We got up early, came home late, and refilled countless water bottles in between. This change improves the Diverges performance with 650b wheels (which drop the bike compared to 700c wheels.) Of course tires are crucial; 40mm is the de-facto standard for this year. I mean, you can get the base model for $1,100, but youre not getting the Future Shock or any of the exciting tech were looking at here. RELATED Ive been testing the 2021 Diverge Comp Carbon for the last few months. It added that in development, our test riders generally preferred the system active or firm and really didnt need or use more settings in the middle effectively. Jack thinks nothing of bikepacking after work to sleep in a ditch or taking on a daft challenge for the BikeRadar YouTube channel. Most models have the Future Shock for additional comfort, and Specialized also built some smoothing features into the frames. As such, we found it a bit finicky in the middle ranges and sometimes struggled to immediately align with the cog. Another minor nit and one that isnt unique to the Diverge is how the flared bars tilt the shifter hoods to a narrower stance than youd have on a straight drop bar. The 42t ring pairs to a massive 10-50t Eagle cassette, offering Jeep-like low gearing for crawling up the steeps. They also lengthened the chainstays a few millimeters. Salsa Warbird, Why R+ and other gear tested at The Mid South For a gravel bike where you may have to replace bottom brackets more often, this makes sense. |, 3/d/e/0/3de0dbec2a62a3697c5f97ff0155107c6392ffd4_download.jpeg, The Future Shock 2.0 is super-effective at smoothing big hits and rough roads; modern geometry contributes to super-stable ride quality; every bike should have a SWAT box; oodles of mounts boost versatility; lots of tyre clearance, Uncompetitive build for the price; tyres suffer in all but the driest conditions; handlebar design may limit accessory mounting options, Cheap gravel bikes: affordable adventure bikes for dirt, gravel and commuting, Best gravel bike shoes | Gravel-friendly footwear for adventure riding, first debuted on the Roubaix way back in 2017, Road bike handlebar buyers guide: how to choose the perfect handlebar, Specialized Adventure Gear Hover, 103mm drop x 70mm reach x 12 flare, Specialized Body Geometry Power Sport, hollow Cr-Mo rails, Roval Terra Carbon Seat Post, 20mm Offset, Future Stem, Comp, w/integrated computer mount, Specialized Pathfinder Pro, 2Bliss Ready 700 x 38mm. When running higher pressures, the smooth central section sits proud of the sawtooth outer edges. The effects of the Future Shock are most noticeable on long days. This asymmetry caused me deep and lasting distress every time I looked down at my bars. I was also unable to run a stock Garmin out-front mount in line with the centre of the stem as the clamp area was not wide enough. Check out some of the bestselling gear at Backcountry this week and save on gear for your next adventure. The new Diverge gets a boost in tire clearance so all models can now, officially, run up to 47mm tires in 700c, and 53mm (2.1 inches) in 650b (previous clearance was 700x42mm or 650b x 47mm). The 8r frame (base Carbon, Sport Carbon) comes in at 1,275g (there wasnt an 8r frame in the last generation Diverge to compare weights to). This, paired with the cruise-friendly 610mm stack and additional rise offered by the Hover Bars, makes for a fairly regal and upright riding position. I feel like the Diverge hits the Goldilocks spot of enough cush to take the edge off without making a major sacrifice in terms of weight or complexity. The Diverge Pro Carbon Campagnolo LTD ($7,000) sits second from the crown (just below the venerable S-Works). A Giant Revolt I rode over the winter has 71mm of trail. This all equates to more stability and comfort in the saddle. Theres a bento-box mount on the top tube, and a mount on each fork leg to fit a water bottle or cargo cage. As should be expected, the build on this $6,700 bike is excellent. The wheelset is a sensible and stout affair, with 24h DT Swiss G540 rims laced to Specialized own-brand hubs. This is a key upgrade I would make as soon as I bought the bike. To be totally clear, leaving the shock in any of the intermediate clicks on the system makes no difference at all they are just there for feel. The bike comes with a bag containing a tube, lever, CO2, and inflator. The Future Shock was first developed for the Roubaix to help tackle cobbled roads. I felt like we had already poo-pood the whole suspending the rider concept with the Girvin Flexstem way-back-when. Thats with 6mm clearance in all directions, so theres room for