Customer Reviews

Diamondback Mini Della Cruz Girls' Cruiser (16-Inch Wheels)

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(10)
3 star:		(5)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

We bought this bike for our daughter's 4th birthday next month. I wanted two things out of a bike:

1. No corporate marketing of Disney Princesses, Dora-the-(dead-eyed)-Explorer, or Barbie. *shudder* This is more difficult to find than you might think.

2. A bike that was high enough quality as to encourage riding, and make it a pleasure, rather than rendering it a tedious task soon to be given up.

I think this bike fits the bill on both counts, though as my child has yet to ride it, I don't know much about how well it functions. I will update post-gifting with my impressions that way.

Here are my initial impressions of the pros and cons:

Pros:

- This bike is gorgeous. The style is very retro circa 1950's, with the full, generous, shock-absorbing seat, the 50's aqua (it's definitely more aqua than the baby blue it appears to be in the photo) and salmon-pink accents on the wheels and flowers. The other accent colors are black, white - and in the center flourish there is a champagne-tan color as a backdrop to the pink and white flowers. All the designs on the bike have a glittery appearance that sort of shines in the light. The seat, too is embellished with a scant floral design in pink and white, as are the fenders - these things I found difficult to discern in the photos.

- I love that the tires are primarily black, so that when they make contact with the dirty ground they won't instantly be rendered used and filthy looking.

- The bike, from all appearances looks as if it would be very comfortable and easy to ride.

Cons:

- There really are no instructions. Zero. There's a really bad photo of the training wheel assembly that you won't be able to glean any information from, and a 'users manual' with lots of tips about not riding at night, and how dangerous that is, and always wearing a helmet, and even a thorough layout of a brake system that this bike doesn't have, but there's not a single detail about how you're supposed to assemble this thing.

I've never assembled a bike before, so I found this especially daunting, and it took me an hour and a half... which isn't terrible, all things considered.

Thankfully, the bike does come partially assembled. It is the buyers job to assemble the training wheels, which after a few mishaps I discovered needed to lock into an existing piece on the rear wheel. The front fender (that's what that strange u-shaped metal bar is for) and wheel, seat, handlebars (which also must be adjusted to the correct angle), pedals, and a couple reflectors that you have to guess on the intended location of. There are tools that come with the bike - 4 Allen wrenches and a double-sided wrench that fits the majority of the bolts, but I still needed a Phillips head and ratchet for miscellaneous other bolts and to occasionally hold something in place while tightening the other side.

I think I managed to get it put together correctly. It seems study, but I would have loved some validation on this point, as I am a complete novice at assembling bikes.

- The bike, as other reviewers mentioned, arrived with a few minor scratches. Seems to me, had it been protected a little better in shipping, this wouldn't have happened.

-The flower stickers were not applied as well as I would have hoped. There are a few areas where there were small bubbles under the stickers around the edges, and they couldn't be smoothed. I think this will effect the longevity of the appearance of the stickers, as dirt will get under them and cause them to peal.

- I wish the bike wasn't made in China. Not a totally unexpected detail, but I personally prefer things to be made anywhere but China.

One more tidbit of note is that the colors of the bike are unusual and would be difficult to match, and that's worth considering if you're ordering accessories. If you order baby blue or something in the standard pink range, it'll probably clash.

I knew I wanted a Giro helmet, and so we bought the Lucille the Bike Giro Rodeo helmet alongside it, and thankfully, the range of color in that helmet allowed for it to match - perfectly - though the styles are a little different, but there aren't really any helmets with a 50's look anyway. A plain black or white helmet would look nice alongside it too.

We bought white streamers and I'd recommend that anyone else buying streamers do the same. The bike has just enough white that the white streamers look like they 'belong'. Our other accessories are chrome and black, and look like they were made for this bike. I'm so glad I decided to stay way from the pink and blue spectrum!

I know, probably overkill in the information department, but when you're spending this much money, it makes sense to have a better idea of what you'll be getting.

All in all, I'm pretty pleased with this bike. If you want something different, there really aren't any other options, especially in this price range - I spent a lot of time researching.

I can't wait to see my daughter's reaction come her birthday. I think she'll love it. I mean, who wouldn't? This really is a hip little ride for youngsters :)

This bike is a fantastic bike for the price. My husband put the bike together in about a half hour. The one single sheet of instructions was not the best in helping put the bike together but managed with what he had with success. Our 5 year old daughter loves the color and enjoys the bike very much. Fits her perfect! It's a well built bike that will give our little one many fun & safe days of riding.

