Specialized Diverge Pro with Shimano Di2 – Two Ride Review

“The Diverge is more capable than ever. And with the constant goal to best meet your needs, we took your number one request into account—tire clearance. The new frame will comfortably fit up to 700x42mm tires or 650b x 47mm tires. Along with tire clearance, weight was a large factor in the development, and taking some design cues from the development of the Roubaix, we developed a sub 900-gram FACT 9r carbon frame that’s one of the lightest in the category.”

specialized diverge pro review
Roadie miles through the Colorado National Monument. Photo by Ben Delaney.

“And while riding gravel and dirt roads on a road bike may add to the adventure, there’s only so much that wider tires with lower pressures can absorb, in terms of bumps. With this in mind, we implemented a new version of our Future Shock into the Diverge design. It not only soaks up bumps with ease, but also adds the benefit of extremely predictable handling. That’s because the wheelbase isn’t lengthening when you hit a bump, so the front end of the Diverge keeps the same effective head tube angle. In other words, when you dive hard into a turn, you won’t be surprised by under-steer or sloppy handling. Unlike the original Future Shock (found on the Roubaix), the Diverge’s version features a progressive spring that makes this technology more suitable for off-road applications, where stiffer suspension is often needed to soak-up larger bumps and obstacles.” – Specialized.com

specialized diverge pro review

Whilst attending the inaugural Wild Horse Gravel in De Beque, Colorado, promoted by http://rollmassif.com – I was provided with a top-flight loaner bike in the Specialized Diverge Pro. The bike features 20mm of travel at the front end, purpose-built seatpost flex courtesy of Specialized’s Zertz inserts, Shimano Di2 drivetrain, excellent gearing, and wheels and tyres by Mavic.

specialized diverge pro review

This short two-ride review isn’t my usual modus operandi, but after putting the Specialized Diverge Pro through its paces on a roadie ride with a good amount of climbing and descending, and the Wild Horse Gravel, I felt I had enough time to at least pass along some thoughts and opinions about the bike.

Specialized

More Photos of the Specialized Diverge Pro

Roll Massif (Wild Horse Gravel)

Specialized Experience Center Boulder

Gravel Cyclist’s Wild Horse Gravel Video

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7 Comments

  1. Avatar Dave

    As always, solid review! Curious how the Diverge suspension compares to the Redshift Sports “Shock” Stem?

    • Avatar Keith

      Yes, agree. I’m sure the Diverge provides much more absorption but at quite a weight and cost penalty.

      • Avatar Ross

        I have a diverge and have to say, it’s lighter than any gravel bike I’ve ridden. I’ve got a 2019 Giant Revolt 0 with Ultegra and it’s lighter than it..

  2. Avatar Ron

    Comparing the Diverge to the Shockstop is interesting in an ‘apples to oranges’ fashion, because obviously you have to buy an expensive new bike for the one, but not for the other. Every review of the Shockstop stem that I’ve read, except for one which was coincidentally the one on this site, has been absolutely glowing. Check out CyclingTips and ridinggravel.com’s reviews. Its’ low weight, low cost and ability to fit onto virtually any bike makes it a pretty strong product. The Diverge is probably pretty great, although its’ shock has been superseded by the new hydraulic version on the Roubaix and only a massive amount of cash will get it into your hands.

    • JOM JOM

      My review of the Shockstop may not have been glowing, but it was honest and to the point. I haven’t read the other reviews you referenced (nor will I) and I stand by what I said in my review. It is definitely an item that is good for a lot of gravel cyclists, but not all. As always Ron, thanks for writing in!

      • Avatar Ron

        Hi JOM. I didn’t intend to question your review at all, and I apologize if it came off that way. I was just making an observation on the general reception that the product has had by the cycling press. Cheers!

    • Avatar George Hudetz

      FWIW, there is a review out there somewhere that compares the current Diverge to an older Diverge without Future Shock but with the Redshift stem. The author did prefer the new Diverge w/Future Shock, but of course, as noted, one must buy a whole new bike.

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