to support us + get The Bikepacking Journal. Total: 1,746 grams. Below the S-Works eTap sits the Pro model, with a FACT 9r carbon frame. The dampener controls the movement of the frame post backwards and forwards, giving the rider a smooth ride in the saddle while maintaining the same saddle height and position in space. The EVO differs from the rest of the range in several ways. Who would have thought? My first ride was spent on the Pro model and was meant to get an initial feel for the bike as a whole. On the familiar roads at home, the bike felt capable and, for a lack of a better word, cruise-y. Sure the tyres had been swapped out for the fatter Tracers, but the fore and aft of the post was massively noticeable. There's a small lever on the top tube that provides three levels of compression damping that you can toggle between while riding. If you intend to multi-day camp regularly, Id recommend picking a model with a 2x drivetrain, ideally a compact 48/32T chainset, to enjoy the best of both worlds. 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, DT Swiss brass . tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples Front Tire Pathfinder Pro 2BR, Tan . A bike that you can go out and have a blast on, be it knocking out some big fast miles such as we did on day one, or possibly a shorter, tricky and technical ride like we did on day two. These clearances are quoted with a 6mm gap around each side of the tyre at the stays and fork crown. We inspire and inform through original bikepacking routes, stories, and coverage of the gear, news, and events that make our community thrive. Otherwise, keep your bikepacking payload to a minimum. On this bike, Im able to ride from my front door, strike out an impressive distance, and still bask in the knowledge that when unexpected opportunities arise, Ill not feel limited by the constraints of asphalt. Yes, they add weight over the caliper brakes of traditional road brakes. It's simply the fastest, most capable, and probably the most fun bike that Specialized has built. Billed as the most capable gravel bike Specialized has ever made, the Diverge STR sports a super 1100 gram FACT 11r carbon frameset, the existing Future Shock 2.0 in the front and the new rear Future Shock, and has clearance for 650b x 2.1 or 700c x 47mm tires. 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. Taking full advantage of the bikes voluminous down tube, the SWAT box offers a lidded storage area near the bottom bracket. All of that can be slotted into a slim bag that slides into the opening of the frame. tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples: Hjulstorlek: 28: Komponentserie . Specialized have released details, images and pricing for their all-new Diverge, the 2021 incarnation of the company's specialist gravel platform. Part of the reason larger tires can now be accommodated is the advent on hydraulic brakes with drop handlebars. Brakes are flat mount with the fork designed around larger 160/180 mm rotors instead of the more commonly found 140/160 mm. The new Diverge has certainly jumped high up the list as a possible replacement. The posher Specialized Diverge came with their own SCS standard wheels .By buying an A1 Sport I got the ordinary wheel standard,a carbon fork and a threaded bottom bracket (no BB30 yay!) Its priced at $3300. Gravel continues to be a such fascinating category for bike manufacturers. Specialized; Diverge STR Pro Specialized Diverge STR Pro $9,500.00. Weight: 165 lbs $52.49 $69.99. These offer, in Specializeds words, aggressive tread for aggressive riding on aggressive trails, and that matches the suggested ethos of the EVO nicely. While the bike sizing remains consistent among the Diverge line, there are a few minor differences that separate the STR models from others: the BB Drop is slightly higher, the chainstays are minimally longer and the seat tube angle is ~0.5 degrees steeper to compensate for sag in the STR system. Internal cable routing and a curvy tubing help lend the bike a great profile, though I have to admit, the carbon framesets look even snazzier. To account for all the frame sizes and a variety of rider weights, Specialized has produced nine different frame posts, each with a different carbon layup for varying stiffness. The frame post itself is said to have an infinite lifespan and the whole system in general is protected from the usual gravel grime and should last a long time. While all of this is potentially true, talking about the Diverge Evo is exactly what Specialized wants you to do. BIKEPACKING.com is dedicated to exploration by bicycle. First ride review: new Specialized Diverge STR S-Works 2023 with Rear Future Shock. Gravel+? Sticking with comfort, the Future Shock 2.0 really is ideally suited to gravel. Replacing the upper tiers of the current, front suspension-only Diverge line, the Diverge STR collection consists of the S-Works Diverge STR, Diverge STR Pro and Diverge STR Expert. Just look at the internet-breaking hubbub that the launch of the Canyon hover bar created, firmly cementing the Grail in the collective consciousness of the gravel riding masses. 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. Specialized Diverge Comp Carbon. 