Review of Diamondback 2013 Insight STI-8 Performance Hybrid Bike with 700c

Customer Ratings:

This is my third Diamondback bike, 2004 Citi (stolen) & 2007 Edgewood (still riding) although I'm sold on the product I did shop other many other brands. I was looking for more of a road bike than the Edgewood but keeping some of the toughness & upright geometry of a hybrid. All roads led back to Diamondback. This was the first bike I have bought without testing (or even seeing) plus with the internal geared hub, I was extremely apprehensive.

The bike arrived last week on time. The box was opened but nothing missing & otherwise in good shape. Assembly was easy; the back wheel was already installed so it was just a matter of putting on the front wheel, seat, handlebars and very minor brake adjustments. The assembly instructions were mostly generic and for the most part not applicable to the insight. The separate instructions for aligning the yellow lines on the Nexus hub seemed intimidating to me. I was totally unfamiliar with the internal geared hub and almost decided to take it to a bike shop. However the bottom line is the entire shifting system is already assembled/adjusted. All you have to do is turn the shifter from gear #1 to gear #4 and see if the yellow lines on the hub are aligned, it's that simple.

The handlebar is flat and the stem height is not adjustable. For my personal preference this is much too low for medium/long rides and really concerned me. However after adding end bars to the handlebar it works out great. In fact it is more comfortable than if I had adjusted the height.

To date I have put 76 miles (typical week) on the Insight (3X12 Mile & 2X20 Mile rides) of course I had to make some adjustments to suit me (the saddle had to go as a large 6' 3" male it was too narrow) but it has turned out to exceed my expectations. The ride is smooth and the eight gears are more than enough to handle what hills I encounter and plenty fast enough. I'm sold on the 8 speed hub it is great & very smooth shifting. It is also nice to be able to shift to a lower gear while stopped. If this holds up I don't know why I would ever go back to the derailer system. The bike provides a very comfortable, smooth and enjoyable ride. In my mind it is much closer to a road bike than a hybrid, exactly what I was looking for. I'm still sold on Diamondback.

PS: get an adapter for the valve stems ahead of time. They are not standard. It cost me three bucks at the bike shop.

UPDATE: 5/28/13

I put the 1st thousand miles on the insight STI-8 last weekend. I am still very pleased with the bike. I now average 110-130 miles per week (a significant increase since I bought this bike) mostly on multi use trails/paths, residential streets and a few short dirt roads.

It is very comfortable ride, fast enough to get you where you need to be while sitting in a more upright position than a road bike. When I need to go somewhere if practicable, it is my 1st choice of transportation. After 1k miles I went over the bike thoroughly checking for loose spokes, nuts & screws. No problems to report. The 8 speed internal hub in my mind is a great concept. I hope it holds up & catches on. I would hate to go back to the old derailleur system.

To let you know the bike also works great for the "seasoned", slightly heavier guy or gal who just wants a healthy & enjoyable way to get some exercise and around town. I'm 60ish (not a 20 something 1% body fat cycle enthusiasts) my average speed during rides is 11-12 mph. Bottom line the insight still exceeds my expectations. Still five stars.

UPDATE:9/26/13

I just went over 3000 miles this week on the insight and still very pleased. I am riding a pretty steady 135 miles per week now (15mX5d & 30mX2d). The only issue I have had is the back tire wore out at about 2300 miles. Of course I put off changing it until it blew out (I discussed the stupidly of procrastination with myself during the almost three mile walk back to the house). I have had to tighten a few screws & bolts mostly on the accessories I have added. Surprisingly to me the spokes remain tight & wheels true. This has been an issue for me with other bikes. The internal hub shifter is holding up well no problem at all. All and all a good ride & I'm still very satisfied with the bike. Again, still five stars.

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Got it 4 days ago. Paid for assembling $50. The ride is smooth and light. Front breaks are a little noisy during wet weather (bringing it back to the assembling guy tomorrow). Gear shifter is smooth. After talking to a bike shop professional I have doubts about this bike withstanding robust trails. According to him labeling this bike as hybrid is just a sales pitch it is a road bike. Time will show.

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i bought this bike because my wife had bought a Diamondback at a local Sporting Goods store. As far as the product goes it is definitely a good bike but I am not much of a cyclist but i can tell you that this bike is a very smooth and comfortable ride

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The wheels were not true right out of the box. The pedals are flimsy for a mountain bike, which I thought hybrids were a cross between a mountain and road bike. I won't even mention how poorly the brakes were aligned and how bad they squeaked until I fixed them. The left crank fell off during my 2nd ride, and on my 3rd ride, the puncture resistant tires were anything but, as I now have my 1st flat. The seat is skinny, and not comfy at all even with the gel in it.

The only thing hybrid about this bike is the flat handlebar, which I'm replacing with a riser bar anyway. This is a road bike, nothing close to a mountain bike about this thing at all.