We purchased this bike for our 4-year-old for Christmas. We originally picked it out because it looked cute and wasn't plastered with princess decals or some other character theme. We tried it out in a sports store first and immediately noticed how sturdy and well-built the bike was. Our daughter felt secure with the training wheels, they are not "tippy" like those on other models. She LOVES the bike. It was the hit of Christmas and she still rides it every day. We love the bike too. The attention to detail is fabulous...things like the fenders and white-wall tires are just so cute! It rides really well and we can see her loving this bike for a long time. My FIL and hubby put the bike together (both engineers) and both commented on how sturdy and well-built all of the parts are. We are 100% satisfied with this product!!

My daughter loves her "Cruiser" bike, she has had it for almost a year and rides it everyday. I have had no problems with this bike.

I'll preface by saying that I "luckily" am a bike mechanic. I bought this bike along with a Miz Della Cruz for a friends 2 daughters. I like that they are not branded with "Barbie" or Hanna Montana or something.

The state of these bikes coming out of the box is terrible. EVERYTHING on these bikes is over tightened!! One wheel was overtightened to the point of almost not turning. While there was no shipping damage to the bikes I get the impression that they were just thrown into the box. The Mini had 3 of the little tool sets that they include for assembly. After completing the assembly of the Miz, I was disappointed when one of the tires went flat. Upon taking it apart to replace the tube I discovered that the tube was twisted and balled up and basically just thrown into the tire. It required that I go buy a new tube and fix it properly. Also the front fork on the Miz was too small for the front hub and had to be forced apart slightly to get it to fit. The Miz was also missing a reflector screw.

I think the bikes are overall quality kids bikes but would recommend you take them to a bike shop that knows what they are doing and can properly put them together. Who know what might be wrong with the ones you order.

My husband and I did a lot of research for a bike for our 4 1/2 year old daughter. We wanted something that was strong, safe, and durable but pretty too. Everywhere we looked it was barbie this and princess that, which don't get me wrong, my daughter loves them too but when is enough...enough already! We got the bike the other day and pulled it from it's box to find that there weren't many directions but the bike was practically already assembled. What little assembly left to do was quite simple with our without directions. Once put together it is obvious that the quality is pure Diamondback. My husband and I both have owned our own Diamondbacks in the past and have always loved their products. This bike is even cuter in person than in pictures! We are thrilled and can't wait to see her face on Christmas morning.

This is a wonderful little bike: sturdy, looks good, and easy to ride. However, the assembly instructions (or lack thereof) leave something to be desired. The instructions included with the bike were for an adult-sized mountain bike. Not extremely helpful. After much trial-and-error, I was able to assemlble the bike using my daughter's other Diamondback bike as a guide.

Also, the packaging used to ship the bike is sub-par. When I received the bike, certain parts (like the fenders) were dented, scratched, and bent, and some screws were missing altogether (they were all just floating around in the box, which had huge holes in it). Thin pieces of cardboard and tape were the only packing material inside the box, so all the pieces rubbed and banged together.

Amazon customer service was no help at all, but Diamondback customer service was exceptional!!! They acknowledged that a certain allotment of bikes was sold to Amazon and that they have received many complaints from Amazon customers about the quality of the packaging to ship the bikes. Missing pieces and damaged parts were all replaced by Diamondback via overnight FedEx.

Bought this bike for my daughter for her fourth birthday. Shipping was super fast, box was not damaged, however the bike frame did have some scratches on it when opened. At this price range, touch up paint should be included with the purchase. The one page instructions included were for another bike model, and detailed placing frame pads on it. If you are familiar with bikes, it should pose no problem. Overall I am happy with my purchase.

We got this bike for my daughter's pre-school graduation. We shopped around and was originally thinking of getting a small bike from Wal-mart or Toys R Us. We are so glas that we spent the extra money to get her a Diamondback. My husband had a Diamondback when he was a kid, so he was a big promoter of getting this one. It's solid and sturdy, and not wobbly at all. Great buy!

I have purchased bikes at toys r us before and was not happy with the quality, so i went on a mission to find a quality bike for my twins 4th bday present. Started with a local bike shop (performance bikes) but the bikes they carried in 16" size were mostly schwinn and not well constructed. Went to another that sells Elecktra cruisers, but the 16" was over $300! Finally started searching the web and found these bikes. I know Diamondback makes good products and the reviews were good so i decided to go for it. They cost about twice what the bikes at toysrus cost, but we have found you get what you pay for. My girls love them and ride them everyday. Not only are they well built, but they are easy to put together. They are also easy to ride and very stable because the training wheels are sturdy and are built very close to the ground. Lastly, they are very cute! Could not be happier with this purchase!