Cool idea to have a spreadsheet for comparing geometries - I always get lost trying to compare. Thanks, getting to work immediately .
I’ve had this sheet for nearly a decade. Helps a lot when shopping and comparing.
Here’s a site that came along recently and is a time saver. Gotta double check their numbers sometimes, but they are getting more reliable and it’s very handy.
So you can put 2x on it? Im curious how its going to ride compared to my trusty Crux.
This website has a graphical comparison of bike frames:
Unfortunately the new Diverge isn’t in there yet.
I made a spreadsheet to also add the impact of spacers, stem length, stem rise and handlebar rise. The output dimensions I look at are saddle-to-bar drop, and saddle to bar horizontal. Allows me to get pretty close on fit for a new bike to match an existing one.
I can get the Diverge within 5mm on both dimensions of my Domane - at least on paper. This is with the 15mm FS cap, an upturned 6 degree 80mm stem, and the 15mm handlebar rise.
I did a 70mile gravel ride on my Domane yesterday. Feels good for the first couple of hrs. Not so good for the last couple of hrs. Makes me realize I need a proper gravel bike for long rides.
I’m going to call my local specialized shop Monday and get the ball rolling on a Diverge - hopefully they’ll be able to get one before the summer is over!
With suspension comes added cost for maintenance. An Epic HT is also a lot more of a theft target if you are around running errands and lock it up to go into a store for a few minutes.
As a commuter, having something that is aluminum or steel is more attractive because it’s more likely to survive an inevitable impact on a train/boat/subway car.
That being said, there is a strong argument for just getting a Chisel frame and putting a rigid carbon fork.
Spesh basically has three similar bikes but they speak to different people
Sirrus X (gravel and mixed)
Diverge Evo (road and mixed)
Chisel (entry mtb and general bike)
Each person has a different thing that speaks to them when they are looking for a bike and to be it makes logical sense to have the models configured in the way they do.
Not a Diverge, but I did a flat bar conversion on my Trek Checkpoint ALR4 and have been liking it so far. Still a work in progress as I get the fit dialed in. Going to get a longer stem to help with the reach difference.
Thoughts on how the 2021 Diverge compares to the OPEN UP or 3T Exploro?
New bike day. 2021 Diverge comp carbon. Maiden voyage on some hero gravel.
My previous gravel rig was a 2017 Trek Domane (not really a gravel bike). There is a night and day difference between that and the diverge.
Higher volume tires make a big difference obviously. The future shock works really well. There were times I’d look ahead and see bumps on the road thinking I’m going to get my teeth rattled, but the shock did it’s job and smoothed them out.
Looking down at the shock (carefully!) while riding allowed me to see the shock in action, constantly absorbing impacts.
Congrats! Looks like a great upgrade and those roads are equally impressive. Have fun!
Hi @DaveWh,
Would love to hear some more about its ride characteristics on and off the gravel?
Also what is the clearance like for power meter options?
Regards
GG
Yeah - I’m very impressed so far (1 ride). Makes me wonder what I’ll use my Domane for in the future. There’s really only ~6 weeks in the spring when the gravel roads are too wet/muddy to ride, and that’s when road riding is the best option.
The bike rides very smooth on gravel. A combination of big tires, the future shock, and a seatpost that can flex. I currently have the stock 38mm tires on there, and they measure a true 38mm on the 24mm rims.
There’s about 10-12mm of clearance on each side of the front and rear tires, so I’d bet I could fit 50mm tires on the bike (Specialized says 47mm clearance). And with 50mm tires on there you could tackle pretty much any gravel conditions.
The bike feels very stable going downhill - noticeably better than my Domane. The tires obviously help, but it’s also longer and slacker.
The future shock works in a way where you don’t notice it - other than the road feels smoother. Even out of the saddle, you don’t really notice the future shock in action - at least not under the conditions I was riding in my first ride - meaning a leisurely 50 mile ride. Maybe sprinting it’d be more noticeable.
On the road, the bike feels very road-like due to the Pathfinder tires - which have a slick center tread. At least under the same conditions as above - a leisurely ride. Hard cornering and accelerations on the 38mm tires would probably feel different. And I’m sure the rolling resistance is higher, but that’s hard to measure.
The slacker head angle feels very natural - meaning the bike neither feels twitchy or unresponsive. That’s probably because it’s in between the other bikes I ride (road, MTB).
This bike will probably tie with my MTB for ride time over the summer/fall - OK, maybe not quite that much, but it’s a sweet bike to ride on gravel.
Regarding power meters, I don’t really know, as I don’t have a power meter on any of my bikes, so I don’t know what clearance is needed. It’s got a threaded BB however, so that means a little more clearance between crank and frame/chain stay than my Domane.
Thank you @DaveWh for the response. My Lbs just got it in stock, so pretty excited go up and see it. Not available for demo though😡
How does the seat post flex compare to the isospeed of the Domane?
According to the bike shops I spoke with, the Diverge is in high demand. Selling within a few days to a week of getting in stock. Not surprising they won’t demo it. You may need to buy one to ride one!
When I push on the back of the saddle, the saddle flexes easier on the Diverge. The Domane saddle flexes, but takes a harder push. I think both of these systems require exposed seatpost to function well, and there is more exposed seatpost on my Diverge vs my Domane.
In my initial ride (about 3.5 hrs), the Diverge felt better than my Domane. But it’s also got bigger tires. So hard to isolate the impact of the seatpost flex.
At this point, I’d say it’s a tie between the Diverge and Domane on seatpost flex, but the Diverge is overall a much better gravel bike (which is not surprising given the different design intents of the two bikes).
I forgot to ask, what size Diverge did you get (compared to the Domane)?
I got a 54 Diverge, vs my 56 Domane.
Before buying, I plugged the bike geometry into my spreadsheet calculator and figured a 54 Diverge with the 15mm FS top-cap, and 80mm upturned 6 degree stem, no spacers, 15mm rise hover bars, would pretty closely match my Domane setup. It’s pretty much spot on - saddle to bar drop, as well as horizontal distance from saddle to bar.
I’m very happy with the bike. It’ll compete with my MTB for ride time over the summer. Some friends of mine are thinking of riding an unofficial SBT GRVL, as well as a few long 100-150 mile gravel rides in the mountains. Maybe an over-nighter thrown in for good measure.
Not sure which I envy more - the new bike, or those roads.
Just visually that diverge looks like a step towards the Chamoix Hagar, from the old diverge.
Awesome! Glad that you nailed the sizing and fit. Good to know that sizing down may be the right choice too. We haven’t gotten one in yet, but I hope to ride one this summer.
The HTA is 71.25 vs 65 on the chamois Hagar. A long way to go yet!