Reviews of Diamondback 2013 Podium 3 Road Bike with 700c Wheels

Customer Ratings:

I purchased this bike elsewhere, before Amazon started carrying Diamondback bikes. In the past three years I have owned 3 road bikes, so I am not a novice... two were "entry level" with sora tiagra group sets. For the price I have yet to see a 105 equipped bike... Amazons current price is more expensive then the other place I bought mine $730. It shifts smooth, the brakes are excellent, but there are a few points which I was not thrilled with on this bike, but I think this is where they cut a few corners to bring the price so low.

These are the points I did not like in order, honestly if you are just a weekend warrior, and occasional rider, just swap the seat for one you like & seatpost to carbon fiber and your bike will feel way more comfortable and smooth. Swapping out the other parts, dropped my bike weight big time, and now it rides like a much more expensive bike.

-The seat everyone has their own preference in bike saddles, but this stock seat was the worst of all my road bikes I have owned stock, and the only one I ever felt the need to switch before failure due to a lack of comfort.

-seat post was not carbon... for additional ride comfort this should be upgraded, most won't notice the difference, but this coupled with the seat was not fun.

-The cassette is Tiagra... a group set below the 105's, and heavier. Not a big deal for most

-wheel set is heavy and Diamondback branded...

-FSA crankset... they make lighter compacts for just a small margin of a price increase.

I have swapped out everything that I put on my short comings list, except the cassette and cranks so far, and I still love this bike even before the upgrades.

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I am sorry for the previous complaint on this Bike. I located the seat post and the seat. They were included after all. My bad.

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This bike is awesome! Great color! Easy to built and great perfomance! I put 4 start because the first time i was using it as training, the chain broke!!But still being a great bike, excelent componets for the price.

Cheap Aosom Elite II 3in1 Double Child Bike Trailer, Stroller & Jogger

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $249.99
Sale Price: $139.97
Today's Bonus: 44% Off

I have to say, I was very eager to receive this product. After reading the many negative posts, though out shined by the positive posts, I was eager to see what this product was made of. I was very pleased at how easy it went together. The instructions were not too bad so they could not be understood. I also had a little help from a You Tube video I came across during my research of this product. I have posted the instructional videos in an earlier post, prior to me receiving the product.

As for the trailer, I think over all it is a great buy for the money. Very well build, and not to hard to fold for storage. The initial assembly took me less than five minutes. It is pretty self explainatory for the most part. Remember, you are only spending less than $150.00 with shipping and tax. For the money it is a great buy. Every product has its pros and cons. If you want less cons, and much more pros, then I suggest spenting $500.00 plus on some of the top of the line trailers.

I would not put my daughters in anything deemed unsafe, by any means. Right off the bat, if you are towing this trailer on a busy residential or city street, there is already a potential for an accident to occur from a motorist(even with the included orange flag). If you want to the decrease the potontial of an accident that is completely out of your control, I suggets you keep to usuing this bike trailer on a unshared bike path, or campground. Which is our intended use. Too many people out there that should not be driving. No matter how careful a bicyclist you are.

As I said, the trailer assembly was easily assembled. In time, with practice, I am sure I will develop a system on breaking this down in under 3 minutes. Both rear tires held air to the maximum psi recommended. As did the stroller tire. It has a comfortable 'bench seat' for one or two children. And it even has a seat and floor board so your little passengers will not be siting in a 'hammick" like seat and it will protect them from the elements of the road. It has a bug screan, with plenty of ventilation and a rain flap that folds up when not in use. The entire canopy is held taunt with industrial grade velcro. And the material of the entire trailer is double stitched and not made from flimbsy nylon. Which suprised me based on some other posts. It has a 3 way harness for either one or two passengers. I suggest you buy a harness anti-chafing covers. Which can be bought for $5.00 each where they sell childrens car seats and strollers. It also has shock absorbers on each wheel. There is even a storage area in the rear, for your necessities. It is not bad as far as the size of the storage space, in relation to the size of the entire trailer. It also has 6 reflectors, 2 on the front, two in the reat, and two on the wheels. Unlike some other trailer/stroller combination, the front wheel (which is included) is kept securely in a designated place on the rear of the trailer when not in use. The arm for conecting the trailer to the bicycle folds underneth the trailer. This way everything stays together, and you do not have to carry extra parts/pieces when riding/walking. The universal clasp fit right onto my rear quick release without any incident. And there is a spring in the arm which bends and swivels. So if you dump your bike, the trailer stays upright. When I was riding, I did not even know I was towing. I believe most of the negative posts are for the Aosom Trailer, which is offer on Amazon for $114.00 and not the Elite 11 for $134.00. I suggets spending the additional $20.00 and getting a trailker/stroller with a lot less negative issues.

