Intro

Why name a bike the Diplomat? Well, when we started development on the Diplomat, it was simply amazing how enthralled die-hard 26-inch riders were with the bike. It truly was a diplomat.

Just a few pedal strokes, and all of the talk about the differences caused by the wheel size was muted. Everyone just came back saying how fun the Diplomat was to ride. It's nimble, efficient and a joy to ride.

I have more fun riding the Diplomat than any of our other bikes. With the short chainstay, the front end picks up easily and the wheels want to roll over almost anything.

Johnny T.

Overview

The Diplomat 29 delivers 120mm of travel in a compact, nimble handling package.

It features a tapered head tube for additional stiffness, direct mount derailleur for crisp shifting. and plenty of tire clearance to accommodate those high volume tires.

Features

• 29 inch wheels
• 120mm rear travel, designed for 120 travel fork
• Tapered head tube (1 1/8th top to 1.5 lower)
• 6.8 pound/3100g frame weight with Fox RP23 shock
• 6069 aluminum with custom butted top, down and seat tubes
• Fits Shimano direct mount front derailleur's
• Full seat post extension
• Up to 2.5 tire clearance
• 71 degree head angle, 73 seat angle, 13.1 BB height, 17.5 inch chainstays
• Available in medium, large and extra large

Tech

The difficulty with producing a nice-riding full-suspension 29er is getting everything fitted nicely around the big wheels and long travel. But overcoming those constraints is also what makes the Diplomat such a nice riding bike.

For example, just to make the chainstays as short as possible, we designed a removable seat stay arch and attached the front derailleur directly to the chain stay yoke. This allows us to keep the chainstays at 17.5 inches, one of the keys to making the bike nimble handling.

The Diplomat uses our proprietary IAS suspension system. IAS is a simple yet effective system that improves overall suspension action without sacrificing pedalling efficiency or rear end stiffness. With IAS, a CNC machined link between the rocker pivot and seat stay end, carried by high end full-compliment bearings, allows the rear shock to initiate more quickly and the suspension to be more responsive. IAS suspension makes quick work out of bumps, especially repetitive hits (think braking bumps) where quick suspension action means less transmitted to the rider.

The Diplomat's main pivot is located so that it maximizes pedalling efficiency, but not in a place that would create excessive pedal feedback or minimize the bike's ability to absorb bumps. We used a Fox RP23 shock with XY secondary air canister because it's more linear from middle stroke and has low initial stiction (because you are running lower initial pressures). The Diplomat has a relatively flat shock rate, which maximized the character of the air shock. It allows the bike to pedal well, get full travel and still feel bottomless throughout the travel.

With the larger wheels, another major factor is getting sufficient stiffness in the frame. Because the swingarm typically sees the majority of lateral (side to side) flex, the Diplomat uses a fully triangulated rear swingarm to increase stiffness. Stiffness in the swingarm translates both into better rider control, but it also allows the suspension to be more active in rough terrain. When the rear end is suffering from lateral flex during suspension movement, it binds the shock and will limit suspension movement. The front triangle has also been designed with stiffness in mind. The top and down tube are specially shaped to maximize lateral stiffness, and are triple butted to ensure minimal weight.

Specifications

	Diplomat 1	Diplomat 2
FRAME	6.8 lbs / 3100 grams
COMPLETE	30.5 lbs / 13.8 kg	32.5 lbs / 14.7 kg
HEADTUBE	Tapered, Internal Top, External Bottom. Top ID 44mm, Bottom ID 50mm, Frame standard with FSA headset for tapered steerer
FORK	Fox F29 Fit RL 120mm, Tapered, 15mm	Fox F29 RL 120mm, Tapered, 15mm
R/DERAILLEUR	Shimano XTR 10-Speed	Shimano XT 10-Speed
F/DERAILLEUR	Shimano XT, top swing, E type direct mount 3-Speed	Shimano XT, top swing, E type direct mount 3-Speed
SHIFTERS	Shimano XT 30-Speed	Shimano SLX 30-Speed
BRAKES	Avid Elixir R	Avid Elixir R
CRANK	Shimano XT 175, 42/32/24	Shimano XT 175, 42/32/24
CASSETTE	Shimano XT 10-Speed	Shimano SLX 10-Speed
CHAIN	Shimano XT 10-Speed	Shimano SLX 10-Speed
WHEELS	Easton EA70 29, 15mm Front, 10mm x 135mm Rear	Easton XC, 15mm Front, 10mm x 135mm Rear
TIRES	Kenda Tomac Nevegal 2.20 DTC Folding	Kenda Tomac Nevegal 2.20 DTC Folding
HANDLEBAR	Easton EC70, 685mm	Easton EA50, 685mm
STEM	Thomson Elite, 31.8mm, 90mm	Easton EA50, 31.8mm, 90mm
SEATPOST	Thomson Elite, 30.9mm	Easton EA50, 30.9mm
SADDLE	Fizik Tundra 2 MG	Fizik Nisene MG

