We're seeing a few brands bringing out gravel suspension forks, and even some bikes designed with rear shocks, but personally I'm not really interested. The Diverge and the more road-orientated Specialized Roubaix, which both feature Future Shock suspension in the head tube, have now been available for over 18 months. Specialized Diverge Elite DSW vs A1- FIGHT!!! What do the manufacturers say about it? It's a racer that absolutely flies on the gravel, whose quick handling and relatively short wheelbase makes it a flickable bike with loads of feedback when you've got the bit between your teeth. The Axis Sport Disc wheels aren't massively heavy and don't hamper the ability of the bike at all. Specialized has overhauled the Diverge for 2021. His fascination with gravel bikes is getting out of control too! Specialized has packed a lot of new technology into the Diverge. Whether it's the 7 speed stuff on my 23 y/o MTB or the 9 and 10 speed STIs and drivetrains, they are just so dependable. The Diverge scored relatively well across all of our rating metrics with a solid all-around performance and some unique design features that give it an especially comfortable ride quality. The carbon models get Specialized 38c Trigger Pro tyres with 2Bliss Ready technology, making changing the tyres to tubeless super easy. The Grail CF SL 7.0 is the entry point into the carbon models with their Hover Cockpit Bars (scoff all you want, it's amazing) and it'll set you back £1,999 plus delivery. A beefy head tube, large diameter down tube and massive seatstays keep the bike planted and flex-free, helped by being held together by the chunky BB386 Pressfit bottom bracket shell. Intuitive, discreet electric bike that fit riders will take to new extremes, Fun, confidence-inspiring and very capable both on the road and off, Refined geometry makes the GX2 fast and fun on any terrain, and the spec list is quality for the money, Fast, precise and a light frameset makes this a hugely competitive CX bike or gravel racer, Editorial, general: info [at] road.cc On the really small gravel when the tyres are just floating on the surface, the Specialized never really feels out of control. Uh-huh. It’s also 22mm longer than an equivalent Specialized road bike thanks to its elongated wheelbase. It’s great to notice too that the carbon fork takes a lot of the vibrations out of the road and you can really feel the saving in weight. Tyre clearance is a decent 42mm for 700C wheels, and 47mm if you go down the 650B route. Against the opposition, though, it is a bit weighty and a fair chunk of money given the spec. They work well on hardpacked surfaces like dry mud and chalk, and are great on grass. The entry-level model, the Diverge E5, features an aluminum frame, while the priciest model, the S-Works Diverge has an 11r carbon fiber frame, which is lighter in weight and stiffer than aluminum. All rights reserved. The Diverge Elite DSW has everything you need to start going farther than you ever thought possible. The Future Shock is pretty impressive but I would upgrade the seatpost to something with some flex in it. Having lower gearing than a normal compact makes the Diverge easier to ride uphill when seated. Did any part of the bike feel too stiff or too flexible? This E5 Premium aluminium frame is actually one of the most advanced aluminium bikes around, only adding a couple of hundred grams to the carbon frames. List the components used to build up the bike. The Diverge Elite DSW has everything you need to start going farther than you ever thought possible. How did it compare to other bikes of the same stated size? Hansens Cykellob: Ice cream themed gravel sportive makes for a great day's riding, Specialized S-Works 7 road cycling shoe: in-depth review, Cinelli Pressure: new aero road bike from iconic Italian brand, Video: How to adjust a rear derailleur and index your gears, AG2R Citroën Team reveal major kit redesign for 2021, Women led the way in huge increase in cycling for 2020, Strava data shows, Thinking about a cycling holiday in 2021? The latest Specialized Diverge is very impressive to ride. Capturing a gravel bike nature that stands out amongst those that claim to have found that ‘Do-It All Philosophy’. All the Shimano parts on the frame work faultlessly, but it’s what we’ve come to expect of both the 105 components and BR-785 hydraulic disc brakes. Yes, the Diverge does feel efficient especially when being ridden hard. It's a shame because having that little bit of travel at the front makes the rear feel more harsh than it really is. It's a racer that absolutely flies on the gravel, whose quick handling and relatively short wheelbase makes it a flickable bike with loads of feedback when you've got the bit between your teeth. What does that mean? The Diverge has more aggressive geometry than the majority of gravel/adventure bikes on the market, which makes it fun to ride fast