Now for the real test. I think I was more excited to get this trailer working than my daughter was. She is of average height for a 19 month old, and weighs about 28 pounds. With her helmet on, she had plenty of head room. Although, with the helmet on, it does push her head slightly foward, but not to the point where she was uncomfortable and wanted to get out. While we were riding she loved it. She was waving to everyone we saw. She thought she was on a Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Float. And this is a very active child. And she did not want to get out.She even fell asleep in it 2 hours before her nap! Once we got to the store usuing a bike path and very low traffic roads, I converted it to the stroller. And what a sigh of relief not to have to remove my slepping daughter from the trailer, lock up the bike and trailer, and carry her (or let her run, with me chasing her everywhere) once we got to our destination.

The brakes are nothing more than 2 bars the rub against the tires to slow down the stroller, not completely stop it. So if you plan to use this for jogging soley, I suggest you spend more money on a stroller with an adequate braking device or a true jogging stroller. It also does not have an emergency brake, which is why I gave it 4 stars. So if you are at the top of an incline, YOU MUST HOLD ON! Other than that, for the money, this trailer is great. I cannot wait for my infant to be of age to use this trailer with her older sister.

I would recommend this to families who intend to use this for recreactional or light erands only. Not for daily jogging or as another means of daily transportation. If your intended use is for the latter, I suggest you make the increased investment.

A few things I would like to see this company upgrade in future models is the following:

!. Make some more room for the back of childs head while wearing the helemet.

2. An emergency brake so you do not have to constantly hold it while in stroller mode. ( It did not tip over with my daughter and her diaper bag in the storage area).

3. It has pocket built in on either side of the interior. Perhaps a drink and snack holder could be incorporated.

$. Folded, it is quite heavey. When assembled, the weight is distributed. Though, it would be nice if it were a bit lighter.

This is a good product. I have already listed the pros in the first part of my post. For a person that does not ride everyday, I could not see spending $500.00 plus on something I might use several times, or less, a month. If your bicyle is your primary means of transportation, than I would make the increased investment. For me and my family, this trailer/stroller is perfect for our life style. Remember, you get what you pay for.

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A quality product, easy to assemble and very easy to use. Fast shipping! I have been biking around the neighborhood with my 2 years old daughter and I love it!

Best Deals for Aosom Elite II 3in1 Double Child Bike Trailer, Stroller & Jogger

Really happy with it. Works great; relatively easy to setup; comfortable and I trust it...

Couple of Cons:

The front wheel is not too easy to take off. It works without tools, which is great, but it takes you some time unscrewing in an awkward position. They could have designed that better, and I will probably change it myself.

The brake is a little too close to the tire, and you can't really change it.

Our children (both under 3 years old) do not fit next to each other; they both have to sit a little to the side. Honestly a big disappointment to me, as we wanted something comfortable to take them on long walks in one stroller.

All in all still a good buy; you really can't beat this price for such great quality

Honest reviews on Aosom Elite II 3in1 Double Child Bike Trailer, Stroller & Jogger

This is what we needed. My son is 4 and to big for the normal jogging stroller. This is just what the mama ordered :) Its big enough for him to lounge and play with toys. I was scared that it was going to be hard to put together myself but was super easy. The only thing that I dislike is the fact the small front tire came full of air but the larger ones didn't. But they are stable enough to hold use until we get ourselves to the gas station to fill air in them and then I will in turn by a hand pump for this kind of occasion again.