bigger tires if you dare. The S-Works, Pro, Expert, and Comp Carbon models get the Future Shock 2.0, which has hydraulic damping, and a dial which lets the rider adjust the firmness of the system on the fly. But the new 9r frame (used by the Pro Carbon, Expert Carbon, and Comp Carbon models) weighs 1,095g; thats about 55 grams lighter than the previous generation. The bike is built around a standard ISO-threaded bottom-bracket shell. So, theres plenty of bosses to kit up for a 400-mile bikepacking race or overnighter. I say it feels a little weird initially on pavement, but feels great when riding at speed on the dirt. The shorter stem paired with the lower trail pulls the turning radius closer in and adds back a touch more nimbleness in tighter turns at speed. The bolts are also excessively long and, if you have stuffed the SWAT bag to the limit, this can make closing the door difficult. Sign in to manage your newsletter preferences. It rode like a rigid mountain bike with drops. This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. Higher-end models get an adjustable Future Shock with lock out. And when out of the saddle, the Diverges frame offers better compliance than almost all the gravel bikes Ive recently tested. You can think of the EVO models as an aggressive gravel bike or an ultra-light mountain bike. Turns out it works pretty well on gravel, too. In Short: The grandmaster of the bike industry, Specialized has really dialed in how to make a good bike. I was also delighted to see an external seat clamp on the bike its easy to use and it holds the seatpost tenaciously. On the other end of the bike and the other end of the controversy spectrum, virtually no one will argue with a carbon seatpost that has a bit of flex for a gravel bike. Its stiffer, lighter, and quicker handling for high-speed cornering. To get there, Specialized lengthened the reach, made the head tube one degree slacker, and increased the forks offset by 5 mm. In the saddle, the Terra post offered noticeable givenot as much as Canyons leaf spring post or Treks IsoSpeed decoupler, but not very far off either. Between the speed, the crown, the corner, and the gravel, the makings of a very bad time were all there but I was able to get myself through the corner with surprisingly little drama. You've been subscribed to our newsletter. The fork also features bosses for triple-bolt Anything-style cages. You can add up the 30 mm of stack from the lowest setting with the Future Shock, or use a stem with positive rise to make it feel taller. From next-gen tech to ingenious innovation, our weekly peek at emerging products examines the sometimes cutting-edge, sometimes quirky world of gear design. Good save, I heard from the other side of the double track. There are 11 of them, priced from $1,100 (Diverge E5) to $10,000 (Diverge S-Works). Being able to quickly flick it from firm to soft is a big improvement. Off the floor, the Pro Carbon we tested will set you back $7,000 ($7,500 if you want to upgrade to the SRAM AXS groupset with electronic shifting). So why have the intermediate clicks in the first place? A dial lets you minimize its axial movement on smoother sections of dirt or gravel if you want but, after going back and forth with it for a while, I left it in its softest mode most of the time. I received the $6,700 Diverge Pro Carbon ahead of todays launch. But this model, and the $10,000 S-Works option, are two of the few bikes in Specializeds line that come with a non-Specialized parts. Its 5mm taller now, but still quite low, with an 80mm drop. The high- and low-end gears are fairly comparable to other bikes we tested. For context, road bikes usually have less than 60mm of trail. On the front end, a forks offset measures the horizontal distance between the hub and the steering axis. Specialized has several aluminum models of the Diverge. Here, you get Eastons EC70 AX carbon bar with 16-degree flare, because, at this time, Specialized doesnt have a flared carbon gravel bar. To adjust the Future Shock, you turn an indexed dial (where the top cap would usually sit) through 90 degrees. The Diverges geometry pushes your weight further forward, and the stem is longer, too. There I said it. Its 13-cog cassette didnt shift as cleanly as less compact 11-cog cassettes. Lets not forget that, just a few short years ago, 2.1in tyres were the norm in cross-country racing, so your ability to tackle truly outrageous terrain on the Diverge will be limited only by your imagination and bravery. The Sport-level bikes get the 8r layup, which is heavier again. For those coming from the road world, dont expect massive