One thing I appreciated is that Specialized hasnt skimped on all the necessary mounts. Wheels. The last three models of the drop bar flavour are built from Specializeds E5 alloy. Major refresh and adoption of Future Shock 2.0 brings the Specialized Diverge bang up to date. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. Our expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing products and services so you can choose the best for you. 6 bolt disc and has HG freehub body for 11 speed cassettes. DT Swiss G540 rim, 24mm inner width, tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, alloy freehub body, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT . He is also a regular contributor to the BikeRadar podcast. Unbound gravel has had a rocky few years but, much to the relief to the gravel community, returned last weekend and featured a packed field for 2021. The two cheapest aluminium models the Diverge Elite E5 and Diverge Base E5 do not have either version of the Future Shock. In fact, as someone who obsessively avoids paved roads, the Diverge reminded me about the pleasures of road touring. You can, of course, drop the range down a notch by swapping out the chainring for one thats 4-6 teeth smaller probably without even needing to adjust the length of the chain. Specialized Diverge FACT 9r carbon, SWAT Door integration, Future Shock suspension, threaded BB, internal routing, 12x142mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc . When pressed on what category the Diverge Evo lives in, Specialized a brand that. Specialized worked on rideable modified versions of the previous-generation bike to test its new geometry. - smoothly. Prior to the world going into lockdown, Dave Shoddy Everett attended an exclusive launch of the new Diverge to learn what it was all about and how it rides. I was pleased to see that the new post works with the rest of the bike, in that it never dulls the sharpness of the rear end but just quietens down the road noise thats transferred to you. Receive FREE UK delivery on all orders over 30 and easy returns! Theres new geometry, an updated and damped Future Shock headset that has migrated over from Specializeds 2020 Roubaix, room for wider tyres, a longer wheelbase and that external lunchbox has magically vanished from the base of the main triangle. But let me delve into the finer details first. Specialized is also launching the Diverge Evo a stretched out, even slacker and generally more radical version of the Diverge designed for rowdier riding oh, and it ditches drop bars in favour of flat bars. Maybe theyll call it mountain biking? Gone is the old CBG seatpost (a name we will all miss, Im sure) now theres a new, more normal-looking 27.2 mm carbon seatpost that flows from a road shape to a flattened setup near the saddle. though it's a shame the wheelset that comes stock with this model isn't tubeless ready. Both EVO models also come with an X-Fusion Manic Dropper seatpost with 50 mm of travel. (And luckily these things are carried over into the new Diverge STR!). With a longer front centre, longer chainstays, slacker head tubes and increased fork rakes, the wheelbase lengths increase from 22 mm for a 49 cm frame up to a whopping extra 40 mm in a 61 cm. The frame post works as a spring, moving backwards and down in response. Who would have thought? I received my 2021 Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon (size 52) two weeks ago. Specialized says its a lot more compliant, and it is. I REALLY want to convert to a tubeless set-up but have gotten mixed reviews online and from my LBS. Compared to the vanilla Diverge, the bike features a lower stack, a longer reach (roughly 30mm longer), a lower bottom bracket and a 70-degree head angle across all sizes. The middle-of-the-road Diverge STR Pro retailing at $9,500 USD (9,500 / 9000) is powered by a SRAM Force eTap AXS Eagle groupset, Roval Terra CL wheels, Terra carbon handlebars, an S-Works carbon seatpost and Power Pro saddle. In our experience to date, the system does live up to the hype it has been shown to be impressively effective in testing on both the Roubaix and previous-generation Diverge, and is universally liked here at BikeRadar. This item is in the . The two Diverge Evo builds also use an alloy frameset, but feature Future Shock 2.0. Its definitely got a race-orientated edge to it, and keeps you on your toes in trickier sections. I soon realized that the movement of the frame post is actually quite noticeable, especially when seated toward the back of your saddle. It's the ultimate getaway vehicle. 2017 models will be available shortly, meaning bargains from last year are sure to be found. So, yeah, I was ready for a different style of bike, for something to mix up the experience, and that definitely provides the context for how I viewed the Diverge. Officially, the frame has clearance for 35mm tires with room to spare. Groupe Sram Apex 1x11 Hydraulique. Base E5 price: US$1,100 / AU$N/A / 949. 