The internal gears work, but the wheel has a high amount of friction, and you can't coast very long at all on this bike.

Oh, I'm fixing all the issues that I can by swapping out pedals, seat, and now a new inner tube, getting the wheels trued, etc., and I'll still ride it on occasion, but it's not exactly what I had in mind. 3.5 stars for the bike, knocked down another 1/2 star due to numerous pre-assembled issues that needed corrected.

Q-Tubes 27.5in Presta Mountain Tube Review

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $4.84
Sale Price: $3.62
Today's Bonus: 25% Off

Awesome!!! These tubes are difficult to find being it is an odd size. Has helped the stability of my bike, now that i can inflated tires fully and is just what i needed. Only complaint is shipping cost...I would have order 20, but shipping cost got way too expensive. alas, i still bought 5 as it seemed to be best deal

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Reviews of Ritchey WCS C-260 Stem

Customer Ratings:

First let me say that as annoying as some folks writing unfairly negative reviews (which can happen) is some know-it-all that loves a product to write an overly positive review, or worse yet, being a jerk to folks that may disagree.

I have the stem in question and have been riding it for about a month now. Here is about as unbiased a review as I can provide:

1. The thing is stupid light, and super-stiff. It was a noticeable upgrade in both ways from the FSA OS-115 stem it replaced (that I was pretty darned happy with before I switched).

2. Contrary to Donald (not a fan of your condescending tone buddy), the bolts do suck a bit--They're sloppy even with a high-quality hex wrench as pointed out by other posters, and as acknowledged by Ritchey with their recommendation to switch to the torx bolts (which I ordered from Ritchey and they quickly shipped to me). I was able to install the stem without stripping them out but it definitely takes some care. Good news is the stem has stayed tight and perfectly adjusted since, so I haven't had to touch them and/or switch to the torx bolts which I think could be a pain. So, just know when you get the stem that it takes some care to install. But I do struggle a bit with how many components out now are so lightweight that you really need a shop to install/adjust them. I guess that's not a criticism of Ritchey, except that they should likely make it clearer that this is a pro-level stem and requires a relatively advanced mechanic to install properly. I have the matching WCS alloy seatpost and it is similar-It's superlight, secure, and hasn't required any adjustments; but the initial setup was a bit of a challenge.

3. The 260-degree stem clamp is good and bad. It's likely a big reason why the stem is so amazingly stiff; but it does sacrifice a little convenience in that you need to unwrap your bars a bit to get the bars in and out as a result.

4. The thing just looks SWEET with a beautiful high-gloss finish (I got the red).

Would I recommend this stem? Absolutely, as long as I was confident the buyer wanted the absolute highest-performance part and was willing to accept the compromises. And, either was a decent wrench or was going to have it installed by their LBS.

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I have two of these stems on bikes I own. Ritchey made a rolling change on the bolt heads from 3M Hex to T20 torx bit. Please be aware since these small bits can be stripped if you force them. Otherwise, a great product that I love.

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This stem is lighter and sexier than my last DEDA stem.I've found just a few draw backs.The bottom faceplate bolts are a little tricky to get to. Also, my bars did slip jsut a bit after hitting a pothole hard which actually may not be the fault of the stem but the bars themselves..

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Another reviewer stated the bolt heads stripped out easily. That is NOT true. He obviously doesn't know how to properly use an Allen Wrench. He also needs to pay attention to Ritchey's installation instructions for this particular Stem Design. They even have videos on how to install the handlebar on the stem on their Web Site.

In the Ritchey instructions it is strongly recommended to use this Stem with Ritchey bars; they also state it may not work with some handlebars. This is a high end product and requires that you know how to properly work with tools.

This is a beautifully made Stem and mated beautifully with the Ritchey WCS Flat Bar I had previously purchased. I particularly like the clamp design.

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Another quality product from Ritchey.

This stem looks great. Its sleek, low profile, and glossy

The unique front clamp looks cool and works good.

Its a little confusing at first. You can't push this stem onto the 31.8 bulge on your bar because of the 260 degree wrap clamp. You have to push it onto the bar at the smaller diameter portion then slide it onto the 31.8 bulge.

This stem is pretty stiff for its weight and its crazy light. Easily the lightest stem I've ever seen, and I own about twenty of them (various bicycles set up trials, etc).

Ritchey is really gaining my favor these days with their surprisingly well designed products.

Review of Phil Wood 3-Ounce Grease Tube

Customer Ratings:

This is a great product. I had the most irritating squeak in my bike and it took me forever to discover that it came from the pedal threads. Once I pinpointed the source, all I had to do was to remove them, apply a bit of Phil's Grease and put them back. Now I have a silent bike again.

This is a green, waterproof grease. The consistency is right and it is easy to apply. The tube is plastic (not metallic), which means it will come back to shape after use. Also, it seems to last forever, since the amount usually required to do the job is very small.

