Video: Specialized's all-new dirt-taming Diverge gravel bike goes longer and slacker
New Specialized Diverge gets a major overhaul - both in terms of its geometry and components - to bring it bang-up-to-date with modern gravel bike standards
Specialized has released its third iteration of the Diverge for 2021 which introduces some significant updates to the already well-received Diverge range. Specialized has aimed to bolster the Diverge's speed, control and confidence to make the range even better at the diverse world of gravel, bike packing and adventure riding.
Cyclingnews was lucky enough to get the superbike-worthy S-Works Diverge in for an exclusive trail test - we have had a lot of fun riding everything from tarmac to singletrack to bring you a comprehensive Specialized S-Works Diverge review.
Somewhat off the wall, Specialized has introduced the Diverge EVO to the range. Part gravel bike, part mountain bike, part extreme hybrid bike, the Diverge EVO flouts the category definitions and instead concentrates on trying to be as much fun as possible.
Specialized uses the EVO moniker to highlight the more radical models, The Diverge EVO has a 30mm longer reach, slacker 70-degree head angle and a 75mm bottom bracket drop. These more extreme geometry figures allow riders to make full use of the extra control that flat bars give. Pricing starts at £1,599 for the Comp EVO.
It’s not just bikes, however - Specialized has been investing a lot of time into the gravel market and released a new gravel tyre plus an updated range of its Recon gravel-specific shoe a few months back. The new Rhombus tyre features the established recipe of fast-rolling centre knobs combined with a serrated transition to bitey shoulders to dig into the dirt when cornering. Specialized only offer the tyre in one size, a 700 x 42, tubeless-ready, Gripton compound built on an Endurant 60 TPI casing.
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Graham has been part of the Cyclingnews team since January 2020. He has mountain biking at his core and can mostly be found bikepacking around Scotland or exploring the steep trails around the Tweed Valley. Not afraid of a challenge, Graham has gained a reputation for riding fixed gear bikes both too far and often in inappropriate places.