last Friday Ride', and it's nice and snappy. Very responsive and confident when doing some techy street riding. The only thing I'm upgrading now are the pedals, other than that I'm fairly satisfied with the component setup. When the weather clears up, I'll hit some trails and post an update. Stay slack.
 
#9 ·
Found this topic and decided to register on this site cause I just got the Hook a couple weeks ago as my first mountain bike.

Bicycle tire Tire Bicycle wheel Bicycle frame Bicycle wheel rim


Beautiful bike and easy to ride. I did ride a beginner's trail last weekend and I sure as hell had a tough time climbing the steep hills. I know it's not the bike's fault since I am a newbie aka out of shape biker and don't know how to the shift gears properly! lol

Overall I enjoy riding the bike as it was very responsive, brakes worked well going downhill and lastly I didn't crash on my first ride!

I plan on upgrading the stock pedals to those Shimano Saint pedals!

What does everyone think about the 8 speed SRAM? Decent enough?
 
#12 ·
Hey Guys,
I wanted to weigh in with my opinion of the DB Hook...
I'm a 41 year old rider (BMX background) who is getting back in to the sport after giving it up for riding dirt bikes (with motors), coming from a Specialized Stump Jumper from the mid 90s. (you get the picture) The geometry of the bike and the frame construction is what I liked the most. I wanted a hardtail to hit small jumps, stairs, bike paths, mountain bike trails, and even the gravity park at the local ski hill with my son. This bike is a solid buy for the money, although the fork is super entry model. I do want to eventually upgrade the fork, pedals, and get hyd brakes. This is a really fun bike, not only for beginners. It also lets me surprise vet/core riders on the down hill trails when i stay on their tail with my $600 hardtail bike. Don't underestimate the skill of the rider and think a $5000 bike will make you a pro. Save your money and buy a dirt bike (with a motor) too. No matter what, just have fun!
 
#17 ·
Hey Guys,
It's been 5 months since I first rode my DB Line and my first post... I broke my arm in two places the first time I took it to the trails... It was that much fun! I've probably put 400ish miles on the bike since my arm healed, and I've had a blast! I did put a 70mm stem, fire eye pedals, and diety lock-ons on it. Now I feel "connected" and "in the cockpit" not on top of it (I hope that makes sense). I'm goin to throw on a Fox DOSS and a new wheelset asap, and then do brakes and such when I get a chance. The the brakes are ok, mine seem to have different stroke pulls, but i think thats due to the arm recovery, but it didn't take long to adapt to the feel of them. I haven't decided on the fork setup yet, but I like the X-Fusion Sweep. I've used their stuff before and think their price point is good ($350 on jensonusa). Anyways, I'll post updates as the build goes along. This bike will stay in the arsenal for years to come!
 
#22 ·
I helped my riding buddy pick up a 2016 hook. He rides a fast as possible while doing his best to keep the wheels off the ground as much as possible. The hook has served him well. I'm really impressed with this line that DB built. The geometry on the hook isn't something you find on a $600 bike. So far I have upgraded the grips to Egron GA1s, front rotor to a Avid HS1 180mm, rear rotor to a Avid HS1 160mm, brake levers to Avid FR7s, and the chainring to a Race Face 32t NW. I pulled that chain guide off and chain retention has been fine without a clutch derailleur. The next planned upgrade is the fork. We plan on using Suntour's upgrade program to swap for a air shock.
 
#23 ·
The thing shreds real good!.

If you want something a little bit fancier, possibly stiffer and better overall, check the X Fusion Streat RL2. There is a version for 1 1/8 steerers and 9mm QR. It's up for $410 on Amazon. There's also a version with 15mm thru axle, if you plan to upgrade wheels later. It was at $341 on November 2015, don't know why, but it might go down again.

I'm aiming to that fork for my Hook, but I plan to upgrade other things first, so it'll have to wait. So far, I only got new pedals, and ordered a narrow wide chainring for it.
 
#24 ·
DB Hook

I picked up a new DB Hook and got it together last night. My first hardtail in years so I'm pretty excited and I got this for a great deal. From the reviews, it seems like it's tough to do much better at this price point. I've noted upgrades that users have made (Forks, Brakes etc) and will probably go down that route sometime after breaking it in but here she is. Any more notable changes you've made on your hooks? It's an XL size. It's going to look massive on the back of my hatchback! :eekster:
Wheel Tire Bicycle tire Bicycle wheel rim Mode of transport
 
#26 ·
prepair to replace tbe drive train. massive chai drops, my buddy had his shain drop 8 times in 2 hours. the bike has a very bad chInline. your going to need to overhaul the entire drivetrain to stop the drops
Yeah, the chainguide sucked real bad, but the 2016s fixed that problem...

