{"id":16415,"date":"2017-09-20T06:50:00","date_gmt":"2017-09-20T05:50:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/2017\/09\/20\/first-ride-2018-specialized-diverge-r6863\/"},"modified":"2023-02-08T06:26:56","modified_gmt":"2023-02-08T06:26:56","slug":"first-ride-2018-specialized-diverge-r6863","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bikehub.co.za\/news\/first-ride-2018-specialized-diverge-r6863\/","title":{"rendered":"First ride: 2018 Specialized Diverge"},"content":{"rendered":"

Two weeks ago I had the opportunity to ride the 2018 Specialized S-Works Diverge at a media event at Boschendal. Having thoroughly enjoyed an excursion on the 2017 Diverge Expert on the farm roads around L\u2019Agulhas<\/a> earlier in the year, and knowing the bike has been reworked for 2018 I was very keen to take it for a spin and get a feel for the changes.<\/p>\n

\"ccs-58780-0-66063900-1505467721.jpg\"<\/a>Photo credit: Ewald Sadie<\/span><\/p>\n

What is new?<\/h2>\n

The Diverge falls into the booming gravel bike category, in which drop bars, and the ability to dominate both road and dirt surfaces are de rigueur<\/em>. First launched in 2014, the Diverge has seen a makeover for 2018. The most notable changes are greater tyre and mud clearance, removing the Zertz inserts from the fork and seatstay, the addition of a version of the Future Shock suspension specifically adapted for the Diverge, and adjustments in geometry towards what Specialized call their Open Road Geometry.<\/p>\n

The tyre clearance has been increased to accommodate 700x42mm tyres, an increase from 35mm tyres on the previous model. The new geometry sees the bottom bracket drop 6.5 millimetres to 265 millimetres, for increased stability on technical terrain. The reach has been decreased from 380 to 373 millimetres, and the stack height has been increased from 565 to 592 millimetres (on a size 54) to put the rider in a more upright position.<\/p>\n

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Photo credit: Ewald Sadie<\/span>
The Future Shock is a suspension system in the headset allowing for 20 millimetres of axial travel to soak up bumps. The system on the Diverge makes use of a progressive spring to cope with bigger hits than its counterpart on the more road orientated Roubaix.<\/p>\n

In terms of the adventure-ready checklist, the Diverge is compatible with a short travel dropper post, offers three water bottle mounts, mounting for rack and fenders, and mounting for the road SWAT box for storing a tube, CO2 canister and adapter, valve extender and money clip.<\/p>\n

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Photo credit: Ewald Sadie<\/span>\"ccs-58780-0-61122100-1505478922.jpg\"<\/a>The Future Shock provides 20 millimetres of travel. Photo credit: Ewald Sadie<\/span>\"ccs-58780-0-16792600-1505478921.jpg\"<\/a>The SWAT box provides a convenient place to store necessary tools and spares, keeping the centre of gravity low. Photo credit: Ewald Sadie<\/span><\/p>\n

The S-Works Diverge I tested comes standard with a 35mm Command Post XCP, and the road SWAT box. Braking is taken care of by Shimano RS805 hydraulic disc brakes, while the drivetrain is a mixture: Shimano R785 Di2 shifters paired with an XTR Di2 rear derailleur, Shimano XTR 11-40t, 11-speed cassette, and an Easton EC90 SL Carbon crank and 42T chainring. Roval CLX 32 Disc carbon wheels are wrapped in 38mm Specialized Trigger Pro tyres.<\/p>\n

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Photo credit: Ewald Sadie<\/span><\/p>\n

Specifications<\/h2>\n

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