Diamondback Outlet: Diamondback Podium 7 Frame

OUTLET ITEM

Note* This frame is a return that has had very little use. Included with the frame are the following items;FSA headset, seat collar as well as an FSA bottom bracket.

Diamond Back went all out in creating the top of the line Podium 7. The Podium 7 features a sub 900 gram frame and tapered full carbon fork that was created using the latest 3D modeling and Finite Element Analysis (FEA) to design and build a lightweight, stiff and responsive frame suitable for the top racers and the weekend warriors.

The key to the weight and strength of the Podium 7 frame lies in the properties of the carbon build process. The Advanced Monocoque Molding Process ensures that each area of the frame has the correct amount of carbon. In a nutshell, more carbon is used where it is needed and less where it isn’t. This keeps the weight down and the strength high. The process of the carbon construction is carefully controlled. The carbon plies are hand laid around a polystyrene pre-form core, using a plastic bladder in the shape of the product. Keeping a precise mold is a key objective in the carbon process and Diamond Back engineers take great care in ensuring a precise fit. Silicon mandrel shells are also used to reinforce critical joint areas so as to create smoother overlapping fibers.

Diamond Back chooses to use Mitsubishi Rayon MR60 and HR40 carbon and the popular Toray T700 fibers. These fibers are incredibly difficult to work with, but because of their stiffness, the Podium can be made with very thin wall thicknesses. These fibers are bonded to together with Diamond Back’s Optimum Resin Compound(ORC). Using too much resin makes a frame heavy and sluggish and using too little can result in separation and failure. OCR ensures the best ratio of resin to carbon combination and that creates a strong bonding process and an incredibly impact resistant carbon material. Diamond Back keeps quality control very high by manufacturing all their carbon fiber sheets in house unlike many competitors that buy pre-impregnated sheets.