effects; 20 mm is a far cry from the 120 mm of travel mountain bikers have on their cross-country bike. Nine of the models have drop bars, and there are two flat bar EVO models priced at $1,600 and $2,600. Mounts on the fork can carry water bottles or cargo. More than any other bike, we found ourselves tucked in both while climb and descending. Specialized bikes arent cheap. The bottom bracket elevates slightly on the new Diverge. This round, Specialized raised the bottom brackets drop by 5 mm, which allows you to run 650b wheels without clipping pedals in turns. The brands schedule and gravels surging popularity ensured that a Diverge was on the horizon. This, to me, is going in the opposite direction of the smart integrated storage. Its just enough to quiet the vibrations on chip seal and gravel. Before we go too far, its important to share that 12 bikes rack the Diverge lineup. How we test gear. He is also a regular contributor to the BikeRadar podcast. We deflated the tire pressure to 25 lbs. But so do other bikes in the Diverge lineup. With a 700c wheelset, you can run tyres up to 47mm-wide and, if you opt for 650b wheels, you can go all the way up to a 2.1in/54mm-wide tyre. The Pro Carbon had the longest offset hence shortest trail of all the bikes we tested. The Future Shock suspends the rider alone. For what its worth, I still prefer a 2 setup for gravel riding being able to dump a chunk of gear-inches at the bottom of a climb and, at the top, shift back into the big ring is still really useful. The old bike had an undamped spring; you could select one of three spring weights to tune it. On the other side of the bike, the rear ends compliance is very good. Designers tweak the geometry to move bikes toward one end or another. The one omission here is the lack of a forward-facing eyelet on the front of the fork crown. The nuts, which slot into a moulding on the underside of the door, are not held captive, which makes fitting a bottle cage exceptionally fiddly. This made the Divergefeelstable and eliminated toe overlap with the front wheel. Don't miss a moment from Paris-Roubaix and Unbound Gravel, to the Giro dItalia, Tour de France, Vuelta a Espaa, and everything in between when you The perfect gravel tire width. And its a lot of gears to squish inside a single cassette. And it still keeps that fantastic stability that makes the Diverge so much fun to ride. This makes a certain amount of sense but I would be satisfied with a two or three-position setup similar to that seen on most modern rear shocks. All good things, in my view. We've tested the best hiking gear, packs, and footwear to outfit you for any adventure you choose. Specialized completely overhauled the Diverge for 2021 with progressive geometry, a hydraulic-damped Future Shock, hidden storage, and more tire clearance. There is next to no stiction in the system and it is very active over even the smallest bumps. We reduced the tire pressure to the mid-20s, and the 38s were suitable on gravel and road, leaving just enough to negotiate the occasional erratic stone. The Pathfinder Pro tyres are very fast rolling on tarmac and hard packed trails, but arent the best choice for wet conditions. It feels and performs well in all conditions. Get a Snycros iS Couple bottle cage when you subscribe to Mountain Biking UK today! With an SRAM Apex drivetrain, the Diverge Base Carbon lists for $2,800. This was first-introduced with the previous-generation Stumpjumper mountain bike and is a firm favourite feature among the BikeRadar test team. Our Diverge was sent with 700c x 38mm tires run tubeless. On the far opposite end of the drop-bar spectrum, the MTB-inspired Evil Chamois Hagar has 93mm of trail. You can heedlessly plow through trail chunder, with the Future Shock helping to compensate for overly wayward behaviour. I also prefer round tops for off-road riding, so thats nice to see too. The downside is that you can occasionally clip a pedal. You get a lightweight bike with drop bars that churns through the miles, but with the added stability and tire clearance of a mountain bike. Trail is the difference between the front wheels tire-patch center and the bikes steerer column. What the cassette loses in one gear, it gets back with consistency. Specialized operates on an aggressive product-development schedule. And they have the data, so I wont argue with that. The Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon is a hugely versatile carbon gravel bike that could be turned to almost any task, 2021 Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon review, GBP 4,000.00 RRP Steve Graepel is a Contributing Editor