Specialized is Ready to Grind the Gravel With the All-New Diverge!

Specialized has just released the all-new Diverge, with the performance to escape! With its Future Shock suspension, redesigned geometry, clearance for the tires that you want to run, and even SWAT on some models, the Specialized Diverge delivers the most capable gravel bike ever made.

You’ve probably seen Future Shock on models like the Specialized Roubaix, Sirrus, Sirrus X, and the last generation of Diverge. This revolutionary piece of technology suspends the rider, not the bike. Placing the Future Shock below the bars but above the frame, allows the Future Shock to provide confidence, control, and comfort without impacting the performance of the bike. Take a deeper dive and check out our Future Shock blog. This 20mm of axial compliance keeps the front wheel firmly planted on the ground through rough terrain while giving the rider a smoother ride, all without changing the wheelbase of the bike. This results in a more efficient ride without having to compromise performance!

The Future Shock 2.0 is found on Comp Carbon models and above and features adjustable compression and a hydraulically damped spring while the Sport Carbon, Base Carbon, and Comp Alloy feature the progressive spring equipped Future shock 1.5.

The all-new Specialized Diverge is confident, fast, and responsive, all due to it’s revised frame geometry. Specialized took a lot of what they learned from the cross-country mountain bike, the Epic, and applied it to Diverge. The reach is longer and the headtube angle is slacker than previous Diverge models, resulting in a ride that’s super stable in any condition, from city pavement to backcountry trails to rim-deep class 5!

To compensate for that slacked-out front end on the new Diverge, the engineers at Specialized designed a fork with a reduced offset that keeps the front end feeling snappy and tight!

Even though the bottom bracket has been raised 6mm to improve pedal clearance, at 80mm of drop, Diverge is still one of the lowest gravel bikes on the market so you will still feel firmly planted and in full control.

Specialized worked overtime on the fine details of this bike. One of the most impressive details is the drive-side chainstay on the carbon fiber frames. This has always been a tricky spot when it comes to balancing tire and chainring clearance. If you move the chainstay out too much to allow for more tire clearance then you limit the size of the chainring that you can install. If you allow for a bigger front chainring then you sacrifice tire clearance. Other companies have tried to address this by using odd chainstay designs that may achieve the goal of wider tires and bigger rings but may not function well and aren’t aesthetically pleasing.

Specialized accomplished this goal by designing a drive-side chainstay that uses a single bar of carbon fiber that gives plenty of strength, stiffness, clearance, and looks! The result is the ability to run tires as wide as 700 x 47 or 650b x 2.1″ and still have room for a 46t chainring!

On top of all of that cool design is an even cooler chainstay protector, designed to break up the wave action of a chain as it is bounced around, virtually eliminating chain slap noise.

Finally, the coolest feature of the new Specialized Diverge is the SWAT compartment! SWAT stands for Storage, Water, Air, and Tools and is an ecosystem of clothing, accessories, and design that takes necessary supplies out of bulky backpacks and seat bags and puts them onto a rider’s body and, even better, onto or into the bike itself! In the case of the all-new Diverge, that’s inside the downtube, inside the SWAT Compartment. The SWAT door opens up and gives access to store tools, snacks, and spare clothing, getting that bulk off of the rider’s body and low on the bike, improving overall bike handling and rider comfort! All SWAT Compartment equipped bikes also come with the all-new, waterproof, SWAT Pods!

The flat-bar-equipped Diverge EVO models take all of this capability to a whole new level by adding a dropper seatpost and the all-new Specialized Rhombus tire! These amazing tires feature closely spaced center knobs for fast rolling while the serrated transition knobs and big shoulder knobs keep you in complete control, no matter the conditions.

Add to all of these amazing features rack, fender, and multiple cages and pack mounts and you have the most capable escape machine!

So, all of this HAS to come with a weight penalty, right? NOPE! The all-new Specialized Diverge frame weighs as low as 1000 grams, lighter than most other stripped-down gravel race bikes with skimpy tire clearance, not to mention the SWAT Compartment and all of the mounts. This makes the all-new Diverge the perfect bike for any gravel race, bikepacking adventure, or even daily commute!

Carbon fiber versions of the all-new Specialized Diverge are arriving in ERIK’S Store now and the alloy models will arrive later this spring. Check out the all-new Specialized Diverge, the Ultimate Getaway Vehicle at your local ERIK’S location, or at shopERIKS.com!