Diamondback was nice enough to let us have a sneak peek at their new 2011 Diamondback Assault. One of their sponsored riders, Billy Lewis, has been thrashing on the bike and has some opinions for us along with some photos of the new gear!
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2011 Diamondback Assault Bike Review
Review by Billy Lewis.
Note that the 2011 Diamondback Assault will come with a different spec than Billy Lewis as Billy is rocking some parts from various company sponsors.
Frame- Diamondback Assault, tt-22 cs-15
Fork- Fox 831 100mm 15mm QR
Headset- FSA the production will have an internal headset
Stem- Gravity Light 50mm 31.8 Stem
Bars- Gravity Light 25mm rise, 800mm width, but they are cut to 740mm or 29
Grips- Gravity yellow lock-ons
Brakes- Elixir CR
Rotor- Avid XX 160mm
Cranks- FSA BMX crank 170mm
Sprocket- Atomlab Pimplite 28th anodize green
Pedals- Gravity Light
Chain- Shadow Conspiracy half link
Seatpost- FSA FR-200 30.9mm
Seat- Mike Aitken Night Wolf Saddle orange/red
Rims- Atomlab Pimplite 32h blue
Rear Hub- Atomlab Pimplite SS 12th driver
Front Hub- Atomlab Pimplite non-disc
Spokes/Nipples- Atomlab white powder coat and oversized torque nipples
Front Tire- Kenda Small Block Eight
Rear Tire- Snafu Knob Job
For the past few months I have been riding a custom prototype of Diamondbacks newly revised 2011 Assault and my conclusion has come to is this: The bike shreds in the skatepark and on trails. It rides smooth like a trail bike but jumps like a skatepark bike. You might be hesitant to consider an aluminum frame for a jump bike. But on my first ride I could feel how responsive the frame was and I really like lighter weight. There were a few geometry tweaks that went into creating what will be the 2011 Assault which differentiate it from its earlier predecessor.
These tweaks made all of the difference. I really like the Assault that Diamondback gave me but the dropouts werent working for me, the chainstays were too long, and the top tube was sitting a bit high. Diamondback Brand Manager, Mike Brown was eager to hear my suggestions on how to improve the frame and was cool enough to bust out a prototype. The current single speed version of the bike Im on has revised horizontal dropouts that also have steel inserts to keep the rear wheel from slipping. This revision to the rear end also shortened the rear end bringing my chain stays to a ruff 15. Mike Shortened the seat tube to 11 and lowered the toptube, really bringing the frame together. The 2011 top tube is now similar to the hydroformed tubes used on the Missions and Scapegoat. It aides in giving this bike the feeling that it fits in next to the bigger bikes sort of like the kid brother who shreds. In my professional opinion, Diamondback knocked this one out of the park!
Not only are all the parts dialed in, but the graphics are steezy. First off, the colorway makes this bike a photo-hoe as the bright turquoise pops in pictures. I run the bike with bright blue Atomlab (another of my sponsors) wheels and the two colors totally work off each other creating some bangin eye-candy for onlookers. As for the subtle graphics, Gene James, Diamondbacks graphic designer, was inspired by a Boeing 737 resting in Boeing field not far from DBs Kent offices. So he incorporated rivet graphics on the Assaults downtube and duct tape-looking graphics placed strategically in other places. The aesthetics make the bike stand out, but still it has to perform, right? Trust methe Assault rips.
The 2011 Assault will be offered in a complete version and have the same graphics as my prototype. The complete will come OEM spec with the Fox 831 Dirt Jump fork which is simply amazing. The fork is super light weighing in at 3.73lbs, Ive ridden BMX forks that weighed as much. The fork also has lever actuated lockout with lockout force adjustment. All the adjustability the fork has makes it a great fork for the bike. You can switch the feel of the fork for park and trail simply with the flip of a lever. Im currently running Atomlab Pimplite wheels and hubs and they are crazy strong but not too heavy. The rear hub is a single speed driver so I can have my micro gearing and the front hub has no disc tabs making for a really clean look.
Gravity components is another one of my awesome sponsors so I run Gravity Bars, Stem, pedals and grips on my Assault. The Gravity light pedal pins thread from the bottom making replacement of pins quite easy. The cockpit consists of a 50mm stem and 800mm bars which can easily be cut if they are too wide but I like mine as wide as I can get them.
And there you have itmy run-down of the 2011 Assault. After we dialed in the geometry and the specs, Id say the final creation is the all-in-one jump bike. And, thats a tall order for the short guy in the family. Enjoy the ride.
Geometry:
Stand-over: 27"
Seat Tube Length: 13"
Top Tube Length: 22"
Head Tube Length: 125mm
Head Angle: 69 degrees
Seat Angle: 72 degrees
Wheel Base: 1055mm
Chain Stay Length: 390mm
Fork Offset: 45mm
BB Height: 330mm
Stem Length: 45mm
Crank Length: 175mm
Seat Post Length: 200mm
The Assault model comes with a 710mm handlebar, while the Assault 2 comes with a 670mm handlebar.
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