Anyway, it took me 10 minutes and $20 for a chinese narrow wide chainring that's holding up reasonably, and the chain drops are almost gone (except for the fact that my chain is still too long and I damaged my crank spider, so now the chainring is slightly bent.

Still, it works just fine. So i'm not sure what you mean by overhauling the entire drivetrain as necessary...
 
#31 ·
Don't get me wrong. I also advice to upgrade the Hook, but in my experience, the stock parts aren't crap at all excepting the chainguide. If someone can't stand riding something so low end, then it means he has ridden better things before, probably so much better that riding shifting an X4 shifter is painfull.
Which brings me to the question: Why did you buy a entry level specced bike? Seems a little extreme to me.

Whatever man...
 
#33 ·
Which brings me to the question: Why did you buy a entry level specced bike...
Gotta agree. If you're going to swap out so many components just buy a better spec from the get go. It'll be cheaper.

By all means if stuff breaks upgrade but thats all I'd do until I'm ready to upgrade my bike.

BTW $1400 is list. I see them for $1100 regularly.

2016 Diamondback Sync'r Mountain Bike
 
#34 ·
Hello..
I just picked mine up yesterday and took it for a quick ride. First bike I bought in years, I came off a 1995 Gary Fisher. The DB is a new world for me, both riding and maintenance/tuning. There is def more noise then I am use to, but thanks to this thread, I seem to be identifying and fixing some of them. For someone new to this bike, these forums/threads are great.. Thank you.

1. I know the fork needs to be upgraded... However, cause it frustrates me, turning the "preload" on each side...well... Seems to do nothing but a click after 3/4 turn in each direction and doesn't change my measurements when standing or pushing fork down... normal? Or should I turn it more? I could not find decent instructions to follow or specifics to this fork. Most seem to be for other versions, but again, im just getting into this world.

2. When you say change parts out... Say the brake levers? Is it as simple as changing the actual lever on the handlebar? The reason I ask, I upgraded my Gary Fisher with all Deore XT and wonder what is cross compatible?

Thanks again all, and hopefully, soon, I can be a helpful contributor as well.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
#35 · (Edited)
upgrades

Hello..

I just picked mine up yesterday and took it for a quick ride. First bike I bought in years, I came off a 1995 Gary Fisher. The DB is a new world for me, both riding and maintenance/tuning. There is def more noise then I am use to, but thanks to this thread, I seem to be identifying and fixing some of them. For someone new to this bike, these forums/threads are great.. Thank you.

1. I know the fork needs to be upgraded... However, cause it frustrates me, turning the "preload" on each side...well... Seems to do nothing but a click after 3/4 turn in each direction and doesn't change my measurements when standing or pushing fork down... normal? Or should I turn it more? I could not find decent instructions to follow or specifics to this fork. Most seem to be for other versions, but again, im just getting into this world.

2. When you say change parts out... Say the brake levers? Is it as simple as changing the actual lever on the handlebar? The reason I ask, I upgraded my Gary Fisher with all Deore XT and wonder what is cross compatible?

Thanks again all, and hopefully, soon, I can be a helpful contributor as well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
we installed shimano 615 hydros on the bike. i like shimano and they are pretty cheap now.. i did notice a few things. the bottom bracket has a super weird chain line, we had to not use a spacer on the drive side. completely removed the cheap chain guide.

if you only have 500 dollars you can get a hook. if you have 1500 you can get a syncr. my buddy didn't have 1500 so he wanted to get something for now but had the ability to upgrade . i did all the work on his bike. we went riding and he got so mad because the chain kept falling off. i have seen this before on the old steel 8 speed cranks, i also noticed many others were complaining about the same thing.

I knew from past experience that old drive trains are a pita, so we ordered a new 10 speed system and its amazing, silent, no chainguide, works as you would expect.. so after that was done my buddy freaked out, he loves it.

However i totaly get you saying just buy a completed bike, i totaly agree that if you have the money up front, do it. but that wasnt the case. there is a group of us who ride agressive and that lvl of spec just wont cut it.

so we had to upgrade his bike. I frowned at diamondback for not including thruaxle and not providing a tapered steerer. thats pretty shady on db for doing that.

i think they ententionaly left those out which is really sad imho.

here is the spec I would recommend for upgrades that are the most basic entry lvl spec.