24mm internal width, tubeless ready, 24h: Wheelset - Hubs: Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc: Front tyre: Pathfinder Pro, 2Bliss Ready, transparent sidewall . Specialized Diverge Elite E5 Tubeless. Once you get to the Sport model youll drop down to the FACT 8r carbon frame and lose that SWAT box. At a staggering $14,000, the S-Works Diverge STR is $3,400 more expensive than its front-suspension-only predecessor and among the most expensive Specialized rollouts we've seen in the brand's road and gravel category yet. Come the second day I was lucky enough to have the staff on hand swap out the dropper post for the new carbon post. Even if the bike is a total marketing coup, it doesnt mean that producing something like this isnt a risk. In the meantime, the Roubaix Pros are good all rounders, though its a shame the wheelset that comes stock with this model isnt tubeless ready. But everyone else will revel in the undeniable thrill of road riding and fast, ultralight touring, without the restrictions such bikes often impose. Gravel continues to be a such fascinating category for bike manufacturers. A frame-only buying option is available for U.S. customers only, which comes woth a price tag of $6,000 for the FACT 11r carbon frameset with front and rear Future Shocks, a seat post, seat collar and the SWAT system. Below are . The bike should also appeal to riders looking for something like. Old school mountain bike? Its priced at $3300. Although this lightweight 1x drivetrain caused no complaints in terms of its slick, fast shifting and offers the promise of easier maintenance than a 2x setup its a gearing thats likely to be on the large side for bikepackers heading into more mountainous topography. Many Specialized bikes are equipped with Roval tubeless . Size: Color: Satin Blaze/Violet Ghost Pearl Fade . Pathfinder Pro 2BR . The Specialized Diverge has been completely reworked from the frame up, including neat new features and a huge variety in options. If you come from a road background, fine tuning your suspension will be a new concept. Speed, control and confidence - Future Shock technology is ideal for the gravel rider. Specialized claims the new Diverge takes inspiration from the Epic cross-country mountain bike range. The only real difference between the two is in the components: the Comp gets an SRAM NX 11 / Tektro HD-R290 / Praxis build, and the Expert earns a nicer Shimano XT / Magura MT4 / Praxis build. Starting with its road capabilities, the bike felt as road-orientated as a gravel bike can with 38 mm tyres. Once at speed, it held it without a problem. Specialized Diverge FACT 9r carbon, SWAT Door integration, Future Shock suspension, threaded BB, internal routing, 12x142mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc . Stability added. As for protecting both your friends and your clothes from the elements, Specializeds Plug and Play Fenders are designed to work. Please keep the conversation civil, constructive, and inclusive, or your comment will be removed. If I had to suggest the paved/dirt ratio that suits it best, it would be an 80/20 balance in favour of the former. For the really rowdy riders, the Diverge STR is also dropper post compatible and sports a standard 27.2mm seatpost diameter. Each bike frame size comes with two different frame posts and each post in turn has a stiffer and more flexible side, tunable to the riders preference. Specialized reasons that when the rear wheel encounters a bump, the wheel moves up. Turbo S-Works 2BR. This is easily the bikes main selling point, and is equally likely to be a drawcard or a turn-off for many, depending on how you feel about the need for a bit of bounce up front. The Comp Carbon has all the same finishing kit as the Expert but forgoes the Di2 GRX groupset for the mechanical offering in the form of Shimanos GRX 810. Though the initial set of tyres the Diverge was specced with were unfortunately not road-tubeless compatible. I seem to find myself between two frame sizes and spent a lot of time fussing with my position while not the easiest on the front Future Shock system, it was mostly just a matter of swapping stems and removing any spacers. The Conti's mounted easily, without levers, but required >70 psi to fully seat on the tall rim shelf. These clearances are quoted with a 6mm gap around each side of the tyre at the stays and fork crown. The Diverge Evo is no different. "100mm more travel and I can do away with my mountain bike!" Whether your goal is to escape on gravel back roads, far from cars and crowds, or drop the hammer at the front of your favorite gravel race, no bike d. . It'll support up to 46T rear . It adds not only comfort but also stability, traction and confidence to an already very capable bike. New bike day: 2019 S-Works Tarmac Disc SL6. 