While the Specialized Crux remains the lightweight gravel racer (and cyclocross bike, let’s not forget) in the brand’s lineup, the Diverge has become the de facto machine of choice for its gravel pros, and the most popular option for amateurs and casualists too thanks to an extensive lineup of carbon and alloy models.
Today the Californian giant has updated the Diverge platform with the new Specialized Diverge 4, firmly aimed at taking on the best gravel bikes on the market today, and while at a glance the new model looks strikingly similar to the outgoing one – we first saw it in action at Unbound this year – there are some significant tweaks that bring it up to date with current gravel sensibilities for both gravel racing and more adventure style riding.
Tyres now measured in inches
Gravel tyres are getting wider, a trend that’s been unstoppable since gravel came into being. We’ve proven in our own lab tests that wider tyres are faster, and now that racers are more than ever looking to mountain bike tyres for an extra performance advantage Specialized has upped the clearance on the Diverge 4 to 50mm, with 7mm of clearance around the tyre.
It does also say that a 2.2” tyre will fit with 4mm of space around it, though riders should be aware that this is going to impact the space for mud. In any case, this is what we expect most racers will opt for. It’s not the largest on the market, but it’s up there with the best.
In order to achieve this there is a new fork, which is relatively easy from a design standpoint. At the rear end however the geometry has had to be tweaked to compensate, with a 5mm longer chainstay length to move the rear tyre away from the seat tube. To make the chainstays wide enough that the tyre would fit Specialized used a solid section of carbon on the drive side, where it also has to clear the chainring, with the brake hose and cables routed through the chainstay protector. On the alloy models a similar system has been devised but via the use of a cast alloy yoke that’s then welded to the tubes.
Futureshock 3.0
The increased tyre volume will increase comfort over rough terrain, and in a similar vein the Diverge 4 retains the Futureshock system, but upgrades it to the…
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