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. Bath Pdalier 40d GXP et cassette Sunrace 11-42. Specialized worked on rideable modified versions of the previous-generation bike to test its new geometry. Shimano's gravel inspired GRX 400 group shifts 2x10 gears smoothly on any terrain and Axis Elite alloy wheels with Pathfinder 38mm tires . The wheels were also tubeless-ready with a full rim strip. I soon realized that the movement of the frame post is actually quite noticeable, especially when seated toward the back of your saddle. The new Specialized Diverge is here and theres a flat bar option that, The launch of the new Diverge comes off the back of the enormous and well-documented growth of, 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, why Specialized opted for this system rather than a conventional telescopic fork. 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. by jtoddgill. On the descends, this translated to confidence on the at-times loose terrain and new-to-me roads. Can it carve corners, descend confidently and respond to surges? Future Shock 2.0 is no different to the Future Shock that is found on the Roubaix, however, the 20 mm of adjustable hydraulically dampened suspension travel seems more at home on a gravel bike than it does on a road bike. This becomes even more apparent as the spec gets slightly heavier down the collection line. Wheels are DT Swiss G540. Specialized claims that the whole system only weighs just under 400g more than the current S-Works Diverge frameset. The Diverge is like a road bike that coaxes you to hop off curbs and cut down trails, without any of the hesitation you might otherwise feel. Its built with SRAM Force eTAP ASX matched to a SRAM X01 Eagle rear derailleur and SRAM XG-1295 Eagle 12-speed 10-50T cassette. E-Road Gravel News Review Road . - Nope. Any bike that encourages me to get out and ride, and nudges me explore places in new ways, is likely to win me over. Save 30% + G-Form Pro X3 Knee Pads when you subscribe to MBUK magazine. A Pro model weighs 8.9kg (19.6lb), and an Expert model weighs 9.5kg (20.9lb). Pirelli Cinturato Gravel Mixed Tubeless Tire 2-Pack. 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 . Lastly, the bottom bracket has been lifted by 5mm to 80mm with the aim of eliminating pedal strikes when using 650b wheels. ), and overnight bikepacks linking old highways, forest roads and empty miles of desert dirt. DT Swiss G540 rim, 24mm internal width, tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc . You also lose the new carbon seatpost in exchange for a pretty standard-looking single-bolt carbon post. The Base Carbon is fitted out with some pretty basic Axis tubeless-ready Elite Disc rims, and Specialized sealed bearing thru-axle hubs. Over the years the Diverge has developed somewhat of a cult status and rightly so. . E5 Comp EVO price: US$1,600 / 1,599 / AU$2,500. Issue #021 Review The Sarto Seta Disc all-road bike in review. The Bikepacking Journal is our biannual printed publication. The EVOs also been designed to be 1x specific, where the rest of the range can be chopped-and-changed depending on your preference. Id also put a lot of this down to the Future Shock 2.0 off-road. A a complete 56cm S-Works Diverge STR has a claimed weight of 18.7lbs (8.5kg) set up tubeless out of the box. The entry-level Diverges the Base E5 and Elite E5 alloy models feature boring rigid fork steerers. The Specialized Diverge is the perfect blend of speed and comfort to ride anywhere, any time. The head angle is also one-degree slacker (70 degrees) than the rest of the drop-bar range. Because I thoroughly enjoyed the bike. Having ridden several aftermarket suspension products, I was certainly intrigued by Specialized's integrated approach. The latest Diverge, a purpose-designed gravel bike that also looks to be a solid super commuter. Indeed, out in the real world and unless youre a racing snake I have little doubt youll be bowled over by its eagerness to be ridden hard and fast, especially if youre coming from a mountain bike. . SLX 24. Starting with the Future Shock 2.0 and your new Gravel-optimized geometry, up to the greatest . But it was the tidy fender mounts that impressed me more than the number of other mounting options. 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, DT Swiss brass nipples . And here I thought gravel riding would allow me to downsize my quiver! Specialized claims the new Diverge takes inspiration from the Epic cross-country mountain bike range. 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. This frame post has the ability to move back and forth, effectively moving the saddle 30mm back and downward along the seat tube axis. Gone is the SWAT box that sat at the base of the main triangle above the bottom bracket. Oh, and the engineers have had enough time on their hands to put together a version of the bike that some would say is creeping in to jumping the shark territory. Heres how it works. 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. Alloy DT Swiss G540 wheels keep you rolling efficiently, while Kanza winning Pathfinder Pro 42mm tyres deliver performance across smooth . The fact we were riding far more technical and challenging gravel sectors than the day before safely balanced things out. 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. This is just an old-school mountain bike! All builds come with a 1x SRAM drivetrain with a 10-50 cassette, 42mm tubeless Tracer Pro tires, eyelets for mounting gear and the internal SWAT compartment weve come to appreciate about the current Diverge. This also included using this wild test rig with an adjustable head angle. Pro and Expert models come in at 19.6 lbs (8.9kg) and 20.9lbs (9.5kg), respectively. The EVO models also come with a different tyre: the new Specialized Rhombus, in a 700 x 42. Even the entry-point of $7,000 is pretty preventative, and many will have to wait for the technology to trickle down a bit further before being able to experience the dual Future Shock. 