forum thread Posted by Marcus2010 • Nov 24, 2024
Nov 24, 2024 5:08 AM
Item 1 of 2
Item 1 of 2
forum thread Posted by Marcus2010 • Nov 24, 2024
Nov 24, 2024 5:08 AM
DiamondBack Haanjo 5 Gravel Bike $1999 $1999.99
$2,000
Diamondback
Get Deal at DiamondbackGood Deal
Bad Deal
Save
Share
4 Comments
Sign up for a Slickdeals account to remove this ad.
* Decent geo for someone who looks for a "slak" / or "MTBers" Gravel bike. This will will be more forgiving for rougher terrain and/or singletrack. Will fill a bit numb for roadies tho (not necessarily a bad thing for ppl new to drop-bar bikes, these are SHARP by comparison to most MTBs/Hybrid/cruiser bikes most ppl are used to, and taking it off-road will challenge you. But underbiking is fun!
* Decent "mullet" setup with drop-bar (briefter) Apex AXS ( Bluetooth, wireless) 1x12 and MTB cassette for a lot of low gears. Note that the Apex AXS RD officially supports 44T max, but if Diamondback sells it with a 11-50, it can do 11-50!
* Hydraulic brakes...Sram Apex hydraulic brakes but still, better than typ. mechanical
* Dropper post - this is a MTBers Gravel bike after all...yes, a dropper post..."rocks" for rougher terrain and when you need to allow yourself to move around the bike without it hitting your behind. Loading your rear wheel more than you should is the reason ppl go over-the-bars (OTB). It is almost never because you've been too far forward or that you've grabbed too much brake (although, it is not impossible on a gravel bike).
* Decent (?) wheels on paper: 25mm ID = will take larger tires OK-ish. 24H (spokes) means those should not be excessively heavy (for OEM wheels).
* modern 12mm thru axle standards front/rear = you can use share wheels with most/all high end gravel & road bikes today
* Carbon fork = should take some of the edge off.
* Enough mounting points (but not that many for the category)
* Color looks really nice
The meh:
* Max tire size: it is not clear what it is...reviews say 45s fit with OK clearance, but lets face it, in 2024 and for "slack-ish" gravel bike, this is not enough. New crop of gravel bikes go 700x2.0"/50mm and some as large as 700c (29") 2.2, with many recreational riders but also racers opting for 2.0 and 2.2 MTB tires (yes, there are options that roll as fast if not faster than dedicated "gravel" tires). Bike comes with 40mm tires which is also underwhelming. The jump in traction and comfort combined going from 40 to 45 is massive.
* Dub on a BSA (threaded) frame...the "Dub" spec axle is big diam to be strong made out of alloy and the BSA BB doesn't have lots of room for larger bearings...the result are BSA Dub BBs use pretty small bearings that wear-out notably faster than BBs for Shimano-type 24mm axles or 30mm alloy axles in PF30 frames did. Just keep an eye on them. You don't want a draggy, hardened steel bearing interfacing with your dub axle.
* DOT fluid brakes...harder to bleed + need bleeding more often than Mineral oil - if you care for performance at least.
* HG hub...maybe preferable for some, especially if you have a HG wheelset to swap in, but for a "3K" MSRP bike, maybe they should have gone Sram xD freehub ( that would also allow you to go with a 10-50 or 10-44 cassette for better range / lower weight etc). Not a great deal, but it is supposed to be a 3K bike...
* Alloy frame...again, for a 3K bike...not amazing value. Intense selling their full carbon 951 Gravel for same $.
* Decent geo for someone who looks for a "slak" / or "MTBers" Gravel bike. This will will be more forgiving for rougher terrain and/or singletrack. Will fill a bit numb for roadies tho (not necessarily a bad thing for ppl new to drop-bar bikes, these are SHARP by comparison to most MTBs/Hybrid/cruiser bikes most ppl are used to, and taking it off-road will challenge you. But underbiking is fun!
* Decent "mullet" setup with drop-bar (briefter) Apex AXS ( Bluetooth, wireless) 1x12 and MTB cassette for a lot of low gears. Note that the Apex AXS RD officially supports 44T max, but if Diamondback sells it with a 11-50, it can do 11-50!
* Hydraulic brakes...Sram Apex hydraulic brakes but still, better than typ. mechanical
* Dropper post - this is a MTBers Gravel bike after all...yes, a dropper post..."rocks" for rougher terrain and when you need to allow yourself to move around the bike without it hitting your behind. Loading your rear wheel more than you should is the reason ppl go over-the-bars (OTB). It is almost never because you've been too far forward or that you've grabbed too much brake (although, it is not impossible on a gravel bike).
* Decent (?) wheels on paper: 25mm ID = will take larger tires OK-ish. 24H (spokes) means those should not be excessively heavy (for OEM wheels).
* modern 12mm thru axle standards front/rear = you can use share wheels with most/all high end gravel & road bikes today
* Carbon fork = should take some of the edge off.
* Enough mounting points (but not that many for the category)
* Color looks really nice
The meh:
* Max tire size: it is not clear what it is...reviews say 45s fit with OK clearance, but lets face it, in 2024 and for "slack-ish" gravel bike, this is not enough. New crop of gravel bikes go 700x2.0"/50mm and some as large as 700c (29") 2.2, with many recreational riders but also racers opting for 2.0 and 2.2 MTB tires (yes, there are options that roll as fast if not faster than dedicated "gravel" tires). Bike comes with 40mm tires which is also underwhelming. The jump in traction and comfort combined going from 40 to 45 is massive.
* Dub on a BSA (threaded) frame...the "Dub" spec axle is big diam to be strong made out of alloy and the BSA BB doesn't have lots of room for larger bearings...the result are BSA Dub BBs use pretty small bearings that wear-out notably faster than BBs for Shimano-type 24mm axles or 30mm alloy axles in PF30 frames did. Just keep an eye on them. You don't want a draggy, hardened steel bearing interfacing with your dub axle.
* DOT fluid brakes...harder to bleed + need bleeding more often than Mineral oil - if you care for performance at least.
* HG hub...maybe preferable for some, especially if you have a HG wheelset to swap in, but for a "3K" MSRP bike, maybe they should have gone Sram xD freehub ( that would also allow you to go with a 10-50 or 10-44 cassette for better range / lower weight etc). Not a great deal, but it is supposed to be a 3K bike...
* Alloy frame...again, for a 3K bike...not amazing value. Intense selling their full carbon 951 Gravel for same $.
Also, the max tire clearance is a matter of preference. Many buy gravel bikes to be used as heavier duty more comfy road or commuter bikes, where they will spend the majority of their time on pavement or packed dirt, so don't need the monster tire clearance.
Longer wheelbases / rear center etc, allow for wider tire clearances. 1x only frames also allow for wider tire clerances. A dropper post allows for rider/bike separation. All of the points on this line are "anathema" for roadies that want "gravel" to mean a road bike with wider tire clearances and could consider 40 or 45 more than enough, and would see 1x and dropper posts as silly. MTBers look at all of the above as a natural / good thing to have when riding off-road and especially when off-road incudes actual trails (aka singletracks) and not just a dirt road (aka doubletrack / fire-road etc). For the latter a seasoned rider might be fine on a road bike that can fit 32+mm slicks. For the former? Depends on skill, but a slacker & longer bike with knobby tires does help a lot (especially if you care for stopping).
Note that the wider tires are always meant in the 700c context. The industry is moving away from the "go 650b if you want 2.0/50mm tires" because its performance and not fun based.