Tech

The all-new Specialized Diverge promises more gravel gnar

Supplied by Specialized.

· By Press Office · 0 comments

Press Release

The freedom, the adventure, the community—it all begins where the pavement ends. This is gravel and we’ve been doing it before it even had a name. Whether you’re dropping the hammer on the gravel scene, bike packing into the unknown, or shredding flowy single track, we have the bikes and the gear to get you there.

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The Ultimate Getaway Vehicle

The all-new Diverge is more than the most capable gravel bike ever made, it’s performance to escape. Escape from the pack for victory, escape from the daily grind, escape from the same old roads and same old rides, with the speed, control and confidence to attack the most challenging terrain.

Future Shock 2.0

Sure, we made Future Shock for cobbles, but turns out it’s the ultimate technology for riding rough road, thick gravel, and chunky dirt. Future Shock 2.0’s adjustable, hydraulically damped travel keeps you in control and on target, all while protecting your hands, arms, and shoulders from the battering.

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With Great Confidence, Comes Great Speed

“What geometry is a gravel bike supposed to have?” Wrong question. “What does the gravel rider need?” That’s more like it. Status quo tossed out the window, we created geometry so progressive it’s a revelation in the saddle. That little voice in the back of your head saying, “Stay off the brakes, you got this,” just got a lot louder.

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1. Longer and Slacker

Inspired by the Epic, a slacker headtube, longer reach and shorter cockpit keeps the Diverge stable so you can stay in control and on the gas in soupy gravel and rutted dirt.

2. Offset

With some slide rule wizardry, the Diverge’s new fork has increased offset to ensure all that stability at speed never feels slow at the bars or ‘floppy’ at the front wheel.

3.Go Higher, Stay Lower

We raised the Diverge’s bottom bracket by 6mm, improving pedaling clearance and making it more nimble, but at 80mm of drop, it’s still among the lowest in gravel for true stability.

4.The Short and The Long Of It

At 425mm, the Diverge’s chainstays keep the wheel tucked under the rider for lively acceleration and nimble handling, while perfectly balancing the bike for ultimate confidence.

Innovate or Die

Sure, we’ve got fast computers, we’ve got a wind tunnel, we even 3D print saddles these days. But sometimes you just gotta get your hands dirty. When our team dreamed up the new Diverge’s progressive geometry, no equation could tell us what was right, so we got a hack saw out, grabbed some carbon fiber and warmed up the oven. The result? Rideable test mules made right in Morgan Hill that allowed us to develop this game-changing geometry in the real world.

More Clearance = More Fun

Nothing unlocks potential like tyre clearance. Luckily, we’re feeling generous. Very generous—47mm on a 700c wheel and 2.1” on 650B. Crazy, we know, but wait until you rip a descent with that much rubber. Hallelujah!

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Chainstays Reinvented

We wanted mega-tyre clearance, but we didn’t want to resort to long chainstays or a heavy, vulnerable, dropped-stay design. The answer? Our drive side chainstay is a narrow, solid beam of carbon between the tyre and chainrings. You can have your cake and eat it too.

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Everything You Need, Right Where You Need It

The Diverge’s internal SWAT compartment takes gear out of your pockets and puts it low in the frame, improving handling and keeping you more comfortable. Go ahead and rip past that first aid station, or take extra gear to escape farther into the unknown. Dual SWAT pouches keep it all dry and organised.

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Super Fast, Super Capable, Super Light

At under 1,000 grams the Diverge’s frame is lighter than most stripped-down gravel race frames with skimpy clearance, while being more capable than anything else in the gravel. Climb it, race it, or load it down with packs and fenders for the long haul, the Diverge does it all, faster and lighter than the rest.

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Shockingly Faster, Seriously Funner – The Diverge EVO

But wait, hang onto your flannel! We’re not done pushing, prodding, and challenging this thing called gravel. What’s next? Who the hell knows? But we’ve made the bike that’ll find out. The Diverge EVO is an alloy badass, a gravel rig with flat bars in the key of “Send It!” Slacker, longer, and fitted with the new Rhombus tyre—whatever you get into, send us video.

ccs-62657-0-11227600-1588862658.jpgThe Specialized Diverge EVO is a longer, slacker, more capable gravel bike.

Diverge FAQ

How is stack and reach measured on the Diverge?
Stack and reach are measured with the Future Shock and “zero” top cap installed and measured to the bottom of the stem.

Can you explain the progressive handling geometry of the Diverge in more detail?
The progressive Diverge geometry is designed to make the bike more capable and give the rider more confidence off road, without losing the nimble feeling on road.

On a 56cm bike, we lengthened the reach by 13mm. At the same time we made the head tube angle almost one degree slacker, and increased the fork offset by 5mm. We also lengthened the chainstays by a few millimeters and tweaked the bottom bracket drop.

With the longer reach, you can use a shorter stem and maintain an appropriate cockpit length overall. The shorter stem can offset the slower steering effect of larger tyres and makes steering more lively overall.

The geometry updates also make the wheelbase significantly longer—38mm on the 56cm—eliminating `toe overlap’ and providing a more stable feeling, overall.

