Driver-8 on Chainlove - $1279
- Thread starter stoney
- Start date
Looks like a good deal...saw that earlier. Heard mixed reviews on it, but it sounds fun as a play bike.
SANDWICH! Also Gregory, Fishbein, and a whole lotta lovin'
Derp.
Ban me.
Derp.
Ban me.
Why is it a bad bike?
its not that bad (just heavy). Id get one and put a canecreek angleset to slacken it out as much posible, then it would turn into something good!
i road one in a parking lot, seemed alright
I always wondered about the Driver8, the V-10 has a 8.5" setting. And a lot of less DH type stuff could be handled on a beefy Nomad build.
For some reason that bike has a huge variety of opinions. I had one for a few months with a Totem and it was super fun. No doubt that is a killer price. The shock rate is different than a V10, it was designed more as a park bike than a stick-to-the-ground race rig. They are a bit heavy but they are also bomb proof. With an angleset you'd have a pretty rad rig for a good price.
Cool...I have heard a variety of opinions, but for a non-racer boi it sounds like it would be a pretty rad setup, particularly with the larger bearings and "stout rather than light" mentality. Bomb proof is a benefit for chumps like me, and anglesets are easy to get...
I looked at this bike awhile ago......
Just seems like the Medium is on the small side and the Large is Gigantic.
Seems like they screwed up sizing....on paper at least..
Just seems like the Medium is on the small side and the Large is Gigantic.
Seems like they screwed up sizing....on paper at least..
I was just going to post about that. At 5'11", having found what I think is my ideal size at 23.5"TT, what size do you go with? 24.4 is massive but 22.8 is small. The wheelbase seems off though- 46" for the large, with 17.4" chainstays, and a 24.4 TT. The V10 comes in at 46.3" with 17.3" CS and a 23.4" TT on the medium. The medium D8 has a 44.8" WB, 22.8" TT, and the same length stays. What gives? Is that all from head tube angle?
Yes the Head angle is wicked steep for that style of bike. Part of the reason no one likes them. They mimicked the V10's geometry but you don't run the same sag as the V10 so it stays fairly steep and has a short wheelbase. Match that with the looks of a V10 (interrupted seat tube is the killer) and lots of people didn't want them.
I am pretty sure that the bike is also discontinued so that would be the reason they are selling them off at chianlove. Chainlove is notorious for buying up old stock from bike companies and selling them off for crazy cheap. Good for the few people who get them cheap but it really sucks for people who paid full price just months ago and now have a bike whos resale value just dropped $500 or so bucks. They did the same thing with Intense bikes. I had an intense SS and paid $1500 for a used frame which was what they were going for then. 2 months later chainlove started selling new ones for as cheap as $900. My bike lost $600 worth of resale in just a few months. It sucked...
ok, end rant.
I am pretty sure that the bike is also discontinued so that would be the reason they are selling them off at chianlove. Chainlove is notorious for buying up old stock from bike companies and selling them off for crazy cheap. Good for the few people who get them cheap but it really sucks for people who paid full price just months ago and now have a bike whos resale value just dropped $500 or so bucks. They did the same thing with Intense bikes. I had an intense SS and paid $1500 for a used frame which was what they were going for then. 2 months later chainlove started selling new ones for as cheap as $900. My bike lost $600 worth of resale in just a few months. It sucked...
ok, end rant.
^^^notorious? that's their business model 
yup, it sucks for bike owners, but it's good for cheapskates looking for a new frame. I can't understand why manufacturers do that, as it dilutes the brand, but i guess it must be worth it just to get rid of them.
FWIW, the same thing happened to me via supergo in the 90s with the GT STS. I bought a used frame for more than they were selling them for new.
FWIW, the same thing happened to me via supergo in the 90s with the GT STS. I bought a used frame for more than they were selling them for new.
it ties up assets in inventory when that money can be used elsewhere.
its not different then any other industry. they are sitting on old inventory that isnt moving so they find a outfit that can move large amounts of inventory.
they disco'd the model a while ago and it obviously hasnt been moving. in steps, Chainlove.
yep
I agree that from santa cruz's standpoint that it seems like a good idea but it still affects the loyal customers who paid full price and it also hurts any bike shops who now have driver 8's that they probably paid more for than what chainlove is selling them for now. I think it reflects poorly on a company and has made me rethink buying an intense and now santa cruz at full price because half of the time you can just wait 6 months or so and get a new one for a fraction of the cost.
I have never understood this mentality. The bike is at least a year old and discontinued. I'll bet you could find similar deals on last years frames from lots of dealers. People pay a premium to have the latest and greatest, that's just the way it goes in any industry. Do you complain when you bought a brand new 2010 Toyota Tacoma in January and then see it on sale for way less in December to make room for the 2011 Tacomas?
If I had paid more than double for it then yes I would be very upset...
