Specialized Diverge

80/100
BikeRide Score
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Users (2 ratings)
80
Experts (5 reviews)
76
Specialized Diverge
Where to buy
$1,249.99 Al's Sporting Goods See it $1,300.00 Special­ized See it $1,799.99 eBay See it $2,079.99 Perform­ance Bicycle See it
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Facts

Gender
Men, Women
Type
Gravel - Adventure, Bikepacking, Non-Electric
Release Year
2018
Brand
Specialized
Wheel Size
650b, 700c
Number of Gears
16 (2x8), 20 (2x10), 22 (2x11)
Gearing Type
External Derailleur
Weight
21.31 lb
Suspension
Micro
Brake Type
Disc: Hydraulic
Frame Material
Aluminum, Carbon Fiber

Summary of Reviews

We have read all expert and user reviews on the Specialized Diverge. In summary, this is what cyclists think.

14 reasons to buy

  • There are builds of the Diverge available with aluminum and carbon frames.
  • There is a version of the bike available for almost every budget.
  • The Future Shock is a micro-suspension system that offers 20mm of travel to riders. This is included on most builds.
  • The Diverge is versatile. It is designed to travel paved and gravel roads. It’s also capable of exploring smooth singletrack.
  • Higher-end aluminum models and carbon models of the bike have the Cobble Gobbler seat post that dampens road chatter in the rear.
  • With mounts for up to three water bottles, riders can cover a great distance in one ride.
  • There are mounts for racks and fenders. These allow riders to use the Diverge for their daily commute or a bikepacking trip.
  • The internally routed cables are aesthetically pleasing.
  • A low bottom bracket allows riders to corner confidently.
  • The Sawtooth Sport tires excel on pavement and firm gravel roads.
  • The drop bars have a 12° flare. This provides riders with a comfortable position for long days in the saddle and allows riders to maneuver the Diverge with ease.
  • Specialized covers their paintwork with a protective finish to prevent damage from stray rocks when exploring backroads.
  • One expert confirmed it’s possible to utilize aerobars with the Future Shock intact.
  • Testers were pleased with the bike's maximum tire clearance. One can run a 700c x 42mm or 650b x 47mm wheel and tire setup on the bike.

5 reasons not to buy

  • The bike is not as efficient as a road bike. One tester swapped their wheelset for road tires and wheels and found the bike was slower than their normal road bike.
  • The Sawtooth Sport tires struggle on loose and rocky terrain.
  • Riders climbing in the standing position with the Future Shock may experience pedal bob.
  • The bike comes standard with a 2x setup. Some testers expressed they would have preferred a 1x setup.
  • The low bottom bracket sets riders up for frequent pedal strikes navigating rough terrain.

Bottom line

The Specialized Diverge is a bike built to explore on and off-road. The bike has flared drop bars that are easy to use to maneuver the bike and provide numerous hand positions. The bike is available in aluminum or carbon builds, fitting many budgets. Many builds include the Cobble Gobbler seat post and Future Shock offering 20mm of travel up front. The Future Shock can cause pedal bob when climbing out of the saddle. The bike has a low bottom bracket that makes for confident cornering but also frequent pedal strikes. Overall, riders looking for a very versatile bike may find a use for the Diverge.

Expert Reviews

76/100 based on 5 rated expert reviews
Apply to become an expert
80
BikeRadar
Level 5 expert

Specialized Diverge Comp Review

Level 5 expert

Just when we thought we’d pinned down what a gravel bike is, Specialized refers to the new Diverge as an ‘exploration machine’ that combines road and gravel bike features.

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80
Road.cc
Level 5 expert

Specialized Men’s Diverge

Level 5 expert

The latest Specialized Diverge is very impressive to ride. It’s a racer that absolutely flies on the gravel, whose quick handling and relatively short wheelbase makes it a flickable bike with loads of feedback when you’ve got the bit between your teeth.

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78
GearLab
Level 5 expert

Specialized Diverge Sport Review

Level 5 expert

The Sport model we tested is a budget-friendly carbon model that brings some unique features to the table and has an especially comfortable ride quality thanks to their unique Future Shock front suspension and a compliant composite seat post that help to smooth out the ride.

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70
off-road.cc
Level 5 expert

Specialized Women’s Diverge E5 Comp Review

Level 5 expert

This bike is the women’s version of the E5 Comp model with only the paint job and some small spec tweaks marking the difference between the male and female bikes.

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70
off-road.cc
Level 5 expert

Specialized Diverge E5 Sport Review

Level 5 expert

With the stock tyres it’s a solid and dependable road bike for road riding and commuting, but needs a tyre swap to open it up to more varied terrain, whereupon it’s decently capable for rough stuffing.

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Jonathon Long
Level 1 expert

Specialized Diverge Review

Level 1 expert

It’s a truly versatile bike that can be used for a really wide variety of riding and it doesn’t really make any compromises to achieve this.

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Kymberly Byers
Level 1 expert

Specialized Diverge Long-Term Review

Level 1 expert

This is an extremely versatile bike. It’s a bike you can race with the roadies in the morning and go ride some gravel in the afternoon, take the road less traveled, do a little detour here or there and never have to worry about where you’re going.

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Chris Rebbeck
Level 1 expert

Specialized Diverge X1

Level 1 expert

It’s really, really nice. It’s probably worth splashing the cash and going towards one of these higher-end carbon models with the full Future Shock and the Cobl Gobl-R seat post because I think they make a massive difference to the overall ride.

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Juliet Elliott
Level 1 expert

Specialized Diverge Expert Gravel Bike | Long Term Review

Level 1 expert

I have taken this bike and gone off and had some of the best times that I’ve had in years.

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Wideopen
Level 3 expert

Tested: Ben’s Specialized Diverge E5 Comp Review.

Level 3 expert

On the whole I found the E5 Comp to be a fast and efficient commuter and training bike.

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User Ratings

80/100 based on 2 ratings
  • 5 star
    0%
  • 4 star
    100%
  • 3 star
    0%
  • 2 star
    0%
  • 1 star
    0%

Rankings

Compared to other bikes
#53 Best Gravel - Adventure
Bottom 40%
#49 Best Bikepacking
Bottom 30%
#36 Best Specialized Bike
Bottom 20%
#590 Best of All Bikes
Bottom 30%

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Bike Comparison

Specialized Diverge in comparison to averages
Specialized Diverge
80
Average All Bikes
83
Average Specialized Bike
90
Average Gravel - Adventure Bike
83

Forum Discussions

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Giveaway

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