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A little difficult to put together, but other than that a very good product and our 3 year old and our 1 year old love it.

Review of Avid Elixir 3 Rear Disc Brake with Right Lever

Customer Ratings:
List Price: $120.00
Sale Price: $105.58
Today's Bonus: 12% Off

These brakes came standard on my new bike. Their major flaw is that they lack pad clearance adjustment. This translates to impossible to correct squealing, rubbing, and tick-tick-tick noises to ruin your ride. No amount of alignment, adjustment, bleeding, or fluid add/removal is going to completely correct this problem. These brakes just don't cut it. Honestly, I have had better results from V-Brakes. If you must have hydro's step up to a model that has pad clearance adjust or you will regret it I promise. I am switching to BB7 mechanical disc brakes which can be more effectively tuned and don't require freaking syringes to maintain.

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These also came standard on my bike and I have had endless binding issues in the back caliper. I have adjusted the mounting, the caliper bled, etc.... but to no long term benefit. I am certain it is the materials used in the piston seals which are inherently faulty.

First the concept of hydraulic brakes on bicycles is questionable. As a motorbike mechanic, given the relative mass of a motorcycle compared with the rider, it makes sense to have hydraulic disc brakes for weight savings and the amount of braking forces which are frequently necessary to come to a stop from, let say, 100kph with a average mass of 350kg. However, with a bicycle, it is MUCH less noticeable. In actuality, there is more of a tendency for the brakes to work too well and your wheel then skids or worse, you fly over your handlebars. Even in bicycle competition, one wants to minimize braking to take advantage of momentum. Whereas, in motorcycling, the engine will often be the first method of braking.

Second, let's assume that hydraulic disc braking is needed. I have read several posts where the solution to the binding issues are to bleed often and to lubricate the caliper piston seals with silicone often. Imagine if a motorcycle or even your typical automobile owner had to do this every time they went for a long ride or once a week. Most would turn to a more reliable vehicle. So other than being a bicycle enthusiast, I do not know why the bicycle industry and all its customers have not made a claim against Avid for their caliper as faulty and a serial defect? Intermittent binding of calipers are unsafe. This tends to heat up the hydraulic system which only causes the fluid behind the caliper to boil, degrade, and expand adding more braking forces on the piston. It is a cascading effect. If this happened in the motorcycle or auto industry, these would have been recalled the first year they were used. However, bicycle manufacturers continue to experiment on their customers without any liability or safety regulation.

I recommend mechanical disc brakes as a compromise until this braking technology matures to become maintenance free.

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I rated these 4 stars and that's because the oem pads squealed on the front wheel of my bike. The rears were silent since I purchased the bike in Jan 2013. Ironically, I kept the front pads and transitioned them to the rear when the original rears wore out, and they did NOT squeal.When I got the bike I knew to bed these brakes in per the OEM specifications, and so I did. I have bled one due to a re-routing of a break cable and they have worked well, although the one that was bled has become a bit spongy recently. Nothing serious, but I like my brakes to feel crisp and close without too much lever drift or throw. Guess I'll have to bleed them again soon.

I ride aggressive AM trail and these brakes have not disappointed. Stopping power is good but I did change the front pads to another brand and they went silent. Would I buy Avid brakes aftermarket? You bet.

Honest reviews on Avid Elixir 3 Rear Disc Brake with Right Lever

I put these on my hybrid bike for commuting. Some would say you don't need discs for the road. Some would say that mechanical discs are fine for the road. However I commute through the steep hills and traffic of Seattle and I want brakes that work. Rim brakes suck and after my experience with mechanical disc brakes I'd say they suck too. Once these are adjusted they are good. I had to realign my mechanical every few weeks. Then after they failed the first time i decided to go Hydraulic.

There are better brakes for mountain biking but if you want overkill for the road these will work great.

I did blow through the back pad quicker than the front but that might just be my crazy overuse of the back brake.