The Specialized Diverge all-terrain adventure bike has been treated to a major redesign for the new season. In an era in which hybrid disciplines like gravel riding, or “Groad” biking, are inspiring the cycling world, versatility is more important than ever. With the Diverge, the aim was to create one bike which shreds gravel and dirt just as confidently as it gobbles road miles, without compromise. With clearance for super-wide tyres, a Future Shock that smothers tough terrain, and the new Open Road Geometry, this bike promises to be shockingly fast and seriously fun.
Before we get into the key features, have a look at this video in which road world champion, Peter Sagan, takes the all-new Diverge out for a play in the woods.
Future Shock
The off-road version of our Future Shock technology makes its debut in the new Diverge. It doesn’t just soak up the lumps and bumps with ease, it also adds extremely predictable handling. While some off-road bikes feature suspension which effectively lengthens the wheelbase, the Future Shock moves on a vertical axis, maintaining the same head tube angle. Unlike the version found on the Roubaix, this Future Shock features a Progressive Spring that makes it more suitable for the trail where stiffer suspension is often needed to absorb larger bumps.
All-new geometry
The objective was to optimise the Diverge’s performance equally over dirt and road, so the geometry is like a road version of the modern trail bike. It was found that the carbon layup needed to be adapted to help with compliance, tweak geometry and to increase comfort. With men’s and women’s-specific geometry, the bottom bracket is lower than on previous models, the head tube angle is slacker and the wheelbase is shorter. The result is a playfully-handling bike with predictable steering for endless fun in the dirt.
Adventure-ready
The bike features tyre clearance for 700x42mm or 650bx47mm, Plug + Play fender mounts, rack mounts, flat-mount disc brakes and dropper seat post compatibility, so the versatility of the new Diverge is almost limitless. More than any other model that came before, this new version does not fit into one single box but packages up the performance characteristics of its road, gravel and adventure counterparts into a single machine. Gravel bike, bag-laden adventurer, or woodland plaything, the Diverge is a machine made for everything.
The new Diverge range will include eight different buying options that include women’s frames with shorter stems, narrower bars and shorter cranks. It starts with the Diverge E5 with aluminium frame and reaches all the way to the S-Works Diverge with all the bells at whistles described above. Standard across the whole range are the carbon fork, thru-axles, ‘Open Road Geometry’ and 700cc wheels. If you are filled with a yearning to explore but don’t want to be restricted to either road or trail, the new Diverge might just be the bike you’ve been waiting for. Adventure awaits.
