mstateglfr 

This thread has been gold.

Fuggo adams apple bikes interlaced with mystified comments about how to utilize a 3rd bottle cage.

1- it can be used to store stuff using an anything/anywhere salsa/blackburn cage.
2- it can hold water which can then be easily poured into an empty bottle occupying one of the other cages.
3- it can hold a tube, multitool, snack, etc.

Just use a velcro wrap to secure a full water bottle to the downtube as cages werent designed to hold weight with the front lip pointing down.


There is simply no reason to drink from bottles with worm crap caked on.

bh85

I kind of like it. I don't like bright bikes. Good specs but price is still a little high, 1800. I was hoping for 1600.

winston63 

Yeah, I kind of agree with this. It's looks to me like it's clearly a gravel bike, whereas the previous iteration was more of a versatile road bike with off-road sensibilities. I suppose it makes sense from a marketing perspective, but it makes the new Diverge much less appealing to me. I may look for a 2016 if there are any models left that would work for me.

One thing I'll grant though: the new models have way more appealing colour schemes!

Lazyass

Yeah, I like my '17 better. They look sleeker than these new ones. I see the Zertz fork is gone.

curttard

What is the problem with riding the 2018 Diverge on the road?

winston63 

Yeah they've gone with the Future Shock instead. I don't mind that per se, but it does add weight.

Though it really works amazingly well based on my experience with the Roubaix.

And, your post reminds me that I meant to say that I'm going to look for a 2017 model, not a 2016.

Lazyass

Not on the lower end aluminum ones. Now if they had the Future Shock that would be a major plus.

Lazyass

Look at the geometry. Totally different than the previous ones. On my '17 I have the stem slammed and only a 2 inch saddle/bar drop, and that's with 8 1/2 inches of seatpost sticking up. The '18 is 9mm taller. Wheelbase is longer, HT angle slacker, more fork rake, more trail.... It's a completely different bike.

I do see the Claris group is new this year with internal shift cables.

curttard

Sure, but doesn't sacrificing some aero while making it much more capable on unpaved surfaces mean it is at least as versatile as the 2017 if not moreso? It was never a race bike, but a road for long, comfortable rides. It seems like now it will be even more comfortable without sacrificing too much speed, and much stronger offroad.

Lazyass

When you have only a 2 inch saddle to bar drop max (and can get the bars higher than the saddle if you want) and can fit a 38c tire, then you either need to see a doctor if you aren't comfortable or just toughen up. How much stronger off road it will be I don't know, but I doubt it will be a huge difference. Just seems like a more sluggish bike now. Don't like it one bit. If I was riding strictly off road maybe.

winston63 

Wow - I didn't notice that. I'm surprised they didn't retain the Zertz for models withouth the Future Shock.

Sullalto

Why would you only put one eyelet on the forks? C'mon, give us two so people can carry more water than they probably need easily!

wheelhot

Yeah, luckily they have that colour, or else I'll go blah. Though I wished they retained 2017 Orange, that colour is awesome!

Though, I can't help but wonder why 9r instead of 10r, cost cutting perhaps? As with the CGR and FS, a stiffer but lighter carbon layout wouldn't be a problem.

And I wonder what's the weight of the E5 Comp, and I noticed DSW is absent from all the aluminium models, another cost cutting? Or are they scrapping the DSW tag line.

Hmm, guess it'll be a more stable bike even on the road, though probably more sluggish? I wonder if the sluggishness can be offset with a high PSI tyres since the FS and CG-R will reduce any rough road patches.

And I get where you're coming from, as I too will be using it more on the road than off road. So now it'll be either the Diverge or Roubaix. Though how does the new Diverge geometry compare to the Open UP or 3T Exploro, as the new Diverge certainly seems to be able to configure just like the UP or Exploro.

curttard

I'm wondering about that too. They do seem to be cheaper than last year's corresponding models. The E5 with Tiagra is $1150 now, while last year's comparable E5 Elite DSW was $1450.

Chader09

They claim that the 9r carbon is used to give more compliance than the 10r.

Not sure why you think it will be more sluggish? The obvious issue is tire size, but any bike will feel slower with a larger tire like these. The geo is not race-bike short and steep, so it may feel a bit slower in turns by comparison. But I suspect it will ride just fine.

The only issue I see in using the new bike on the road is the fact that the low BB will make pedal strikes more likely if pedaling in a steep lean during a turn.

wheelhot

Yeah, the 9r does give the most compliance but it's also the heaviest (and cheapest) carbon, and as I mentioned, with the Diverge having FutureShock and CG-R, compliance wouldn't be an issue.

Also, that doesn't explain why their S-Works gets the latest 11r.

Specialized Tarmac Road Bikes With FACT 9r, 10r vs 11r Carbon


I guess when I say sluggish, it's more related to the bike feeling less stiffness. Cause that's what I read some reviewers felt when testing the 9r Diverge, this is in contrast to those who tested the Roubaix (10r) and commended on the frame stiffness allows the bike to feel sharp and agile despite the weight increase due to FutureShock


Wouldn't this only be an issue if you used 32/28mm wheels? Cause the new bike is designed with a sweet spot at 38mm or so I read. Though all the alu models comes with a 30mm stock. Haha

wheelhot

For those interested, I created a comparison table between 2018 and 2017 Diverge



It appears that for 2018, Specialized broaden the choices as we now have an additional carbon and aluminium model for each price point.

