The Diamondback Sortie Black Mountain Bike Frame

With less than 2 weeks to go in the Diamondback Gear Review Contest on singletracks, we thought we’d let you know a little more about the 2010 Diamondback Sortie Black frame that’s up for grabs. With 5-inches of rear travel and Diamondback Knuckle Box Suspension Technology, this bike has some serious trail cred. First let’s …
By Jeff Barber
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With less than 2 weeks to go in the Diamondback Gear Review Contest on singletracks, we thought we’d let you know a little more about the 2010 Diamondback Sortie Black frame that’s up for grabs. With 5-inches of rear travel and Diamondback Knuckle Box Suspension Technology, this bike has some serious trail cred.

First let’s talk materials. The 2010 Sortie Black is made from 6061-T6 “weapons grade” aluminum that’s designed to withstand hit after hit. It’s the same stuff that’s used for aircraft fittings and brake pistons (read: durable) but you’ll also find 6061-T6 in camera lens mounts (read: precise). The top tube is hydroformed while the down tube and seat stays are butted and formed.

Frame geometry says a lot about how a bike will handle on the trail and Diamondback has dialed the Sortie Black into an all-around performer. The 70-degree head tube angle means the bike promises to climb better than a Trail bike should while the 336mm bottom bracket height places the center of gravity fairly low for optimal handling.

The 2010 Sortie Black features Diamondback’s Knuckle Box Suspension Technology which basically has 3 main advantages: optimized wheel rate, optimized axle path, and a low center of gravity.

  • Wheel rate: the Knuckle Box four-bar linkage system has pivots placed so that the effective spring rate starts off linear and finishes slightly progressive. The upshot: small bump compliance, seemingly larger travel, and protection against bottoming out.
  • Axle path: pivots have been precisely located to minimize chain growth which, in turn, reduces pedal feedback.
  • Low center of gravity: this makes the bike feel even more lightweight while improving handling.

On top of all the great tech packed into the Black Sortie frame, the 2010 model is all murdered out with red highlights and we’re begging the winner of this frame to trick it out with some blingy red components (a SRAM drivetrain should make a great match!).

If you’ve never ridden a Diamondback mountain bike with Knuckle Box Suspension, there are actually a number of demo locations set up with fleets of Mission and Sortie bikes to test ride. Check out the Diamondback website for locations.

Thanks to Diamondback for providing the 2010 Sortie Black frame to our eventual contest winner.

 
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