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
Honest reviews on Diamondback 2013 Insight STI-8 Performance Hybrid Bike with 700c
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.