The slacker head tube angle and increased fork offset maintain a ‘normal’ trail number. This ensures a balanced approach to steering inputs on and off road.

Specialized bikes and the previous Diverge are known for their low bottom bracket height. Why did you change the bb drop on this bike?
The bottom bracket drop on the previous Diverge was 85mm—incredibly low for any bike. While this is awesome for stability, it was a drawback with pedal strikes off road, and in particular with slightly smaller 650b wheels. With the adjusted bb drop of 80mm, we maintain class-leading, low bb height, with a much lower risk of pedal strikes.

What is the difference between Future Shock 2.0 and Future Shock 1.5?
Future Shock 1.5 delivers 20mm of suspension to the front end of the bike, providing the rider with increased control and comfort on all terrain. Its location on the bike is critical to providing axial compliance and isolating the suspension action from rider pedaling inputs.

Future Shock 2.0 is our most advanced offering. On top of the benefits of Future Shock 1.5, it adds a hydraulic damper that provides both compression and rebound damping. There is also an adjustable dial to control the level of damping and make the front end firmer, if desired.

Is the Future Shock on the Diverge the same as the Future Shock on the Roubaix?
Yes—the Diverge takes advantage of the same exact Future Shock design and specs as the Roubaix.

What bike models is the Future Shock featured on?
Future Shock 2.0 can be found on the S-Works, Pro, Expert, and Comp Carbon models. Future Shock 1.5 is on the Comp E5, Sport, and Base Carbon models. The two opening price point Base E5 and Elite E5 models do not have Future Shock.

How many spacers can be added with the Future Shock?
You can add up the 30mm of stack from the lowest setting with the Future Shock. You can also use a stem with positive rise to get taller, if necessary.

What is the difference between the carbon frame levels on Diverge?
The main difference between carbon frame levels is in the layup and materials. FACT 8r carbon is used on our Base and Sport level bikes to keep them light and strong. FACT 9r carbon is used on Comp, Expert, and Pro level bikes. These frames are equipped with SWAT technology and are approximately 200g lighter than the 8r frame. The S-Works frame uses our highest level FACT 11r carbon. It is a further 100g lighter than the 9r frame and maintains the same level of stiffness.

How light is the Diverge?
The S-Works Diverge frame is just under 1,000g in the 56cm size. A complete S-Works bike is about 8kg or 17.6lbs when set up tubeless, out of the box.

Was the Diverge designed with aerodynamics in mind?
Yes, the Diverge has subtle aerodynamic shaping on the fork legs and seat stays. When tested in the Specialized Win Tunnel, the frame chassis is slightly faster than the previous Diverge, even with the larger SWAT down tube.

How do you measure Tyre clearance on the Diverge? Does it vary on different models?
We’ve ensured at least 6mm of clearance between the frame and tyre with both 700x47c and 650b x 2.1” tires. Every Diverge model has the same tyre clearance, regardless of carbon or alloy frame.

What are the biggest tyres you can run with fenders?
You can run 700x42c or 650bx47c tyres with fenders on the Diverge.

What are the smallest tyres you can run on the Diverge?
We recommend running at least 700x28c tyres on the Diverge.

Is the Diverge compatible with cargo racks?
Yes, the Diverge frame is compatible with most rear cargo racks. The lower mounting points are just above the rear axle and the upper points mount to a special seat collar that is shipped with each model.

The fork is designed to accept low rider style racks that mount to the fork legs and dropouts. Racks that mount to the fork crown, like the Specialized Pizza Rack, are not compatible with the Diverge.

What bags are compatible with the Diverge?
Most frame, seatpost, and handlebar bags are compatible with the Diverge. Note that top tube bags with Velcro straps that wrap around the Future Shock can damage the rubber boot. When using a top tube mounted bag, we recommend one that mounts directly to the top tube bosses like the Specialized Burra Burra bag (41120-5503).

How many bottle cage mounts are on the Diverge?
There are six bottle cage mounts on the Diverge. Two inside the front triangle, another on the underside of the down tube, two more on the fork, and the sixth mount on the top of the top tube.

What are the tech specs on the Diverge like bottom bracket, seatpost, brakes, etc.…?
All Diverge models have a 68mm BSA threaded bottom bracket and 27.2mm seatpost. It has 142×12 rear and 100×12 front axles. The brakes follow the flat mount standard with the fork designed around 160/180mm rotors instead of the more common 140/160mm rotors.

Is the SWAT door different than on mountain bikes?
No—we’ve utilised the same, tried and true SWAT door that is on Specialized mountain bikes.

What can I store in the SWAT down tube?
Your imagination is the limit when it comes to down tube storage. We have designed two specific SWAT pods to fit inside the frame and keep your gear protected. The larger SWAT pod is designed for storing a tube, tyre lever, and CO2, while the smaller pod is designed for other items such as a multi-tool or keys. Specialized SWAT jackets pack into their breast pocket and can be stowed in the down tube as well.

Are there any other design cues borrowed from mountain bikes on the Diverge?
You bet! The rubberized down tube and chainstay protectors on the carbon Diverge are designed to keep the bike quiet and safe from rocks and chain slap when you’re getting rowdy.

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