The Diamondback Sortie series is the quintessential trail bike. Responsive enough for challenging epic trail rides or those all day XC grinders, the Sortie craves and owns the singletrack domain. The Sortie One is designed to strike a balance of agility and stability. It rides well at all speeds is as nimble climbing up the mountain as it is stable descending.
Years of product testing and refinement have gone into the Sortie’s platform. For 2013 we’ve revamped the rear triangle effectively making it stronger and stiffer without any weight gain. Put simply, the Sortie One is a bike that’ll make you feel like you are cheating.
Diamondback’s Design Philosophy is a no-nonsense approach to building quality bicycles. We want our bike designs to be straightforward: their hardware accessible and their suspension simple.
2013 Sortie Comp frames are created from 6061-T6 Weapons Grade Aluminum and features a hydroformed top tube, a butted and formed downtube and seatstays, an under arch seatstay bridge, a standard 9×135mm vertical drop out and Diamondbacks legendary Knuckle Box Suspension technology.
The Knuckle Box, or bell crank, is the core of our single-pivot four-bar suspension platform. Optimally placed pivots equate to a low leverage ratio, and ultimately to superior pedaling efficiency and small-bump compliance. This also allows the shock to work more efficiently and reduces pedal induced motion. It also reduces overall load on the system which will lead to improved shock and bearing life.
Placing the Knuckle Box low within the frame, situates the greatest weight of the bike closer to the bottom bracket, which lowers the bike’s center of gravity and allows it to better track and corner.
Wheel-rate is also one of the most significant aspects of a suspension system. Wheel-rate is the effective spring-rate when measured at the wheel. A benefit of our four-bar linkage is increased control over the wheel-rate. Obtaining the spring-rate curves in a shock allows us to determine the wheel-rate. We’re then able to optimize the wheel-rate to be linear-to-slightly progressive. This results in superb small-bump compliance, more perceived travel and excellent bottom-out protection. For this application we’ve chosen to run a Fox 32 FLoat CTD Air with 140mm travel, an external rebound knob, 32mm Easton aluminum stanchions, and magnesium lowers.
Component wise, the Sortie Comp continues to be a high performance machine, weaving in a more mid range component package. Starting with a Fox Float CTD, “LV” eyelet 200×57mm Air with rebound adjust and the new Climb, Trail, Descend (CTD) lever.
Shimano adds value with this Deore/XT drivetrain which includes an FCM552 Dyna-Sys 10spd Crankset, Deore shifters and front derailleur, a n XT rear derailleur, a Shimano HG54 10spd chain and Shimano drops some stopping power with a set of M445 hydraulic disc brakes with Deore levers.
A Easton EA50 stenm and DB Lazer Series 31.8mm low rise bar comprise the cockpit while a WTB Vigo comp seat provides a style and comfort atop a Easton EA50 Double bolt clamp 31.6mm post for those all day spins.
Last but not least we’ve finished off the Sortie One with a set of 32h SL-6 Doublewall Disc rims laced to alloy disc hubs and mounted with Kenda Slant 6 tires.
Knuckle Box Frame Characteristics:
Single-Sided Hardware – Single-sided oversized heat treated hardware is used for the three main pivot points allows for easy access to your 14 high-quality Enduro Max bearings simply with standard tools. No more removing the crankset to tighten or service your pivots.
Partnership w/ Fox – By providing suspension kinematics early in our design process, Fox is able to custom tune their shock to work precisely with our frames, improving performance.
LOW AND TIGHT – The Knuckle Box platform was designed specifically to be low and tight:
Knucklebox Technology
- Low center of gravity: All suspension parts are positioned farther down on the frame for a stable and balanced ride.
- Low leverage suspension design: Lower air pressure results in longer shock life, less frame loading and better pedaling.
- Tight, compact linkage system of the Knuckle Box bell crank isolates and cradles the rear shock.
- Tight and large anodized aluminum hardware, matched with Force-Rated Enduro Max Bearings: Withstands higher loads and better handles oscillating motion.
The 2013 Sortie Comp comes in SM (15.5"), MD (17"), LG (19"), XL (21") sizes and the Comp is red in color.
If you are on the hunt for the most nimble and aggressive Trail/XC bike on the market… look no further. The Sortie Comp is the perfect full suspension trail machine for the rider serious about the ride and the value.