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When I was just working on one bike (well, one and a half since the other didn't get as much use), a tube of this grease lasted me a loooong time. So if you have one bike and only rarely work on others, this cost isn't too bad because the tube will last you for a few seasons. Over the past couple weeks, I've overhauled/rebuilt 6 bikes and I consumed this stuff really fast!

I'm not convinced that this grease is super special, but it comes in a convenient container. But if you consume a lot of grease, then a marine grease that costs a fraction of the price can be had at almost any auto store (or almost any store with an auto section). I found some that was almost exactly the same consistency as this grease (except it's blue instead of green). I repacked one of my dad's bike's wheel bearings with it and it rolls better than it ever has (my dad has a standard "test").

Anyway, convenient tube, but this just isn't a great value for a waterproof grease.

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This product has been around for decades and by no accident. Working in conjunction with Chevron, the people at Phil Wood asked Chevron to produce a superior grease within their lab principally for bicycle bearing application that upon surface contact with bearing system bearing, race, cone, and other application peculiar to bicycles would, without being sticky and thusly slow down momentum or efffect resistance immediately adhere to surface and not "wash out" under sheer load which is the single greatest threat in bearing systems, as well, demonstrate superior resistance to water. Chevron worked their magic and the consumer who uses Phil Wood Grease has always been the beneficiary of this Nonpareil product.

Everything about this product is exceptional.

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I don't know how it holds up in the long run. I've used it on all the threads when I was building up my bike. The tube should be plenty for general upkeep of a bike. The label say it's function as a grease and water repellent abilities will hold true until it gets exposed to dirt. Well I hope it will last for half a year a least.

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I use this grease for bottom brackets, pedals, brake attachments to braze-ons, seatposts, stem insertion and for any screw on attachments to frame. This grease has been in use for years by some of the best shops in the business. While many cyclists say that they use much cheaper lubricants, I have no problem spending a little extra for a product that has been time tested by the best.

Discount Q-Tubes 700c x 23-25mm SCHRADER Valve Tube 110g 27" x 1-1/8"

Customer Ratings:

Received this tube the other day to replace an aging, leaky one on my trainer. I read the reviews and decided to gamble on it working out. If you're reading this, know that the previous low ratings were well warranted. I put it on my bike, inflated it and left the wheel alone while I washed up. In the time it took me to wash my hands, the tube ruptured and deflated. Upon removal, I found a large tear in the back. There was also a thin spot very near it which bulged when partially inflated. A pair of self adhesive patches seems to have taken care of it but I'll be buying another tube to replace it. Lucky for me it was for a stationary bike or else I'd have been stranded. If you're looking for a spare tube on the road, don't trust these!

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they have a great selection. Their prices are very good. And they ship the order promptly. I purchase all of my bicycle tubes from them.

Best Shimano SG-3C41 Universal Hub Kit Nexus (36H 3 Speed Coater brake) Deals

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List Price: $79.99
Sale Price: $62.69
Today's Bonus: 22% Off

This has been a great 3 speed hub for my cruiser. I didn't want a derailer, etc. I've had this cruiser for 30 years as a one speed, so having the gears is really nice. I wouldn't try to climb / coast too many mountains with it. Works great for local hills, but some of the mountain jeep roads I went on this summer were too steep. The gears weren't quite low enough for me too ride up some areas. On long sections of steep downhill (all the way back down the mountain) disc brakes would be better because the drum brake could heat up under those extended conditions. Usually I'm riding around town and it works great for that. I did add a 23 tooth rear sprocket for fifteen bux that helps with hills and lets me use the 3rd gear more often. I would definitely recommend it for a cruiser or commuter, but not for serious mountain biker.

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This hub is awesome. Took a great deal of the challenge away from the wind and hills on my single speed cruiser. I now have many more options on places to ride. It's like getting a new bike.

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I have used the product for several months now. It shifts well, I also have used a Sturmey Archer src 3 speed. They are comparable. The Nexus is a little louder buts shifts more crisply than the SA. I would prefer a trigger shifter rather than the twist shifter. All in all it is an excellent hub. I have one installed on a 20" Adventurer steel folding bicycle. The coaster brake seems to grab a little quicker than the SA, but that may be the result of the 20" wheel as opposed to a 26" wheel. I like the ease of adjustment of the Nexus but also like the more traditional look of the SA. I have purchased another Nexus to install in a 26 x 1 3/8 wheel on a bicycle I am building.

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Great 3 speed hub I installed on a1940's heavy vintage bike. I also ordered the 22 tooth sprocket as it comes with a 19. This makes for a nice lower gear ratio.

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Ordered to build up a custom cruiser. This hub is amazing, 3 speeds and a coaster brake all in one. Very smooth shifting with a good spread in the gears. Coaster brake works great. Pretty easy to put together too.