Geometry

	Medium	Large	XLarge
Shock ETE	190x50 (7.5x2)	190x50 (7.5x2)	190x50 (7.5x2)
Rear Travel	120mm (4.7ins)	120mm (4.7ins)	120mm (4.7ins)
Fork Travel	120mm (4.7ins)	120mm (4.7ins)	120mm (4.7ins)
Head Tube Angle	71°	71°	71.5°
Seat Tube Angle	73°	73°	73°
Head Tube Length	110mm (4.3ins)	110mm (4.3ins)	110mm (4.3ins)
Seat Tube Length	443mm (17.5ins)	485mm (19ins)	532mm (21ins)
Effective Top Tube Length	584.2mm (23ins)	610 (24ins)	633 (24.9ins)
Wheelbase	1113.5mm (43.8ins)	1139.5mm (44.8ins)	1156.6 (45.5ins)
Chainstay Length	445mm (17.5ins)	445mm (17.5ins)	445mm (17.5ins)
BB Height	335.2mm (13.1ins)	335.2mm (13.1ins)	335.2mm (13.1ins)
Standover Height	775.5mm (30.53ins)	776.2mm (30.55ins)	781.3mm (30.75ins)

Sizing

Sizing	Imperial	Metric
Medium	5'6' to 5'9"	1.7m to 1.80m
Large	5'9" to 6'1"	1.80m to 1.86m
XL	6'2" to 6'6"	1.86m to 2m

Setup Guide - Suspension Setup

For a handy graph of our suggested suspension setup, please click here:

The best way you can maximize the performance of your bicycle is by ensuring correct rear shock sag. To set sag, push the O-ring completely forward on your rear shock (towards the shock seal). Now sit on the bike in a normal riding position near a wall to steady yourself. (Note: If you use a hydration pack, make sure you also have this on. You want your "ride weight" to be as close as it is when you normally ride.) Without bouncing on the saddle or pedals, distribute your weight on the saddle and pedals in a normal riding position while holding the handlebars. Push the O-ring back up towards the shock seal and gently get off (to avoid moving the O-ring)

Recommended Sag Applications
Cross Country (Automatic/Carbide) 25-30% of total shock travel in sag, This should be 9.5mm and 11.5mm between the O-ring and shock seal on the Carbide and 12.5mm to 15mm on the Automatic.

Trail (Snyper/Vanish): 25-35% of total shock travel in sag. This should be 14mm and 20mm between the O-ring and shock seal on the Snyper and 16mm to 22mm on the Vanish.

Spring Adjustment-Air Shocks
To install air pressure in the main air spring, remove the air cap from the Schrader valve located above the large air spring canister. Attach the pump to the Schrader valve. The hiss you hear when unscrewing the pump is only the air left in the pump itself and not from the shock. This does not affect your pressure setting in the shock. Likewise, when you install the pump, the shock will fill the pump and reduces the registered pressure previously installed in the shock. This usually is a 10-15 psi difference between what was in the shock and what the pump is reading. This is all normal procedure when adjusting the air spring pressure. After removing the pump, be sure to reinstall the Schrader valve cap.

Rebound Damping Adjustment
The rebound damping controls the return rate of the shock after it has been compressed to absorb a bump. Rebound damping can be adjusted for different spring rates, terrain, and rider preferences. Rebound on shocks can be adjusted by the red knob on Fox shock and the blue knob on Manitou shocks, which is located on the shaft eyelet mount on coil shocks and the air canister eyelet mount on air shocks. As a general rule, rebound that is adjusted too fast will exhibit a springy ride that has excessive pedaling movement and kick up the rear end on multiple bumps and big hits. Rebound that is adjusted too slow will exhibit a packing of the rear wheel that is identified by a low ride height, stiff feeling on multiple bumps and the rear wheel drifting to one side on stutter (braking) bumps. A good rebound starting point is to set the shock to achieve a return movement that is just short of "snapping back".