and Gear Tester at GearJunkie. The longish wheelbase and the lowest bottom bracket of the bunch, the Diverge is the most stable bike we tested, which makes it perfect for long rides down drawn-out gravel roads. Gear-obsessed editors choose every product we review. The Diverge comes trimmed with Specializeds own proprietary rubber. The spring coil shock in the 2.0 has a hydraulic damper that feathers the compression and recoil inside the headset instead of the fork. The two least expensive Diverge modelsthe Diverge E5, and the Diverge E5 Elite, do not get Future Shock. Smoother, more stable and more capable, the new Diverge can take you further than ever. The new Diverge has room for bigger tiresup to 700x47 or 650x53. The old Diverge was somewhat like a road bike with a crazy-low bottom bracket; the wheelbase was tight, the handling was quick, and the frame sat low (85mm BB drop). Another cool thing about the new frame is that tire clearance went way up to make room for a (claimed) 47mm tire with plenty of mud clearance. 20 gravel bikes Im excited about for 2020, Salsa Warbird, Why R+ and other gear tested at The Mid South, The Mid South gear test: Inclement weather, ultimate stoke, Old Man Winter bike and gear test: What worked well for me, and what didnt, Review: Giant Revolt Advanced Pro 0 delivers a smooth ride with low but not slack geometry, Easton EA90 AX gravel dropper post and lever details and ride impressions, Specialized S-Works Pathfinder gravel tire details and first ride impressions, Cannondales new Topstone Carbon is perfect for your summer plans even if they change. 20mm of suspension front and back makes for a plush but not sluggish gravel bike. Aluminum models get a special chainstay forging to improve clearance, but, We couldnt quite get the same wizardry out of alloy as we could out of carbon, said Stewart Thompson, Specialized road and gravel category leader. Looking at the numbers, the geometry supports this. I havent indulged in quite as long an adventure on the new bike, but even on three or four hour-long rides, the reduction in upper body fatigue is noticeable. Specialized is notorious for having low bottom brackets and, with an 80mm drop, it was the lowest of the bunch we tested. There are no levers on the wheel axles. Unless we share otherwise, we will refer to this bike as the Pro Carbon or simply the Diverge.. Thirteen cogs make this the largest cassette to date for a 1x. |, USD $3,900.00 Need more stack? Sharing in-depth conversations between the world's adventurers, athletes, and outdoorspeople, The GearJunkie Podcast is your inside look into the outdoors industry. That aside, the Diverge is arguably one of the most versatile carbon gravel bikes on the market from a mainstream brand you really could turn this to almost any task, from fully-loaded touring through to ultra-light gravel racing. The Roval Terra CL wheels survived my singletrack adventures and doinking more than a few rocks unscathed. This can offset the way larger tires can slow handling and make steering more lively. Testing multiple bikes, ride after ride, day after day, gives you the ability to quickly assess the true gems from the ordinary. Neither road nor mountain, cyclings gravel category takes the best of both worlds to create a backroad speed monster. And the 20 mm of travel in the fork is just enough to hush the hand-numbing chatter, but not so much to negotiate rough single track. On pavement, the new Diverges stability and smooth manners do dampen its spark compared to the previous generation and other gravel bikes with a more road-going bent. Specialized offers 12 models of the Diverge gravel bike to meet all price points. With fenders, clearance drops to 42mm in 700c and 47 in 650b. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Its reputedly the lightest of its kind on the market and the first 113 for gravel. Bike handling is a matter of preference, of course. The new Diverge drops with an army of models. On the plus side, their construction feels on the sturdier end of the spectrum and, despite some fairly abusive testing, the sidewalls are showing no appreciable signs of wear. With a near encyclopaedic knowledge of cycling tech, ranging from the most esoteric retro niche to the most cutting-edge modern kit, Jack takes pride in his ability to seek out stories that would otherwise go unreported. And now its here. On the frame side, our dropped seat stays are a big help, and the chainstays are just a few millimeters longer as well, said Thompson. The EVOs only come in small, medium, and large sizes, but otherwise get the same feature setincluding 20mm-travel