SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base as capable as it is versatile. The Base Carbon is fitted out with some … Hidden away out back, on the underside of the seatstays, the bosses are practically undetectable. There’s new geometry, an updated and damped Future Shock headset that has migrated over from Specialized’s 2020 Roubaix, room for wider tyres, a longer wheelbase and that external lunchbox has magically vanished from the base of the main triangle. Sure the tyres had been swapped out for the fatter Tracers, but the fore and aft of the post was massively noticeable. I can’t see how the extra tech it offers is worth sacrificing an otherwise well-performing and comfortable ride. It’s built with SRAM Force eTAP ASX matched to a SRAM X01 Eagle rear derailleur and SRAM XG-1295 Eagle 12-speed 10-50T cassette. The Diverge Base Carbon got our Future Shock 1.5 and a FACT 8r carbon frame for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. After all, Specialized has designed the carbon post in conjunction with the new frame for a reason. 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. It’s more than stiff enough, and it’s predictable, nimble and positive when cornering. Gearing is obviously a personal preference, but I’ve never really been sold on 1x groupsets. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base … 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. The Diverge writes an entirely new chapter in the gravel bike category, so you can dream up entirely new rides. Meet the Future Shock. Come the second day I was lucky enough to have the staff on hand swap out the dropper post for the new carbon post. New specs make this arguably the best gravel bike! On the first day I almost felt like 16 degrees of flare was too much and too wide for the road and tame gravel. E5 Comp EVO price: US$1,600 / £1,599 / AU$2,500. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base as capable as it is versatile. Specialized Frameset : Specialized Diverge FACT 8r carbon, Future Shock suspension, threaded BB, internal … As usual, the S-Works sits at the top of the pecking order. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base as capable as it is versatile. The new Diverge offers a sufficient number of mounts while also keeping things clean for shorter rides. Specialized has overhauled the Diverge for 2021. * Specifications are subject to change without notice, Trainer Usage Addendum to the Bicycle Owner's Manual, Specialized Bicycle Owner's Manual (All Languages), Specialized Bicycle Owner's Manual Addendum: Riding With Kids, Future Shock Front Suspension (2.0 damper/1.5 undamped) User Manual, Tire Pressure and Handlebar Grips Addendum, 2019 Rider/Bike Weight Limits and Terrain Conditions, Specialized Diverge FACT 8r carbon, Future Shock suspension, threaded BB, internal routing, 12x142mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc, Future Shock 1.5 w/Smooth Boot, FACT carbon, 12x100 mm thru-axle, flat-mount, Specialized Adventure Gear Hover, 103mm drop x 70mm reach x 12º flare. The Diverge Base Carbon got our Future Shock 1.5 and a FACT 8r carbon frame for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. 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. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base as capable as it is versatile. According to Specialized, this is a bike for “pushing boundaries”. Speed, control and confidence - Future Shock 1.5 is ideal technology for the gravel rider. Access is via a clip-off cover that the bottle cage is attached to. Van der Poel and Brand win in Namur: Daily News Digest, New Challenge Getaway gravel tire bucks the trend with harder rubber, Another award for Van Aert, new kits, roster reveals: Daily News Digest, Redshift Sports releases lighter-weight version of ShockStop suspension stem, L39ION of Los Angeles unveils 2021 rosters. All this creates incredible confidence with a planted feeling in the dirt, while spec’ing shorter stems keeps the overall cockpit length the same and the steering lively. On day one we used the all-round 50/50 road/gravel rubber of the 38 mm Pathfinder Pro. The Diverge Base Carbon got our Future Shock 1.5 and a FACT 8r carbon frame for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. Specialized. $3,899.99 Diverge Elite E5. Like CyclingTips? Our Pathfinder Sport 38mm tires provide the right contact patch for performance across multiple surfaces - pavement, dirt and gravel - providing even more versatility. Despite the new wider downtube it remains faster than the previous Diverge, but it’s certainly not an aero bike, either. Frame | FACT 8r Carbon Fibre, Future Shock Suspension, 142x12mm Thru-Axle; Fork | Future Shock … Pin it for your local dirt climb KOM, or grind up a giant back country peak, the light and lively Diverge will get you … And more impressively, the same tyre clearance is provided with the more affordable alloy frames, too. With a FACT 8r carbon frame, the Diverge Base frame is incredible capable and race bike light. That 80 mm retains Diverge’s claim as one of the lowest in the ‘gravel/adventure’ category, but at least now it won’t be ridiculously low if run with 650B wheels or slimmer road tyres. I personally like SRAM’s eTap and the way it works. Instead, the extra storage option is now integrated into the downtube beneath the bottle cage – yet another carryover from Specialized’s mountain bike range. The Diverge Base Carbon got our Future Shock 1.5 and a FACT 8r carbon frame for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. It straddles the road/gravel divide by being racy on the road while offering more than a dollop of stability and confidence on the gravel. Taking inspiration from their entire line-up, the Diverge is quite possibly the most fun bike Specialized has ever built. Wheels are 32 mm deep Roval Terra CLXs. Find the Specialized Diverge Base Carbon gravel bike at tiso.com. Just like the new Roubaix revealed last year, the new Diverge has been treated to the updated Future Shock 2.0. Across the six sizes available, it’s now a universal 425 mm, an increase of 4 to 6 mm depending on size. My test bike for two days, the S-Works eTap. With speed, control, and confidence on any terrain, Diverge is the most capable gravel bike ever made. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base as capable as it is versatile. THE ALL-NEW DIVERGE. Once at speed, it held it without a problem. There are nine standard models in total and two flat-bar offerings, but more on those later. Check, check and check. I’m often irritated when brands omit fender or rack mounts, especially as it’s an easy part to get right. The Diverge Base Carbon got our Future Shock 1.5 and a FACT 8r carbon frame for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. The Diverge Base Carbon got our Future Shock 1.5 and a FACT 8r carbon frame for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. But all of these are to be expected and once you get a few corners under your belt it’s relatively predictable. Base? Below the S-Works eTap sits the Pro model, with a FACT 9r carbon frame. 2021 Specialized Diverge Pro Carbon — bottom line The 2021 Specialized Diverge Pro Carbon is a lot of things: fast, comfortable, adjustable, nimble, and packed with cool features like a … Home delivery available. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base as capable as it is versatile. Specialized claims the new Diverge takes inspiration from the Epic cross-country mountain bike range. We’ve given the Diverge plenty of rack mounts, including fork and top tube mounts, to ensure you can take what you need, no matter how far you plan to go, or how long you plan to stay out. 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 that’s transferred to you. To achieve this, Specialized has forgone the trendy dropped chainstay and has instead opted for a 15 mm section of a solid, flattened carbon beam on the drive side behind the chainrings. Switching from Midwest gravel at Mach 5 to rutted single track with ease, nothing helps you escape faster than Diverge. The post is available in both a 20 mm offset and zero-degree, and the bike is dropper-post compatible too (such a thing comes standard on the S-Works). The Comp E5 still gets a Future Shock headset where the lower two models — the Elite E5 and the Base E5 — don’t. Like the S-Works, the Pro gets Easton EC70 AX Carbon 16-degree flare bars. The Tracer tyres are superb on rougher terrain — they sure helped get me to some places I wouldn’t have bothered on slightly narrower tyres. The Base Carbon is the cheapest carbon version of the 2021 Diverge. 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. - With a FACT 8r carbon frame, the Diverge Base frame is incredibly capable and race bike light. These offer, in Specialized’s words, “aggressive tread for aggressive riding on aggressive trails”, and that matches the suggested ethos of the EVO nicely. Sure the new geometry adds a bunch of stability, but the Future Shock just adds an undeniable amount of confidence that you otherwise don’t get from gravel bikes with similar modern geometry. Perhaps most interesting is that where we’ve previously seen Specialized keep its own handlebars and seatposts across all bikes, the new Diverge sees a few external brands come into the fold. A 40T chainset spins along with a SunRace 11-42T cassette. The Diverge Base Carbon got our Future Shock 1.5 and a FACT 8r carbon frame for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. I’ve slowly come to realise though that a lot of that is down to where I live and the riding on offer. The frame also differs — it’s made with Specialized E5 alloy, but the top tube is 30 mm longer than the standard Diverge geometry (size medium). But it was the tidy fender mounts that impressed me more than the number of other mounting options. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base … The Diverge Comp Carbon is crafted from Specialized's Fact 9r carbon fiber. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base as capable as it is versatile. They’ve introduced slacker head tube angles across the board (0.5 degrees slacker). The first day we took on a pretty sedate 75 km-ish gravel ride. The entry-level Diverges — the Base E5 and Elite E5 alloy models — feature boring rigid fork steerers. Thanks to a drive side chain stay utilizing a solid beam of carbon behind the chain rings we’ve created clearance without using a fragile dropped chain stay design or increasing chain stay length. SRAM's APEX 1x11 mechanical shifting and alloy Axis Elite wheels make the Diverge Base as capable as it is versatile. We tossed gravel geometry ‘status-quo’ out the window. I enjoyed it even more once I got rid of a certain component …. With the Roubaix, I always wished it had a complete lockout as opposed to just stiffening it up. This is the first bike to be insulted by its own name. Then there are two additional models which bear the name “Diverge EVO”. It’s the ultimate getaway vehicle. The third iteration of Specialized’s modern-day gravel bike arrives with a plentiful line-up to prove The Big S continues to be more than all-in on drop-bar bikes designed to go places. When the road ahead is long and challenging, a smooth ride that delivers confidence, speed, and comfort is mandatory. 2021 Specialized Diverge Pro Carbon — bottom line The 2021 Specialized Diverge Pro Carbon is a lot of things: fast, comfortable, adjustable, nimble, and packed with cool features like a … Pin it for your local dirt climb KOM, or grind up a giant backcountry peak, the … Swap those road tyres out for whatever takes your fancy for off-road duties, and you’ve got a bike that can take on an amazing variety of different surfaces. Pin it for your local dirt climb KOM, or grind up a giant backcountry peak, the light and lively Diverge … Using fenders, though, does reduce tyre clearance slightly: to a still-generous 700 x 42 or 650B x 47c. As mentioned, it’s 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. - With a FACT 8r carbon frame, the Diverge Base frame is incredibly capable and race bike light. The 38 mm Pathfinder Pro tyres are a great all-round option if you’re mixing a ton of road with a ton of gravel. At the end of the day, it’s just a damn fun bike to ride. The Diverge felt very at home as an endurance bike. Comp E5 price: US$2,100 / AU$3,000 / £1,999 Brand: Specialized, Product: Diverge Base Carbon - PRE-ORDER 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 Diverge. Brand: Specialized, Product: Diverge Base 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 Diverge. Longer and slacker it may be, but Specialized has balanced that with a long 55 mm fork offset across all frame sizes, meaning the rather quick trail figure (61 mm for a 54 cm) is much the same as before. The Diverge Base Carbon got our Future Shock 1.5 and a FACT 8r carbon frame for a fast, confident and comfortable ride on road, in the dirt, and over thick gravel. It again tidies up the look of the frame and realistically has room for what you’d usually stuff in a small saddle bag: a tube, CO2 canister and a small multi-tool. Speed, control and confidence - Future Shock 1.5 is ideal technology for the gravel rider. How it holds up for gravel remains to be seen. Price: US$10,000 / AU$16,000 / £8,899. 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