First Ride - Diamondback Sync'r Carbon
On my last day at the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival, I just had to take one more ride, despite the looming threat of rain. And it just had to be on the Diamondback Sync'r Carbon. There aren't many mainstream brands making bikes like this. In fact, there aren't many brands making bikes like this at all. A 66-degree head angle, 435-millimeter chainstay and 140-millimeter-travel Fox 34 are the stuff of fringe brands, but few fringe brands could do it in carbon, and none could do it for $3,000.
The BMX-inspired ride took cues from Eric Porter's long partnership with Diamondback, and it shows. The components are high value throughout, though Diamondback may have taken it a little too far when choosing the less-than-reliable three-piece crank and Isis bottom bracket. But that'll be a cheaper upgrade for you than going from NX to GX, which is already done on the Sync'r. And it's far cheaper than going from Fox Rhythm 34 to a Performance 34, which is also done.
My only significant complaint was that, in larger sizes, the toptube is high enough that some of the bike's BMX capability is sacrificed. Some riders may even be limited in the length of dropper post they're able to run. But the Sync'r was built to have a broader focus. It's not just a big kid's pumptrack bike or a masochist's park bike. It could be any full-suspension devotee's secondary bike as well as any full-suspension skeptic's only bike.