3 couleurs dispos mais pas dans toutes les tailles (voir dernire photo) Cadre Specialized Diverge Carbon, carbone FACT 8r, suspension Future-Shock, Disc Flat Mount, 12 x 142 mm. The Specialized Diverge has received a comprehensive refresh for model year 2021, gaining the latest-generation Future Shock 2.0 suspension on select models, an update to more progressive long, slack and low geometry, and increased tyre clearances, bringing the bike bang up to date. However, for a bike that I feel sits more at the faster, race-orientated end of the gravel spectrum as opposed to the more endurance-based, multi-day-exploring end these additions have me wanting to know how it really performs when loaded up and out in the wilds for days on end. For me, the suspension shone on the rougher descends. On day one we used the all-round 50/50 road/gravel rubber of the 38 mm Pathfinder Pro. tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples. by jtoddgill. SLX 24. Future Shock 1.5 w/Smooth Boot, FACT carbon, 12x100 mm thru-axle, flat-mount. Sure the new geometry adds a bunch of stability, but the Future Shock just adds an undeniable amount of confidence that you otherwise dont get from gravel bikes with similar modern geometry. 4 interest-free payments of $9.24 with Klarna. insisted it still very much sits within the still evolving spectrum of gravel. She holds a degree in journalism and started out as a newspaper reporter in print! Personally, . The Diverge Elite E5 utilizes our premium E5 alloy frame and a full carbon FACT fork for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. Any bike that encourages me to get out and ride, and nudges me explore places in new ways, is likely to win me over. Wheelset: Roval C 38 Disc carbon tubeless-ready clincher Tyres: Specialized Turbo Pro 28mm stock, changed to Continental Grand Prix 5000 TL 32mm, then Schwalbe Pro One TLE 28mm Brakes: Shimano . For whatever reason, I struggled to find a good fit. Its a similar story for Easton EC70 AX bars. Brakes are flat mount with the fork designed around larger 160/180 mm rotors instead of the more commonly found 140/160 mm. You've been subscribed to our newsletter. You're right, they are not officially declared as "tubeless ready" by Continental, but I've heard from some riders on a German MTB forum that they're running them . Finally got myself into the gravel world with a 2021 Specialized Diverge Elite E5 and have had a blast on it so far. But the extra bells and whistles may not be everyone's cup of tea and the $7,000 to $14,000 buy-in price is preventative for most. All 2021 versions of Diverge are tubeless compatible. I know theres plenty of people out there who may want a dropper post, but personally, I just dont get it. *Note that only the newer version of the Alpinist and Rapide wheels are tubeless compatible. Swap those road tyres out for whatever takes your fancy for off-road duties, and youve got a bike that can take on an amazing variety of different surfaces. When the dark clouds rolled in and the rain came pummeling down on that initial ride, the bikes responded well to the change in pace as we sped toward cover. Shimano's gravel inspired GRX 400 group shifts 2x10 gears smoothly on any terrain and Axis Elite alloy wheels with Pathfinder 38mm tires . The Diverge STR unveiled today now features both front and rear Future Shock suspension. That's because it's fast like any competitive road tire, only it features a unique Endurant casing with bead-to-bead puncture . This becomes even more apparent as the spec gets slightly heavier down the collection line. The Expert I rode on my home gravel roads in Oregon. To accommodate larger tyres, as well as both single and double cranksets, Specialized has developed a funky solid carbon yoke that sits on the driveside chainstay. Gravel+? As mentioned, its a full FACT 11r carbon frame with a mix of SRAM Red eTap AXS shifters, a 42T chainset and brakes, mixed with a SRAM XX1 Eagle AXS rear derailleur and XG-1295 Eagle 10-50T 12-speed cassette. Like the S-Works, the Pro gets Easton EC70 AX Carbon 16-degree flare bars. The new 2021 Specialized Diverge gravel bike gets a comprehensive refresh, including Future Shock 2.0 suspension on select models. On the other hand, the Trek Checkpoint starts at about $1700 for the entry-level model and continues up to over $8000 for their high-end . Pros. The Expert comes equipped with a SRAM Rival eTap AXS Eagle groupset, Roval Terra C wheels, alloy handlebars, an S-Works carbon seatpost and the Power Expert saddle. E5 Expert EVO price: US$2,600 / 2,399 / AU$4,100 New Tubeless Tire conversion, Specialized Chisel, No tape. Indeed Specialized hardly touched upon it in the launch event presentation. As for its aero credentials, well yes, there are a few subtle aero advantage design tweaks but nothing to really write home about. The headline news from this launch sees top-tier versions of the new Diverge adopt the same