The Scapegoat

Diamond Back Scapegoat   Now that is a name that goes way back for me.  I remember my neighbour having a Diamond Back in the early nineties and frankly I hadn’t heard much about them over the last few years. That was until I got a press release back in June saying that they had made a special edition bike called “Scape goat”.  Based off their Mission series bike, they went all out trying to make the Scapegoat into an ultimate all mountain bike.

  I’m going to have to say that they did a pretty good job.

  As I said before it is based on there Mission line of bikes but with a few subtle changes. Stronger straight gauge down tube, 1.5 head tube, ISCG tabs and mountain point for a floating disk brake mount.   The ‘Goat has six inches of travel on each end that feels completely plush with a DHX 5 air in the rear and a Fox 36 Talus in the front.  SRAM X0 shifters & derailleur handle changing gears, Mavic CrossMax wheels with WTB rubber, Truvativ Stylo cranks & chain guide, Avid Code brakes and an internal headset round out the parts list.  

Diamond Back Scapegoat. Stylo up front, XO in the back.

   The Scapegoat uses the Knuckle Box suspension, a pretty simple way to actuate the shock while keeping weight low on the frame with a linear feel to the travel.  One of the features of the Knuckle Box is that it allows for an uninterrupted seat tube, which really helps when you turn the bike uphill and work your way up the hill with the seat up high.

Diamond Back Scapegoat Knuckle box.

  The Scapegoats strengths lay in coming down the hill more so that going straight up. This was especially noticeable on the Whistler style XC rides (read all mountain) that seems to be the norm in Whistler; it really shone through when the going got rough. The rubber stayed in contact with the ground and the Code brakes could handle stopping me with ease on any trail.

Coming in at just a hair over 35 lbs on my scale the ‘Goat isn’t the lightest bike I have ridden lately, but well within reason for a 6” bike that can take the abuse of the bike park. If I had to complain about something it would be that the Codes were too much for the bike as it could easily make do with Juicy 7’s or Ultimate.  Not really a complaint when you get something more than you need, but if I had to choose something that would be it.

(This was a limited build bike and there were only 30 produced, check your local dealer to see if any are left, or wait for the '09 version, new and improved with Hammerschmitt.)

Opinion: Best of the best spec on a fun all mountain bike.
Plus: Fun, responsive, plush, limited edition.
Minus: Expensive.. but it has the best parts available.

MSRP:$4,250.
Website: http://www.diamondback.com

Rating: 4.5/5