Future Shockas the other Diverge aluminum models. I should stress that I am not alone in my fondness for the Future Shock senior writer Matthew Loveridge has also fallen for the system on his Roubaix Expert long term test bike. Depending on specs, you can get a Diverge for as low as $1,300 all the way to their $10,000 S-Works model. Like a lot of the newer gravel bikes Ive sampled, the new Diverge is more what Id call mountain bikey than road bikey. The idea behind multiple small indents is to retain a premium feel like a stereo dial instead of having a large sweep with no haptic feedback, says Specialized. The SWAT door is also where you mount the down tube water bottle cage inside the frames triangle. Twenty seconds with a hacksaw and patch of double-sided tape would solve both of these problems, but its an annoying oversight on a 3,399 bike. Turn it to the right, and it stiffens the ride on climbs. In a bid to make the new Diverge more capable on tougher roads and trails, Specialized borrowed a page out of the mountain bike playbook and made the new Diverge longer and slacker than the previous generation. The 2021 Specialized Diverge family runs the gamut from $1,100 to the $10,000 S-Works edition. My bias is nimble, so I really like how the Diverge feels. Well, fast forward a few years and, after lots of time spent on the last two generations of the Diverge, I have fallen for the Specialized Future Shock. Note since publishing this video, the price of the Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon has increased to 3,999. The Future Shock looks a little gimmicky maybe even a bygone component from a mountain bike circa 1990 but it pairs really well with the Diverge. The whole system runs on a series of roller bearings. We may earn commission if you buy from a link. Jack has been writing about and testing bikes for more than five years now, has a background working in bike shops for years before that, and is regularly found riding a mix of weird and wonderful machines. This is the first time I have spent an extended period of time on Shimanos GRX groupset and I can confirm it is truly excellent. It offers 20mm of linear travel, allowing the cockpit to move up and down relative to the frame and fork. While the initial Future Shock looked a little goofy (a giraffe in a turtleneck was my description), it did push the envelope more than other brands. This new iteration improved on what was already one of the best gravel bikes out there. In anything approaching mud, let alone off-camber mud, the tyres are well, Ill call them thrilling. To me, this helps the bike feel planted when taking corners. And thats probably the biggest value of Specialized as a company. These models have different geometry than the drop bar Divergemore relaxed steering angles, lower bottom bracket, and longer reach and wheelbaseand knobbier Rhombus tires. Out back, we see Specializeds nearly universally-liked Power saddle. Read through our favorite expert-compiled gear for thru-hiking, backpacking, ultralight backpacking and more. Sitting between road and mountain, gravel bikes cover a wide range of territory. Some gravel bikes feel stable but kinda stubborn about line changes; this Diverge is eager to dance, and still comfy to ride all day. A shorter trail will make the bike quick to turn. Always in search of the hippest new niche in cycling, Jack is a self-confessed gravel dork, fixie-botherer, tandem-evangelist and hill climb try hard. You can get the Diverge Comp Carbon (with Shimano Ultegra) for $4,200. The frame and fork can accommodate up to 700 x 47c or 650b x 2.1 tires. The head tube angle is now about a degree slacker and is paired to a longer-offset fork, which keeps the trail numbers about the same as the previous generation (56cm size: old Diverge, 58mm trail; new Diverge, 57mm trail). Maybe more important than suspension is tire compatibility and clearance. The 1x12 SRAM wireless eTap drivetrain shifted crisply and offered a wide 500-percent range with a sub 1:1 low gear for steep climbs, while the 10-42 high gear had me spinning out around 30mph. I enjoyed racing the 2020 Diverge Pro last year. To compensate for this, the offset of the fork has also increased. My all-time favourite saddle is the Pro Stealth SL, which being charitable is a faithful replica of the Power, so its no surprise that my ol rusty dusty got on with it. At the top-end, you have the S-Works bike, which uses Specializeds most advanced 11r layup. The more trail, the more stable a bike can feel. I love the low BB for a planted feel, and the short trail for nimble handling. The direct-to-consumer Canyon Bikes