For those who wanted a carbon bike, 2018 proves to be a good year to get it as the entry price point is much lower, though having to upgrade to 105 + hydros, and possibly CG-R might make the cost closer to the 2017 Diverge Comp

For those wanting the aluminium version with FS, your only choice is the top end aluminium which is $350 more than 2017 DSW model, does seem like a bummer but you do get 105.

If you don't care about FS, 2017 DSW might be a better model as you get a higher grade mech disc brake. Compliance between 2 models will be difficult to say as DSW is supposed to bring carbon performance to alu and none of the 2018 models come with DSW, but the redesign seatstays (similar to BMC and other Spesh models), probably is as compliant or slightly more then 2017 DSW.

The biggest gain would be the entry level Diverge as from past year reviews, there's a difference between A1 and E5 grade aluminum.



Since they're 2 possible value errors, I guess it's safe to assume that all the 2018 models has a top tube length of 561mm and that the standover height for the aluminum models are 781mm

The yellow boxes represent the difference between the 2018 model, I didn't highlight the difference with 2017 Diverge as both the DSW and carbon shares the same value and lets face it, those are the ones that people care about (sorry A1)

From the chart, we can see that there's a big difference in values between the 2018 Carbon and Aluminum model, this is probably due to the carbon model accepting up to 42mm clearance and 38mm for aluminum if I'm not mistaken.

It's quite interesting that the carbon model has a slightly shorter chainstay length then the alu model (-4mm) considering the increase maximum tyre clearance of the carbon model and quite impressive even with the increase tyre clearance, the carbon wheelbase is the same with 2017 Diverge and the 2018 alu only adds an additional +3mm.

I guess it's safe to say that the 2018 Diverge will feel more stable then the 2017 Diverge due to the increase chainstay length and lower BB?

I'm not sure if this is a mistake, but the carbon diverge has an awfully high bike standover height, perhaps the measurement is done with the largest tyre? And why is the 2018 Aluminium Diverge lower than 2017 Diverge?

Chader09

The S-Works always gets the Gucci carbon, no matter the basic goals of the bike, so that makes sense to me.

I get you point on sluggish now. Yeah, it won't feel snappy like a race bike, but that is really the point of this bike. To make it more comfortable on less than ideal surfaces (crap roads and gravel specifically).

The BB drop is 85mm with the stock 38c tires. that is super low compared to just about every "road bike I have seen. They range around 70-75mm drop from what I have seen. That means you are already 10-15mm lower compared to a regular bike. So the stock setup is low for cornering. They did the low bb for stability on loos surfaces and it makes perfect sense. But as with anything, there is no change without compromise.

Then if you drop to 25-28c tires, you will be REALLY low.

Chader09

Thanks for that. Are these for the 56cm bike size? Just good to know your reference.

You might want to flag the Stand Over on the carbon too. It seems outlandishly high to me.

Lazyass

I was comparing the aluminum 54's, since that's the size I have. The differences are a little larger than what you posted.

wheelhot

Sorry, I was editing my post with my comments. And yes the size is 56cm (see top left)

And now that I see the table, I must say that the value of 2018 Diverge is pretty much the same as 2017 models (with some plus and minuses), so the cry that some people made that the new models are of poor value is not accurate, unless they're comparing with other brands like Canyon which Spesh won't be able to compete with due to different business model.

Yes, I was updating my post before you guys commented, please see it again

curttard

I hope one of the reviewers finds out what the difference is, if any, between these E5 bikes and the E5 DSW of last year.

Also, it's a real bummer that the E5s only allow 38mm tires instead of 42mm like the carbons.

wheelhot

Well I'm only comparing 56s, but I checked 54s and the differences seems about the same (comparing 54 and 56 DSW) and (54 and 57 2018 Diverge)

Lazyass

The 54cm '18 headtube is 9mm taller, wheelbase 6mm longer, and there was a couple of other things. The HT length alone is a no go for me. My bars are already 1/2 inch higher than I normally have, and the stem is slammed. Love the thru axles, though. That alone is almost worth upgrading.

wheelhot

Aah, I never did this comparison before (cause this time I'm planning to sell my first gen Giant Anthem for either a Diverge or Roubaix), so never realise the usual BB drop for an average road bike. And you mention pedal strike tendencies cause of the low BB, but wouldn't during turning, we'll raise up our left or right leg depending on the direction we turn to so the tendencies to pedal strike is pretty much null??

You mean in terms of compliance? Not sure if they'll be able to do since the change in geometry, though my guess is E5 DSW will probably be lighter (excluding FutureShock) due to less weld putty?

And yeah, it's only 38mm tires for E5s, I wonder why. The plus side is, the entry level carbon is lower then last year though you do get 10 speed and upgrading to 105 11 speed will probably bring the price back to the 2017 Carbon Diverge