Photos courtesy of Diamondback

It’s been about a year-and-a-half since Diamondback introduced the Release Carbon. We covered it in the 2018 Bible. I’m sorta paraphrasing here, but our testers said it was “very good.” Similar things were said when we did our first-ride on the Sync’r Carbon at the Sedona Mountain Bike Festival. But we haven’t reviewed Diamondback’s all-mountain misfit, the Mission, since 2015, and that review was “very mixed.”

Photo Credit: courtesy of Diamondback

But that bike has changed. Actually, In contrast to the way Diamondback has rolled out its last three new mountain bikes, the Mission is currently available only in carbon. So, it looks like this bike means business, especially considering its numbers. 160 millimeters of rear travel, 180 front, super-tech 430-millimeter chainstays and super-slack 64-degree head angle. But there’s also the 75.5-degree seat angle and Diamondback’s supportive Level Link suspension. It’s clearly meant to go the distance. It’s available in three sizes, with an XL sitting this one out. But the large size has a reasonable 476-millimeter reach for those of us who are just above average. There are two builds, the Mission 2 for $5,000 and the Mission 1 for $4,000. The Mission 2 gets a Float X2 shock, Performance 36 fork, Race Face Vault hubs with ARC30 rims, an X01 / GX drivetrain and Code R brakes. The Mission 1 goes to a Super Deluxe R shock, Yari RC fork, Diamondback’s Blanchard wheels, a GX / NX drivetrain and likely-underpowered Guide R brakes.

Diamondback has a hybrid sales model, but is primarily consumer-direct. Using that scale, the Mission 1 and 2 are not mind-blowing values like the YT Capra or Canyon Torque, but they’re still a lot of machine for the money. We’re eager to get a closer look at this thing, so stay tuned to see if we, again call it “very good.”