UmneyDurak

Bike is fine, as others said get road oriented tires. One thing might look in to getting a proper fit for it (if you haven't already). There is nothing like 100miler to illustrate bad fit issues.

merlinextraligh

Buy a second set of wheels, and you effectively have 2 bikes. New wheels, carbon fiber with deep sectioned rims, and a go fast tire like Continental 5000, then put on the widest, narliest gravel tire that will fit on you current wheel. Then you have all your bases covered and it only takes a minute to swap out.

Not necessary to do a road century, but nice, and cheaper than 2 bikes.

Leinster

I've seen people do centuries on rigid steel mountain bikes with friction thumb shifters and 26x1.5" knobby tires. A Diverge would be a fine bike to do a century on, even stock. Slick tires would be nicer, but are not compulsory by any means.

DeadGrandpa

A while back, maybe seven years, I bought a set of puncture resistant Schwalbe Marathon tires. One of them is still being worn out, and I ride a lot. They are heavier but I spend little time changing the tube when flat. Supple tires are more expensive, don't last as long, and may have more flats. Lighter tires may be easier or faster pedaling. If you can afford better, lighter and more flexible tires, get them and the carbon wheelset suggested above. If you have children, ride what you have. It's not the last century you'll ever ride, so if your tires are a little heavier, and you're a little more tired when you're done, it's not a big deal. Ride on round tires on round wheels. You'll be bona fide.

guachi

Saddle, saddle, saddle, saddle.

Nothing like doing my one and only outdoor century and having numbness for three weeks afterward. The saddle was fine for 2.5 hour rides but I think spending lots of time in the aerobars - great for the hands - was ultimately bad for my back and sit bones.

big chainring 

I think you need a road bike. Upgrade the wheels. Go tubeless. Lightest stiffest shoes. Bibs, you must wear bibs. New helmet, glasses, gloves. Gels, sport drinks, anything that substitutes for real food in a powder or gel form.
Most importantly bring cigarettes... Lots of them.

phrantic09

Quoi?

Champlaincycler

Diverge with 38's will be fine. I ride an easy solo century each summer as a birthday ride. I'm old (68) with a creaky neck , wide tires and future shock sure do make for a comfy ride. I bought 32's when I first bought the bike with the intent of switching to them during the summers when I'm mostly on the roads. I don't put them on any longer, ride is just too nice with 38's, not noticeably slower and maybe faster on rougher roads.

DeadGrandpa

I thought it was common knowledge that children are very expensive hobbies. They cost a lot to feed, clothe and educate. Parents who are cyclists may have to choose between expensive bikes, tires, etc, and a new set of clothes, shoes, laptop, etc, for their growing children. If children are in your budget, less expensive tires are adequate for the rides you want to ride. They are round, after all.

phrantic09

If the difference between a 30 and 80 dollar tire is that much of a concern w/ kids, perhaps one should consider a hoppy that doesn't require consumable items like tires?

big chainring 

My kids are fully grown, college grads, with jobs, I still pick up their car insurance, and buy them stuff that would normally go on a credit card...theirs not mine. So yeah, I've been hemming and hawing over getting tires for two bikes that were GIVEN to me over the winter. And I'm looking at $15 tires. Still can't pull the trigger.


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PoeCo

Very late to this (apologies), but thought I'd add my two cents, for whatever it's worth (and I do think what most have said makes sense). I own a 2018 Diverge, am female, and have ridden it on a road (or at least 95% road) century unsupported and have done several other metric centuries on the road with it. Mine sports 38mm tires that are not super knobby, but are made to ride dirt and I did just fine. As others have suggested, make sure you have food/water to eat and drink regularly or plan your route with places to stop and refill/pick up food. I was definitely a bit slower and had to push a bit more than I would on something lighter, but that was the purpose of having extra food. I love my Diverge and am very comfortable on it, so doing the century on it just made sense. I was a bit more fatigued than I have been when finishing similar rides on different bikes, but not enough that I wouldn't do it again (and am actually planning to do so this year again).

You mention that you "just got into" cycling, so I don't know how much you've experienced, but I'd say make sure you have a comfortable pair of shorts/bibs with a comfy chamois to ride that distance (and test them prior to your century attempt). Also, I assume this is obvious, but just in case, build up to the distance before doing it. I don't believe that you have to get super close to the 100 mile mark to make it to the end, but I'd recommend doing something close to around 70 miles before attempting the 100, unless you are super athletic and mentally strong and know you can get through anything.

Good luck! Hope you enjoy your century on the Diverge!!

svgeek

Yet another late one!

How does the newer Futureshock 2.0 Diverge ride on the road (with road tires) vs say, the newer Roubaix.

I've the latter and was planning to ride it this fall for the Mammoth Gran Fondo 102 miler. But my wife wants to do other types of cycling exploration and I'm wondering if a "multi-use" bike might be better.

Of course, I'd swap in 25-28mm tires+road wheels for the Gran Fondo and a fatter set of tires+gravel wheels for said "explorations".

The Diverge I'm looking at is the Comp Carbon with GRX 2x11 gearing which can be easily modified to match what I already have on the Roubaix (46-30 front 11-34 back).

Thoughts?

Atlas Shrugged

You would have no problem. The differences are a more upright position on the Diverge as well as an even more stable geometry. No need for the narrow tires though a 32 or 38 supple slick would perform as well and be more comfortable.

Atlas Shrugged

You would have no problem. The differences are a more upright position on the Diverge as well as an even more stable geometry. No need for the narrow tires though a 32 or 38 supple slick would perform as well and be more comfortable.

svgeek

Conversely, since the Roubaix has a 33mm tire clearance, I can also explore the use of CX tires. Hmmmm....

Along the same lines, an alternative I've been considering is a current gen Trek Domane SL5 with its 38mm tire clearance.

Badger6

In order:
Nutso? No.
Tires? Something slick. I assume yours has the stock 700x30mm Espoir...even if so, you may want to consider the 700x30/32 Roubaix Pro 2Bliss. Can be run with tubes, super durable and roll much better than the Espoir.
Modifications? No.
Attempted? Yes, multiple times.
Furthest? 302km out/back on the Iller River in southern Germany...the route was mostly gravel (actually). I say this because pavement is easier and less work than gravel to roll over, for short distances and times this is not so obvious, but for 302km, even at a leisurely pace of 23km/h, the added effort required adds up.

Note, the bike I used was built around a '15/16 Diverge (Mk1) frame, which is more similar to your bike than a the newer '21 Diverge (Mk3) Expert I ride on gravel now. I still ride the Mk1 Diverge on the road with 32mm slicks.