Shimano m590:
crankset. remove all the chainrings and install a 32-34t narrlow wide chainring.

10 speed or 11 speed chain either will work just fine, the 11 is smoother.
We used a HG901 chain. you can also use the sram pc1051 10 speed chain.

I have used both on the same type system.

11x36 shimano cassette which is a deore hg50 10 speed
shimano zee m640 trigger shifter
shimano zee m640 short cage rear derailleur
Shmano m615 hydrolic disc brakes, calipers and levers
We removed the stock handle bars because they made the brakes scrape the top tube of the frame.
we used Answer protaper riser bar with a 50. riser

the fork he went with is a Suntour Raidon XC LO R air.
This gave him rebound control.

you can find all these parts on the super cheap and they are awesome as a system.

Yes I know these say downhill but for aggressive hard tails they are excellent and cheap and shift perfectly.

no rotor changes needed

I would like to offer up a bit more advice.

after you put a hour or two on this bike, take the wheels off and take them into a bike shop for a tension and true.

but this goes for any new wheels set.

robots don't always get it right.

oh... and throw those grips away, get a pair of odi lockons and call it done.

so this was the HOOK build, this takes you to race lvl components

Personally I don't think any bike should come with any lesser spec than what I listed. It just puts people off and doesn't allow them to really enjoy mtb riding.

who wants a rickety ass loud drive train with a crazy chain line and chain drops lol.

iscg05 mounts and a non tapered steerer ??????
wut da hel...... that's just wrong on so many levels

I would not recommend buying another bike from DB
It was a lot of work just getting this bike to entry lvl spec
and the issues I had to deal with were just super poor and in 2016 not needed what so ever.

in my mind the HOOK and LINE are both epic fails

Syncr and syncr pro are the only chassis I would purchase but they are over priced for what you get.

for 1200,00 you have a full suspension bike with 120 front and rear

the days of hard tails are disappearing

They are a legacy design

and will eventually be consigned to the dustbin of history.
 
#38 ·
Hey y'all! So on a recent ride, I completely misjudged a descent and destroyed my stock front wheel on my 2016 Diamondback Hook. The wheel that I messed up was a 32h Diamondback SL-7 Doublewall. Now since this is the first time I have messed up a wheel on the bike, I have no clue as to what I am able to get as a replacement. I know that I have to get a wheel that will fit a Kenda Nevegal 27.5x2.35 tire. The wheel that I broke also says that it is aluminum alloy, double wall, 650Bx28/38c, and ETRTO 584x20. The brake disc is a 6 bolt iso. I weigh 195 pounds, I usually ride on all mountain terrain (rock gardens, big roots, non-flowing paths, etc.), and I am willing to spend at most $150 dollars. I need y'all's help in finding out what I need to look for in buying a new wheelset, what requirements my new wheel needs in order to fit my bike, and some suggestions as to what wheel I should buy. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
Link to my bike: Product: Diamondback Hook 27.5" Mountain Bike - 2016 Diamondback Hook Bike 2016 > Bikes > Mountain Bikes | Jenson USA

Wheelset I'm looking at: Nukeproof Generator AM TCS Front Wheel - 3 in 1 2016 | Chain Reaction Cycles
 
#39 ·
Hey y'all! So on a recent ride, I completely misjudged a descent and destroyed my stock front wheel on my 2016 Diamondback Hook. The wheel that I messed up was a 32h Diamondback SL-7 Doublewall. Now since this is the first time I have messed up a wheel on the bike, I have no clue as to what I am able to get as a replacement. I know that I have to get a wheel that will fit a Kenda Nevegal 27.5x2.35 tire. The wheel that I broke also says that it is aluminum alloy, double wall, 650Bx28/38c, and ETRTO 584x20. The brake disc is a 6 bolt iso. I weigh 195 pounds, I usually ride on all mountain terrain (rock gardens, big roots, non-flowing paths, etc.), and I am willing to spend at most $150 dollars. I need y'all's help in finding out what I need to look for in buying a new wheelset, what requirements my new wheel needs in order to fit my bike, and some suggestions as to what wheel I should buy. Any help is appreciated! Thanks!
Link to my bike: Product: Diamondback Hook 27.5" Mountain Bike - 2016 Diamondback Hook Bike 2016 > Bikes > Mountain Bikes | Jenson USA

Wheelset I'm looking at: Nukeproof Generator AM TCS Front Wheel - 3 in 1 2016 | Chain Reaction Cycles
those wheels should fit since the 2016 hook has a QR fork
 
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