have shook up the market with its pricing, but you cant walk into your local store and test ride a Canyon. Starting at the $3,800 Comp Carbon, Diverge models get SWAT in-frame storage. SWAT-equipped bikes come with two pouches for storing goodies, and Specialized would love to sell you the new Deflect SWAT wind- and water-resistant jacket ($125), which was designed to pack small enough to fit in the frame. Future Shock 2.0 and SWAT box make the new-ish Specialized Diverge stand out in a crowded market. Its a cool feature. Photo: Ben Delaney | VeloNews, A plush and adjustable ride; excellent handling; lots of tire clearance; integrated storage, Price; no axle levers to get the wheels off. The Terra post is better looking, lighter, and comes in more offsets (zero and 20mm) than the funky looking CG-R (AKA Cobble-Gobbler) post it replaces. In one memorable instance, I was hurtling down a loose forest road at quite a clip when I put myself on the wrong side of the roads crown with a sharp corner fast approaching. Theyre not outrageously wide, the flare isnt too aggressive at 12 degrees and theyre roomy enough on the ramps with 70mm of reach to offer ample hand positions theyre just a nice middle-of-the-road balance between all of the things you like to see in a gravel bar. We go "Off the Map" to find new roads and epic adventures. Based in Boise, Idaho, Graepel is an avid trail runner, camper, angler, cyclist, skier, and loves to introduce his children to the Idaho outdoors. With new geometry and features that suit the evolution of gravel riding, the new Specialized Diverge earns a place among the best gravel bikes you can buy. This is done in part through lengthening the chainstays a touch, but mostly a section of solid carbon fiber on the drive-side chainstay, right where it gets pinched between the tire and the chainring. Through it all, the bike felt securely comfortable. Combined with the somewhat short (for a gravel bike) trail, the shorter stem helps the Diverge feel more nimble on the road. It is not hard to find the limit of the Future Shocks mere 20mm of travel but, on bigger hits, it really does take the sting out of impacts. The old bike used Specializeds CGR post, the cobra-looking thing with an elastomer tucked in the bend. The Diverge ships stock up with a 38t chainring, which is the smallest ring we tested during gravel week. The Future Shock is the most controversial piece on the bike. Sure. This might best be appreciated on the road, where the lack of rolling resistance (from gravel and steep hills) benefit from being able to fine-tune the gearing. But its best suited for ultradistance bikepacking races where you get the comfort, but dont need that responsive handling. This balances your weight between the butt, feet, and hands, allowing you to go farther more comfortably. The rims have a 24mm internal width, which plumps up the stock 38mm-wide Specialized Pathfinder Pro 2Bliss tyres with a really nice round profile. The new Diverge can also take a front rack, rear rack, fenders, and theres a mount under the down tube for an additional bottle or gear. Longer chainstays will feel more flexy and stable on longer rides. Get the latest race news, results, commentary, and tech, delivered to your inbox. A panel on the down tube underneath a bottle cage snaps off to reveal a little storage area. This gives a comfortable upright position without having to resort to using a super-tall head tube. He has been writing about trail running, camping, skiing, and general dirtbagging for 10+ years. The Diverge has a 20mm suspension system underneath the stem, cushioning the ride at the handlebars without adding much weight. This is the second-tier bike, with a 12-speed SRAM eTap Force/Eagle drivetrain, Roval Terra CL wheels and seatpost, and an Easton EC70 AX carbon bar. Outside the Campy groupset and the smokey maroon finish, the Pro Carbon bikes are entirely the same bike. Despite doing this last year on the previous-generation bike, I was left very impressed by how much of a difference the system made on a (*humble brag warning*) 282km coast-to-coast epic. The damper is easy to adjust with the dial that replaces the headset cap. That is, until we swung our legs over the Diverge. You can scroll through all the models in the gallery below. Jack can also often be seen zooming about with his partner aboard their beloved tandem, Cecil. The bike does not come set up tubeless as stock, but all that would be required to convert are tubeless valves and sealant because the rims are pre-taped and the tyres are tubeless-compatible.

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