vinuneuro

Has anyone ridden both of these? There's no way I'll be able to test either on gravel. The Domane SL5 seems to be very similar to the first generation Diverge, kind of a road/gravel hybrid bike that's comfortable with 35mm with clearance for a little more. Diverge has gone more in the off-pavement direction with much bigger tire clearance and very low bottom bracket. I'm most interested to know how IsoSpeed and Future Shock compare on gravel. Would appreciate any thoughts or feedback.

RocThrower

I've been looking at Domanes for the road and actually wanted the SL5 Gravel as I loved that paint job, and it was spec'd with better brakes and shifters than the "regular" SL5 Disc. My understanding is Trek has already sold out of all of the SL5 Gravels, and the rep I spoke with didn't anticipate any more coming through in my size this year.

That being said, there is nothing that is "gravel specific" to the the SL5 Gravel. Tire clearance and geometry is the exact same as any other Domane disc model, and you probably can't fit much more than a 35c tire in the frame and fork. I tested rim brake versions with the front and rear ISO Speed, and was quite impressed with how smooth the ride was. I think I will still pick up a Domane Disc at some point, and although I'll use it mostly for pavement, I would like to throw on some 35s and see how it does on the gravel I usually ride.

I've only heard positive things about the Diverge with the Future Shock. As you mentioned, it seems Specialized really focused on making this model more gravel-specific and I think it's a fair comparison to say the Domane is more in line with the older Diverge models. Depending on how much of your time will be spent on gravel, it's probably the better tool.

Wittyname

Havn't had any time on a Diverge (local Spec dealer shares a parking lot w/ a Walmart and they're quite resistant to test rides), but I own a Domane SL5 Gravel so maybe I can help a bit with that side

The SL5 Gravel shares the same frame with all the other disc Domanes, so any of them will have the same tire clearance. Only difference in the Gravel version is that it ships with the RS685 shifters and the Schwalbe G-One Allround tires.
The ISO speed really does work on beaten up pavement, and it seemed to flatten out the gravel horse path that runs parallel to the MUP.
Saw a post on riding gravel forums that said they were able to fit a WTB Nano in 38c both front and rear. Havn't tried it myself, but will likely pick up a pair if the Schwalbe's don't do the job (or just to try them out)