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. Many Specialized bikes are equipped with Roval tubeless . The tires, which measured 40mm wide, just did fit. Save 30% + G-Form Pro X3 Knee Pads when you subscribe to MBUK magazine. Price: US$10,000 / AU$16,000 / 8,899. And then there's the fine tuning of the rear-end compliance and ride feel. 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. For those on a tighter budget, the 2017 Gloss Moto Orange Diverge Elite DSW ($1400) looks like a good contender. Happy Riding! It's the ultimate getaway vehicle. So large is the gravel market that Specialized now expects it to be larger than any other category in the very near future. But while this will certainly boost the Diverges climbing credentials, it will likely see you spinning out on fast day rides. Thats clearly something that the market will dictate, but it certainly looks like something else you can already buy from a different category . Subscribe to Cycling Plus from just 13.50 and get a Lezyne Pocket Drive Pump, worth 29! Or more precisely, the pairing of this and the Tarmac which has become versatile in its own right by allowing up to 30 mm tyres. When pressed on what category the Diverge Evo lives in, Specialized a brand that. On the Diverge the lack of lockout seems far less important. 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 last three models of the drop bar flavour are built from Specializeds E5 alloy. Strengthened by the many miles spent darting around Seattle's hilly streets on a steel single speed, Rook's progression in the sport was a quick one. Part of the reason larger tires can now be accommodated is the advent on hydraulic brakes with drop handlebars. The Specialized Diverge STR is a capable, comfortable steed that's ready to go long, be it at a race or simply to explore. , so hats off to Specialized here its an addition that broadens the Diverges versatility even further. Firstly, the gravel riding around Girona (where the launch was held) is mesmerising: get a trip booked if you can (once all this craziness is over, obviously). Each year sees tweaks and changes. Fond memories, a pleasant experience, a top-tier bike? According to Specialized, this is a bike for pushing boundaries. Both EVO models also come with an X-Fusion Manic Dropper seatpost with 50 mm of travel. Luckily, Specialized made it fairly easy but be prepared to spend some time playing with your setup for the first couple rides until you find a ride feel you prefer. Turbo S-Works 2BR. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. With the suspension absorbing the bumps instead of your body, I found that the bike stayed planted and so did I. Every carbon model of the Diverge is equipped with Future Shock, though only the S-Works Diverge, Diverge Expert Carbon, Diverge Pro Carbon and Diverge Comp Carbon feature the latest version of the damper. Not that the Diverge isnt comfortable and capable when dirt calls, thanks in part to its 32mm tires, the padded handlebar tape and its carbon seat post. This Diverge STR is still rigid climbing hills without any pumping effect of either the front or rear suspension. Why do I bring this up? 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. Cynicism aside, we think the bike will be a total hoot to ride and hope to try one out soon. Id consider the Diverge to be considerably more fun to ride on pavement in part thanks to its lighter weight but to be comprehensively trumped by the Sequoia in abilities when conditions take a turn for the worse. Specialized has overhauled the Diverge for 2021. Already have an account with us? These two tyres obviously changed the characteristics of the bike. Published 3 March 23, Newly formed Denver Disruptors and Miami Nights NCL teams will make their debut at Tucson Bicycle Classic and tackle a full season of NCL and domestic racing, By Anne-Marije Rook 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. The first day I probably used fewer than half the gears available and wished I had one or two other options slotted in the middle on a few occasions. Elite E5 price: US$1,600 / AU$N/A / 1,599 And when traffic encroaches and the path less traveled calls, its stability emboldens extended forays away from pavement. Making adjustments to the dampener is even easier. Roubaix Pro 2Bliss Ready. Sounds good on paper, but how does it ride? I did come around eventually though (along with wider tires), and have come to quite like the previous Diverge thanks to its lightweight and responsive frame, ingenious SWAT system and improved Future Shock 2.0. 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. Thru-axles are regular 10012 and 14212 front and rear respectively. England and Wales company registration number 2008885. But it turned out to be the X-Fusion Manic dropper post that really swayed my opinion of the bike. Your bike will come fully built and 100% ready to ride, . Plus detailed bike, kit and accessory reviews from the experts. Height: 61 How did it ride? I ran this wheelset tubeless with Trigger Pro 38 tires before changing to a different setup. Since then I've worked my way through a Specialized Trigger Pro 33c tyre on the rear wheel and bought a set of 38c Trigger tyres. The E5 Aluminum frameset also features Specializeds proprietary OSBB, which is compatible with BB30 press fit bottom brackets.