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Featuring their innovative Suspend the Rider (STR) rear Future Shock system, Specialized’s Diverge STR has achieved a new echelon of comfort and efficiency in the gravel world. Spencer Harding dives into the nuance of the system and all that it entails and offers. Is the juice worth the squeeze? He thinks so, even if that fruit is pretty pricey.
Southern Arizona has become a destination for many cyclists over the years but it’s long been a refuge for snowbirds with the nation’s largest rock and mineral show, the Gem Show, hitting Tucson in February and bringing in over 50,000 registered buyers annually. While Tucson is bursting at the seams with RVs, campers, and retirees in February, Sarah Swallow resides about sixty miles south of the city at the Appleton Whittell Research Ranch – an Audubon property nestled just outside the quiet little town of Elgin – planning each year’s Ruta del Jefe event…
Remember Sarah’s SIQuoia flat bar? I like to think that builds like that prompted Specialized to experiment with their newly-launched Diverge line announced today. Nestled in the EVO line – the catalog reserved for experimentation – the new Diverge EVO joins the newest in Diverge tech with a flat bar package suitable for singletrack riding. This model retails for $2,600 and the EVO Comp model retails for $1,600. The only bummer is that these flat bar aluminum frame models lack the SWAT storage the carbon models use. Now the next question is, when will Specialized release an Aero-Bar build kit like Sarah’s?
Check out the full lineup at Specialized.
Specs:
-E5 Aluminum frame
-Future Shock 2.0 with an adjustable hydraulic damper offering 20mm of travel
-Shimano XT 1×12
-Magura MT4 brakes.
-X-Fusion Manic dropper
-Rhombus 42mm gravel tires
-DT Swiss G540 alloy wheels.
Progression happens when people push the current paradigm causing a shift, or a schism in the model. This applies to bicycles as well. From the era of the klunker and the cruiser influencing mountain bikes to people riding 23mm road tires on gravel roads. Hell, I think it’s safe to say that our generation has seen various permutations unfold from people who push their bikes just a little more than others. To the verge, even.