If you must have the latest new thing, that's the risk you run.
Not sure about with Driver 8, but with Intense SS, even the dealers were pissed off. Chainlove was selling even below dealer cost. After that experience, I swore off all things Intense.
Like CB said above, good deal for those who buy cheap via CL, but bad deal for those who paid full or discounted pricing, and for the dealers as well. I am sure many of them could have sold a lot of the frames at that price.
Like CB said above, good deal for those who buy cheap via CL, but bad deal for those who paid full or discounted pricing, and for the dealers as well. I am sure many of them could have sold a lot of the frames at that price.
Almost grabbed one of the driver 8's yesterday for the girliefriend but I was afraid it would have that awkward feel that the VP Free has, we test rode one a few weeks ago and it was really weird.
I just saw a video on vital that said (per a SC designer) that the bike wasn't a replacement for a VPFree nor a nomad...it's a park bike that's not quite as high maintenance as a v10 but can be ground to the top reluctantly, just like most DHers seem to envision their trailbikes (climb a fireroad to bomb down singletrack). At least, that's what I got from the video. Sounds like most of the reviews suggest this is a great frame for jumping and having fun on, but maybe not winning world cups on the internets. A review on NSMB suggested it can also be raced with success...
buyer beware. rule #1 of retail sales, the longer you wait, the cheaper it gets. yea it sucks, but that's business.
this.
its like getting mad at buying a new aluminum SC V10 last year at the same price the carbon version came out at.
especially when a model is being phased out
2010 Santa Cruz Driver 8 - Mountain Biking Videos - Vital MTB
REVIEW - Santa Cruz Driver 8 | NSMB.e.MAGAZINE - Freeride, Extreme and North Shore style Mountain Biking
Links for those curious. Not sure I'm going to buy one, but I'd bet it's a fun little bike for non competitive kicking around.
REVIEW - Santa Cruz Driver 8 | NSMB.e.MAGAZINE - Freeride, Extreme and North Shore style Mountain Biking
Links for those curious. Not sure I'm going to buy one, but I'd bet it's a fun little bike for non competitive kicking around.
sometimes you have to cut your losses and turn product into cash before it turns into dust. it does nothing to devalue a brand, its smart business especially when you are a company competing against outfits that have more executives than you have total employees. one bad crash or cased jump can do more damage to the resale value of your frame than anybody closing out old product. the only way to hold the resale value is to keep it in the garage....
BTW that vital video was awesome and hit the nail on the head. that mike guy cracks me up. i bet if you slapped an extend-o-post on there it would climb a lot better than you think.
sandwich, i've got the angleset that works for it if you want it and end up getting one. i didn't use the one that came with my V10.
sandwich, i've got the angleset that works for it if you want it and end up getting one. i didn't use the one that came with my V10.
Any bike can be had fun on and be raced on in that category. They commented also on the climing ability and that's fairly uncommon. Also why would a park bike need a high bottom bracket? Park bikes should actually be lower than dh bikes because you don't have to pedal a lot in parks and low bb feels great in berms. Going high is the opposite of that idea. Not to mention that bike is still too short and to steep for it's travel. If I want a bike with playfull geo I take something with less travel and one that is preferably lighter. Don't tell me that you need 8+ inches of travel for a typical a-line type track. Also since it's not a bike to do tricks on making the sizing very short is also strange. I know i'm armchair engineering here but that bike has no point both from practical as well as marketing point of view.
Also why the hell does a park bike need to be heavier than a v10? Does anyone have problems with using v10s in park durability wise? The obvious answer is no so the added weight is plain stupid. I may like some bikes and hate some bikes but I plain don't understand driver 8.
PS. I don't really belive it's a bad bike since there are no bad bikes anymore (well some have durability problems but that's another story) but it's just ourdated. As for website reviews - has anyone seen a negative one? I've seen pinkbike being a bit sour about 2 products but they were very niche so I doubt it had any impact on their future reviews and marketing.
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For anyone intersted in one, here's my take-
I have one, got back in June I think. Raced DH on this season, worked wonderfully. Had an Angleset in it at -1. Ran it with a Vivid coil and later a Vivid Air. Really enjoyed the bike, super playful and much easier to zip around on than a full-bred DH bike. Anyone that thinks this bike can't compete with true DH bikes is silly, I race Cat 1 and never felt like the bike was holding me back. BTW, haven't had a single issue with it either - no loose bolts, creaks, etc. It was also easy to get used to, built just a few days before the Triple Dhip race and placed 7th (I think) in the first stage (on the former National Champ course). Almost immediately after that I disassembled it and threw it in a duffle bag (it breaks down super easy, no $$$ bike fees) and headed to Whistler for 3 days of riding. It f-in killed it there. As for it being heavy, not really - mine was ~38lbs (IIRC frame weight was roughly the same as my former bike, the Knolly Podium).
