Tested: The Diamondback Current Ebike
Takeaway: The Diamondback Current is a dropbar ebike comfortable on city streets and backroads. Wide handlebars and 40mm width Maxxis tires allow for some light gravel and dirt road capability. A class-3, mid-mount Bosch Performance Line motor provides great power (with a maximum assisted speed of 28mph) and makes for a fast, fun ride. However, the Current's overall weight, price, and hard-to-remove battery doesn't make it a perfect fit for everyone.
6061 Aluminum frame with thru-axle aluminum fork.
Shimano GRX shifters, drivetrain, and hydraulic brakes.
Bosch class-3 Performance Line Speed motor and PowerTube 500 battery.
Wide, flared handlebars and 700x40C tires add light gravel capability.
Price: $4,100
Weight: 47.7lbs (58cm)
Diamondback Current Build Details
Style: Gravel Ebike
Material: 6061-T6 Aluminium
Wheel Size: 700C
Fork: 6061 T6 Aluminum, Thru-axle
Motor: Bosch Performance Line Speed, 85Nm Torque, 28mph max speed
Battery: Bosch PowerTube 500
Drivetrain: Shimano GRX 11-speed
Crank: FSA Forged Alloy
Rear Cassette: Shimano 11-42T, 11-speed
Brakes: Shimano GRX, 180mm rotor front / 160mm rotor rear
Wheels: Aluminum 700c, 25mm ID, 32 Hole
Tires: Maxxis Rambler, 700x40c
Saddle: WTB Volt Sport
Seatpost: Diamondback Aluminum, 350mm length
Handlebar: Aluminum Flared Dropbar, 480mm (small), 500mm (medium & large)
Stem: Diamondback Aluminum Alloy, 3d Forged
The Diamondback Current is what I like to call an e-explorer bike. Just from a quick look at the bike, the handlebar width and flare are signals of a bike that is meant to keep its composure over obstacles, and with 40mm wide tires, help riders bounce over bumps on the road or trail.
Diamondback describes the Current as being “born from a desire to explore”. With this description in mind, I used the Current to do just that: explore. First, I got used to the Current on the streets of New York City. I then took it to Harriman State Park (about 50 miles north of NYC) to explore some backroads. It proved capable at both helping fetch the week’s groceries, as well as rumbling over the ruts and stones of washed-out tire tracks of dirt and gravel roads. The Current made both commutes and adventuring easy.
A class-3 e-bike, the Current is equipped with the mid-mount Bosch Performance Line Speed motor. With three sensors to measure pedaling torque, speed, and acceleration, the pedal assist got me up to 28mph—meaning the more watts I pushed through the pedals, the more assistance the Bosch motor would give. The bike has four assist modes: Eco, Tour, Sport and Turbo. Set to Eco mode, I still had to work to get to up to 28mph max assist on a 2% incline. The 11-speed drivetrain, with a low 1:1 gear ratio of 42x42T, came in handy to spin a higher cadence to get more pedal assist. On the other hand, while in Turbo mode, resting in the flared drops felt like riding a Café Racer!
The Turbo mode of the Bosch motor came in handy for getting from A to B, and allowed me to keep up in midday city traffic. However, given the speeds the Current easily achieves, and combined with its almost 48lb weight (plus rider weight and cargo), the Shimano GRX brakes took some time to stop from full speed.
Getting the Current in or out of any narrow space was not so fun though, due to the 50cm width bars. Often, I use the motto "the wider the bar, the more comfortable the ride"; but with the Current, what I gained in comfort I lost in maneuverability through tight areas. As the Current does not have fenders, I was able to roll the bike upright on its rear wheel while walking to maneuver it in and out of small spaces, but this might not be an option for all riders.
The Current opened my eyes to the possibilities of exploring with pedal-assist. Taking the bike off pavement was just as fun as the city riding. Initially, I was skeptical at the idea of an electric bike designed to explore—as by its very nature it’s limited to a 35-to-65-mile radius due to the battery capacity. Plus, a Bosch power brick is needed to charge it up if you outside of that theoretical boundary.
Riding rocky, uphill sections of dirt road, that were challenging on a non-assist bike, were easier to navigate on the Current. I wasn’t worried about banging the motor on the terrain since the frame wraps protectively around it. The most challenging part about taking the Current off-pavement was ascending without losing traction. Because of this, I kept the Current in Eco or Touring mode over loose terrain.
The Bosch monitor displays all the stats expected from an ebike cycling computer: watts (in this case, how many watts I was contributing to the motor’s mighty efforts), cadence, gradient, and speed. It also features a dynamic representation of how much power is left and what that translates to in miles. For example, if I changed from Eco mode to Turbo mode, the monitor showed the reduction in range. This is handy because the last thing I would want is to run out of battery miles from home with a nearly 50lb bike to pedal back unassisted.
While I found the computer itself excellent, the mount proved to be more challenging. The mount is designed in such a way that attaching it to the lower screws of the stem is needlessly challenging the screw access area is too tight to accept most tools. The mount functions fine when protruding from the top of the stem like an errant tree branch, and will allow easier access to a handlebar bag, but unless you are using a bar bag it seems unnecessary to mount the computer in such an elevated position. Unfortunately, the mount cannot be easily exchanged for something more generic as it is magnetic and powers the monitor.
The other personal setup aspect of the bike I suspect other riders will change is the saddle. My size large test bike came with a 135mm width WTB Volt Sport saddle, which I was sure would cut me in half if I rode it all day. It was unnecessarily narrow for a bike designed to go-anywhere and would have helped coming stock with a wider saddle. All sit-bones are different though, so opinions on the seat will vary widely from rider-to-rider.
An important aspect to consider was charging the Current. Battery removal on the bike is a bit of a chore. There is a charging port on the side of the downtube—near the headtube—but using that port requires parking the bike near an outlet.
The Current's battery can be removed but it is a bit of a hassle. Removing the battery requires removal of a protective plate. This plate can be removed with a sliding action, but only if the screws are loose enough. But the protective plate also needs to be fastened tightly to the frame when riding to prevent rattling and battery damage. Besides the key, a hex key is required to take out the battery when needed.
The charging challenge is something worth considering. If you have space to park inside, but no outlet nearby, keep this challenge in mind. Also, if you do not have an indoor place to park the Current, or if getting it inside requires hefting the nearly 48lb bike upstairs or navigating narrow halls, removing the battery for frequent charging may prove an annoying chore.
The Current's $4,100 price places it near the higher-end of the range for similar class 3 e-bikes, with wide tire clearance and 35+ mile range. Given the lack of stock fenders, rack, USB port, or integrated lights, the Current does not come equipped with many features commuters might want built-in. While the Current's 700x40c tires provide capability on gravel and dirt roads, the aluminum frame does not have any built-in damping features, so the bike is more comfortable on pavement. Overall, the Diamondback a fun, go-anywhere bike. Personally, I am not sure I can justify the price and charging challenges to add this bike to my daily life. But, if you are looking for a dropbar ebike to explore some backroads, or light gravel road use, and have somewhere to charge the bike that doesn't require removing the battery every time, the Diamondback Current might be a good bike for you.
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