Although this lightweight 1x drivetrain caused no complaints in terms of its slick, fast shifting – and offers the promise of easier maintenance than a 2x setup – it’s a gearing that’s likely to be on the large side for bikepackers heading into more mountainous topography. But their added potency, modulation make them feel indispensable within the first few miles of riding.Īs for gear range, my Diverge Comp came fitted with a 46T outer ring, mated to a 10-42 cassette. Yes, they add weight over the caliper brakes of traditional road brakes. The stopping power of SRAM’s Rivals is, well, unrivalled. If you haven’t tried a road bike with hydros, you’re in for a treat. Part of the reason larger tires can now be accommodated is the advent on hydraulic brakes with drop handlebars.
In the meantime, the Roubaix Pros are good all rounders, though it’s a shame the wheelset that comes stock with this model isn’t tubeless ready.
Personally, I’d have liked to have tried it with a set of Compass’ supple-walled tires, like the Bon Jon Pass, over which randonneur riders enthuse so much about. I’ve seen a Diverge set up with 38×700 Specialized Trigger Pros. Officially, the frame has clearance for 35mm tires with room to spare. Racing down one of the longer descents in the area, it was immediately noticeable how much confidence they imbued in my riding, especially carving hard into corners.Īnd there’s room to go even bigger. Such tires roll quickly, absorb road blemishes efficiently and grip tenaciously, as well as augmenting comfort – at the cost of a relatively nominal difference in weight. With northern New Mexico as my testing ground, I subjected my 57cm test model to a broad spectrum of riding conditions mixed terrain exploratory day rides, alpine style climbs and descents, evening spins along baby-bottom-smooth blacktop, fast commutes around town (fun!), and overnight bikepacks linking old highways, forest roads and empty miles of desert dirt.Ĭompared to a traditional road bike, it’s the width of the Diverge’s tires – well, in roadie terms at least – that stands out most initially, in keeping with a growing trend of running roomier, lower pressure rubber on wider rims. All in a relatively lightweight, road-inspired package. This translates into a bicycle with a more stable stance than a dedicated road machine, clearances for markedly larger tires, the confidence of powerful disc brakes, and a penchant for blending for asphalt, dirt and gravel. What they all share is a DNA designed for ‘all road’ riding, be it the smoothest of highways, frontage roads, broken roads, desert roads or anything in between.
A1 ride daze mtb ride 2016 pro#
While it’s certainly not as glamorous as the satin black carbon tubeset of the Diverge Pro – priced at a cool $55 – it’s considerably more refined than the entry level A1, which rings in at a very inclusive $900. At $2600, our test bike – the 2016 Diverge Comp DSW X1 Comp – sits somewhere in the middle of the pack. Which appeals most will largely depend on the depth of your pockets and your riding locale, given the choice of drivetrains and frame materials. It’s an apt name for Specialized’s ‘all road’ bike, a model that slots in alongside the burly AWOL and the do-it-all Sequoia, at the lighter end of the company’s Adventure range.Īs is often the way with the Big S, there are several builds to pick from. When not riding he can be found at the climbing wall, in his garden or cooking up culinary delights.Diverge: to separate from another route and go in a different direction, as defined by the Oxford Dictionary. He’s also worked out that shaving your legs saves 8 watts, while testing aerodynamics in a wind tunnel. Outside of testing bikes, Tom competes in a wide range of mountain bike races, from multi-day enduros through to 24-hour races in the depths of the Scottish winter – pushing bikes, components and his legs to their limits. With more than twenty years of mountain biking experience, and nearly a decade of testing mountain and gravel bikes, Tom has ridden and tested thousands of bikes and products, from super-light XC race bikes through to the most powerful brakes on the market. He is also a regular presenter on BikeRadar’s YouTube channel and the BikeRadar podcast. Tom has written for BikeRadar, MBUK and Cycling Plus, and was previously technical editor of What Mountain Bike magazine. He has a particular focus on mountain bikes, but spends plenty of time on gravel bikes, too. Tom Marvin is a technical editor at and MBUK magazine.