The bottom bracket is threaded, the cable routing is internal through the frame (but not the bar or stem), and there’s nowhere to attach a front derailleur. Small rack and fender mounts adorn the fork and stays as well. The carbon fork has extra mounts on both sides for more bottle cages or a burrito holder or whatever you want. The aluminum frame is plenty stiff and will take up to a 700×47 mm tire (or a 650×54 mm one). It makes the front end of the Diverge considerably more comfortable than other gravel bikes. It works fantastically well, and I believe this is the best application for the Future Shock concept, which mostly feels unnecessary on the road. It tricks you into thinking it improves traction, although to be fair, it’s hard to parse how much of the improved grip off-road was the Future Shock and what was the super knobby front tire.īut that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. Instead, it simply helps isolate your hands from the frame, not your frame from the ground.
It’s not “real” suspension, even though there’s a steel coil spring and oil damper inside. The Diverge Evo is built on an aluminum frame with a carbon fork and utilizes Specialized’s Future Shock 2 steerer tube suspension system. Is this your dad’s hybrid? Specialized Diverge Evo frame For some riders, though, it will be just about perfect. But it still exists in a strange crossover space between two different types of riding, which means it won’t work for most people. It’s confidence inspiring and comfortable, and will be limited primarily by your skillset, not its own attributes. It’s a fun one, in the same way that mountain bikes are fun. It has stretched, widened, flattened, leaned itself right on back, bending over backwards to be anything but what it is. It wants, quite desperately, to be a mountain bike. The Specialized Diverge E5 Evo is a gravel bike that doesn’t really want to be a gravel bike. Highs:Incredibly fun, confidence-inspiring handling on a versatile flame platform.Weight: 10.31 kg (22.73 lb), size medium (56 cm), without pedals or accessories.Frame features:Aluminum E5 frame with carbon fork, Future Shock 2 handlebar suspension, threaded bottom bracket.