So basically, I think it rocks.
Maybe it was a little funky on paper, but it works awesomely and for ~$1300 it's a pretty freaking good deal.
One caveat, I am gonna sell the frame (probably pretty cheap now that CL is dumping them, grrr) but only cause I just busted my pelvis and won't be doing any heavy-duty riding for quite some time.
I have one, got back in June I think. Raced DH on this season, worked wonderfully. Had an Angleset in it at -1. Ran it with a Vivid coil and later a Vivid Air. Really enjoyed the bike, super playful and much easier to zip around on than a full-bred DH bike. Anyone that thinks this bike can't compete with true DH bikes is silly, I race Cat 1 and never felt like the bike was holding me back. BTW, haven't had a single issue with it either - no loose bolts, creaks, etc. It was also easy to get used to, built just a few days before the Triple Dhip race and placed 7th (I think) in the first stage (on the former National Champ course). Almost immediately after that I disassembled it and threw it in a duffle bag (it breaks down super easy, no $$$ bike fees) and headed to Whistler for 3 days of riding. It f-in killed it there. As for it being heavy, not really - mine was ~38lbs (IIRC frame weight was roughly the same as my former bike, the Knolly Podium).
So basically, I think it rocks.
Maybe it was a little funky on paper, but it works awesomely and for ~$1300 it's a pretty freaking good deal.
One caveat, I am gonna sell the frame (probably pretty cheap now that CL is dumping them, grrr) but only cause I just busted my pelvis and won't be doing any heavy-duty riding for quite some time.
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Sure any bike can be raced on. A bike that's higher and steeper isn't always a bad thing. I know that on the internet, everybody is traveling at 50mph down 70% grades all the time, but my experience with my sunday and the angleset @63.5* was good, but not necessarily always better. There were lots of times when I wished for a little more "bite" or aggressiveness. Simply put, I'm not fast or aggressive enough to warrant a sub 64 HA, or our courses out here are too tight for them....Either way, I'm not looking for the same angles in my next bike. As for the travel, do you really need to race on 10" of travel, when every other frame on the market has less? In my opinion, it's all marketing. Originally, VPP appealed to people because it was a long travel bike that pedaled like a short travel bike...but in reality it used some funky principles to get there, and it didn't work for everybody, thus VPP2. I hated the second gen V10 I rode, too much going on in the back end. As for the weight, I'd rather have a heavier and more solidly built frame than an ultra light, easily dentable, underbuilt unit that may require replacing or have a shorter fatigue life.
As for the reviews, NSMB also torched the DHR. Perhaps that was down to a bad shock, or maybe it was a bad reviewer, but I'm inclined to think that people who get paid to ride and review bikes know a thing or two.
Anyways...I went back and looked at the geo, and it sounds like this thing cries out for a works headset. 64.5 and high 13" BB sounds pretty close to ideal to me, for a bike that does most anything. I hated my angleset and won't buy another one, but I'd consider a works unit.
finally gave up on it?
I sold my sunday...the angleset went with it. I have no heard a single good review on it. Maybe two people on here had one that doesn't click, but they got the ultra secret pro edition. Every other person had clicking or gimbal knock.
Not going back down that road, not when works components is so easy to get a hold of.
Not going back down that road, not when works components is so easy to get a hold of.
Hey I had the working class version and no clicks, Lol I didn't get the magical kind but clicked at first then adjusted it. No more click.
Sold the Sunday to make room for the new bike (got too keep trying stuff) but had a blast on that bike. Sundays are a beast for sure.
I have said that driver 8 has too much travel so I don't know why do you talk about 10 inches. I belive that 8 inches is enough for dh, 6-7 for park and other fun stuff.
As for the weight - is 2nd/3rd get v10 undebuild? It's not and it doesn't dent.
As for the geo - I don't know how tight your local stuff is but my legend is 63.8 right now and it feels very good(and I'm a slowish rider. Never had good results and never even though about going pro). No problem in the tight stuff. Just had to adjust my style a bit. I'm actually considering trying a works reducer -1.5 just to try how slacker/lower feels. Also 66.5 is not 64. For tighter stuff 65 feels very agile and the tighter sections happen very rarely on trail. Sacrificing stability for 5% of the track is strange for me. Not to mention that even if we take head angle out of the equation - you still have a high bb and a very short park bike. The short park i can understand for a niche of riders that still ride skinnies and slow speed wood stuff but high bb for parks? I'm yet to find a park that forces me to pedal over rocks. Though I'm a bit biased since I'm with Kidwoo on it - I'm yet to find a bike that is too low.
The idea to take it and use an offset reducer seems nice(though the bb would be still above 14 inches with -2deg). Take it one size up and it may be a decent frame but I'd still wait for other closeouts to roll out (they may not all be on chainlove but they will pop up)