hydraulically-damped version of the Future Shock as used on the newest Roubaix. Roval Terra CL, 25mm internal width, 32mm depth, 24h, Tubeless ready, DT for Roval 350 hub, Centerlock disc, DT Swiss Competition Race spokes Tires Tracer Pro 2BR, 700x42 Bottom Bracket SRAM DUB BSA 68 Crankset Id also put a lot of this down to the Future Shock 2.0 off-road. FRONT WHEEL DT Swiss G540 rim, 24mm internal width, tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes . And without being bounced around so much, you're able to maintain sustained efforts, or simply pedal, for longer. After all, Specialized has designed the carbon post in conjunction with the new frame for a reason. E-Road Gravel News Review Road . Published 2 March 23. This bike was released in 2022 and its price was 4300 AUD (3048 $). Thanks! The final carbon offering is the Base, kitted out with SRAMs 1x 11-speed Apex groupset. The fact we were riding far more technical and challenging gravel sectors than the day before safely balanced things out. 700 x 40 Tubeless Ready, up to 45 : Great Value gravel bike . Notably, the new Diverge is also the first non-electric bike from Specialized to ship with Shimanos gravel-specific, Shock suspension, threaded BB, internal routing, 12x142mm, Specialized full sealed bearing thru-axle hub, centrelock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples, Specialized sealed bearing thru-axle hubs, six-bolt disc, J-bend 14G stainless steel spokes, brass nipples, 2021 Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon review, Specialized Roubaix Expert long-term review, Future Shock 2.0 introduced on select models, Revised geometry for improved off-road performance, Tyre clearance increased to 47mm (700c) / 2.1in (650b). If you haven't tried a road bike with hydros, you're . Click here to login, or start an account if youre not yet a member of the Bikepacking Collective. The Diverge encourages out of the saddle climbs and makes sprinting along paved roads undeniably fun; in the way that it seems to transfer every iota of energy into propelling you forward. To take the wheel off, you'll be faced with either a quick-release (QR) skewer or thru-axle. Nothing too crazy: a mix of mainly loose gravel over a dusty, hardpacked surface, and a nice amount of tarmac to get a feel for the bike out on the road. Again wheels are from Roval: this time the Roval Terra CL in 32 mm wrapped in Specializeds 38 mm Pathfinder Pro in a very fetching transparent/tan sidewall. Brand: Specialized, Product: Diverge Pro Carbon Whether your goal is to escape on gravel back roads, far from cars and crowds, or drop the hammer at the front of your favorite gravel race, no bike does it better than the new Diverge. Over the two days of riding, we used two different sets of tyres. Its more than stiff enough, and its predictable, nimble and positive when cornering. The gravel season can start If you want to cycle on paths away from cars and crowds or if you want to contest your favorite gravel race at full speed, you will not be able to avoid the new diverge. When pressed on what category the Diverge Evo lives in, Specialized a brand that, by its own admission, likes to name everything insisted it still very much sits within the still evolving spectrum of gravel. That is to say, I miss a bit of the snappiness and liveliness of a pure race breed like the Crux or even a previous Diverge. While all of this is potentially true, talking about the Diverge Evo is exactly what Specialized wants you to do. And here I thought gravel riding would allow me to downsize my quiver! Specialized have released details, images and pricing for their all-new Diverge, the 2021 incarnation of the company's specialist gravel platform. . 12 X 100 (front) and 12 X 142 (rear) thru-axle only can't be convert to anything else. I've seen a Diverge set up with 38700 Specialized Trigger Pros. The one item that stands out on the S-Works over every other model is that its the only one that comes equipped with a dropper post (controversial): the X-Fusion Manic Dropper, with 50 mm of travel. My first ride was spent on the Pro model and was meant to get an initial feel for the bike as a whole. Taking full advantage of the bikes voluminous down tube, the SWAT box offers a lidded storage area near the bottom bracket. Theyve introduced slacker head tube angles across the board (0.5 degrees slacker). The Specialized Diverge comes in a range of prices, from around $1300 for an entry-level bike to about $7500, depending on the features you want. I enjoyed it even more once I got rid of a certain component . The EVO models also come with a different tyre: the new Specialized Rhombus, in a 700 x 42. Wheelset: DT Swiss G540 rim, 24mm inner width, tubeless-ready . The head angle has also slackened by roughly one degree compared to the outgoing model, ranging between 70 degrees on the smallest size up to 71.75 degrees on the largest sizes.