off-road. Based on the design developed for its bump-taming Roubaix road bike, the Diverge uses a progressive spring instead to control the damping as it needs the ability to take the harder and larger knocks from off-road riding. I was out for four to five hours at times and suffered from no real discomfort from any of my contact points. Tell us some more about the controls. would you recommend any changes? The Specialized Power Saddle improves comfort in most positions, even as you get more aggressive. We’ve noticed you’re using an ad blocker. Some of this extra length is due to the clearance needed for the bigger tyres and disc brakes, and some has been specifically dialled in to help improve the bike’s handling on unpredictable surfaces. The frame is constructed using Specialized’s own FACT9 carbon, which is a grade or two down from what you find on the range-topping S-Works model, but is still highly regarded and used across the Specialized ranges. It offers a great ride and is really suited to those who want to get out and explore the countryside at speed. A lot of gravel riding means tying together disjointed tracks, so the Diverge needs to be good on the road as well. It's available in both a men's and women's version. I'd want more bang for my buck! Specialized Diverge Elite DSW vs A1- FIGHT!!! It's a quality bit of kit, offering a great balance of stiffness and comfort, ideal for standing up to the rigours of off-road riding. Advertising, commercial: sales [at] road.ccView our media pack. Did it feel efficient? On the road, it picks up speed like any regular slick-tyred road bike, but heading into suburbia, we found a strange thing happening – we started to see speed bumps as launch pads and began gleefully getting both tyres off the ground. The latest Specialized Diverge is very impressive to ride. Rain, mud and grit haven't seen the bearings start grumbling yet, and they continue to spin with little resistance. Tell us some more about the handling. If you like road.cc, but you don’t like ads, please consider subscribing to the site to support us directly. If have a comfy underlayer on. Fantasy Cycling: game [at] road.cc The rest of the finishing kit is Specialized's own brand stuff. For me, gravel riding takes me back to when I was a teenager at the beginning of the Nineties, blasting around the local woods on my steel hardtail mountain bike, and it's that 'absorbing the bumps through your elbows and knees' that makes it fun. The Alba has 48/32-tooth chainrings which lowers the gearing a little over a standard compact, paired to the SunRace 11-34 cassette, with shifting across it helped by the long cage rear mech. The hubs on this bike aren’t remarkable but they work perfectly laced to a pair of excellent, wide rims. For those on a tighter budget, the 2017 Gloss Moto Orange Diverge Elite DSW ($1400) looks like a good contender. Now I'm not going to lie, I was pretty shocked to see a £2,100 bike with a Shimano Tiagra groupset and thought it must be a mistake on our extranet, where I get to see all the information about what I'm testing. There’s no tread pattern to speak of, but the huge volume and good width provide significant levels of traction, even when we found ourselves on really muddy bridleways. The Diverge can go almost as fast on the road, and if you spot an enticing shortcut, it’s yours for the taking. With its D’Aluisio Smartweld Technology E5 Premium Aluminum frame that increases stiffness while also improving compliance, no road surface is off-limits. Would you recommend the bike to a friend? Was there any toe-clip overlap with the front wheel? It is more of an inevitibility. As the terrain deteriorated, we expected to find the limits of the slick tyres pretty quickly, but even at 75psi they didn’t let us down, and although they bounced the bike around a bit, the CG-R seatpost and Zertz-equipped fork proved an effective combo at keeping us comfortable. With a 24-spoke build at the front and a slightly beefier 28 at the rear, they are aimed more at faster, unloaded gravel riding than others on the market, but I certainly had no issues with durability after some really hard-hitting gravel rides. The revenue from adverts helps to fund our site. Speedy, which makes it great for changing direction rapidly on rough, loose terrain. We were pleasantly surprised at how aggressive the riding position turned out to be; this bike can be as easily set up for going at speed as it can for riding in comfort. That cash will get you Tiagra gearing as far as the front and rear mechs go, and a set of non-series Tiagra-level 10-speed shifters and hydraulic brake levers. How was the bike in terms of height and reach? As per my earlier review, went with spanky light Times, as I use Time on my other bikes, and stiffer than a stiff thing XC shoes to create the effect of a bigger platform road pedal. 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