Costco is known for many things, but not really bicycles… until recently. First, the wholesale giant started offering mountain bikes from the legendary Intense Cycles. Then Intense went straight to Costco for the launch of their new gravel bike. And while you may see poorly-assembled bikes on the storeroom floor with their forks on backwards, you may still find good bike deals at Costco.
Based on the link above, Costco has been selling select Diamondback models at least as far back as 2014, so if you wanted to just go pick up a new MTB while stocking up on your month’s worth of coffee or peanut butter, you can.
Currently, the latest budget Costoco mountain bike is a Diamondback Overdrive with 27.5″ wheels. This version of the Diamondback Overdrive 1 27.5 may be an exclusive that is only available through Costco, but it looks a lot like the 2018 Diamondback Overdrive 1, even the colors are the same. However, there are some graphic changes, and some major component differences that suggest this is a new model – though still very similar.
The Costco description of the bike says it has a Shimano drivetrain, like all of the other versions online… but it doesn’t.
All of the data I found for this bike listed a Shimano drivetrain, so it must have been just a “copy and paste” job for the Costco people who added this bike to their website. Instead, on this bike you’ll apparently find a MicroShift drivetrain with an LTWOO 8-speed cassette, KMC Z82 chain, and a Pro Wheel crank with a “steel cartridge” bottom bracket. That’s a miss when you compare it to the Trek Marlin 4 Gen 2 which is currently on sale for less, at $529.
Regardless, besides not having the stated Shimano drivetrain, the Costco version of this bike has a spec sheet that, frankly, isn’t much of a bargain for a lower price point bicycle. It also only appears to be available in the medium size. Note that according to the Diamondback website, the Overdrive is now only offered with 29″ wheels, while the Hatch offers 27.5″ wheels only for the size Small bikes, with the larger bikes also gaining 29″ wheels.
Diamondback Overdrive 1 27.5 Specs
Costco’s price for the Overdrive 27.5 is $549 (shipping and handling included).