rurugger

Looking to get more into gravel riding (lots of rough gravel roads around me), and want to pick up a bike. I have spinal injuries that prevent me from using drop bars, but I don't want to go with full-on MTB either.
Options for gravel bikes with flat bars are limited, but I was wondering if anyone here has advice on Sirrus X vs Diverge Evo from Specialized. I see that the geometry is different, but both should work for me (my current bike is in between these two as far as stack & reach go). Hard to tell which is better component-wise.

Any recommendations?

HybridinMI

I just test rode these two bikes this week at the LBS. Sirrus x 4.0 and Diverge Comp E5 EVO. Both Large. FWIW, I am not an expert - just someone looking to get back into biking for fitness.

My impressions:

• The Diverge rode much better (talking comfort) than the Sirrus (both had AL frames and future shock). I attribute this to the wider tires on the EVO (45 vs. 38).
• The Sirrus rolled easier. See tire comment above.
• I felt too stretched out on the EVO. Would need a shorter stem if I went that way.
• The shift feel on the EVO was much better than the Sirrus. This is expected since the direct comparison of the EVO based on price point would have been to the Sirrus X 5.0. When I asked the sales person if the Sirrus X 5.0 shift quality would be similar to the EVO, they replied 'yes' (they didn't have a 5.0 to test ride). Not a very thorough answer to your question, but my opinion is that component 'quality' will be commensurate with pricing for Specialized. The EVO uses SRAM and the Sirrus Shimano.

My advice is to test ride both. I have been researching gravel capable upright flat bar bikes for 3-4 weeks now and all of that flew out the window after spending 10 minutes on each bike.

FWIW, I'll most likely end up on a Sirrus X 5.0 pending a test ride to confirm that the ride improves enough for me to notice on a carbon frame.

Good luck!

rurugger

Thanks for the detailed thoughts! Unfortunately I can't find either bike locally to test out.

And Marin just announced their own flat-bar gravel bike, the DSX, today. Much cheaper, but without FutureShock, and lower grade components, but bigger tire clearance, and option for bigger dropper post. Also appealing!

HybridinMI

Cool, thanks for the heads up on the Marin. Looks like a direct competitor (albeit at a lower price point) to the Diverge EVO.

dwmckee

If the FutureShock appeals to you because of your back then I suggest you also consider some bikes without the FutureShock and adding a Lauf suspension fork to it instead. Lauf puts the suspension between the wheel and the frame where it is most effective while the FutureShock still allows all of the road hits to transmit directly to the frame and just puts the bungee between the handlebars in the frame. Just about every highly effective vehicle suspension system (except Specialized) puts the suspension as close to the wheel as possible to dampen most effectively before vibrations hit the main support members of the vehicle. The Lauf fork adds very little weight, has no moving parts, requires no maintenance and has over an inch of fast-acting travel.

rurugger

My back is ok without suspension. I'm currently ripping around trails on my commuter bike (GT Traffic) that I put knobby tires on and the body part that gets beat up the most is my wrists. The limitation is that I can't bend forward at the lower back, and can't tilt my neck back/up. So basically a beach cruiser riding position.
I only like the Future Shock because the reviews are good, but probably can do without, especially if the tires are wide and low pressure.

Any thoughts on whether the Deore components are good enough, or are Deore XT significantly better?

dwmckee

Both Deore groups are great! Durable and smooth shifting, tune reliably and quickly, Stay in tune. I'd happily ride Deore across the US and back... Well proven on countless touring, mountain, commuter and hybrid bikes and now appearing on some gravel bikes lately too.

scutchin

I owned a Sirrus (carbon), sold it and got a Diverge (sport carbon.) For shorter rides I think the Sirrus was fine, although once I started to get faster and go farther, especially on the street, the Sirrus had its limits and it was time to move on to the Diverge.

Myster_G

To specify - Did you own the flat bar versions of the Sirrus and Diverge? I'm upgrading from my Giant Roam before next season and am currently wavering between the Sirrus x 4.0 and the Diverge Comp E5 Evo. My priorities are comfortable riding position and ability to do longer road rides combined with moderate off road capability. Any input from anyone is welcome.

scutchin

I had the flat bar Sirrus and road bar Diverge. The Sirrus was pretty much sidewalks and paved paths, with the Diverge I moved on to much longer road rides but still was able to do some pretty impressive offroad riding (hard dirt and rock hiking trails, water crossings, etc.)

The Diverge tires were much larger, I think 44, so better in dirt.

macribas

Going through the same dilemma. the LBS has both the Sirrus X 4.0 and the Diverge Evo. But they don't let us test ride them.
I currently own a Trek Checkpoint gravel bike and a really nice full suspension mountain bike. I started to look for something in the middle, that I can use for leisure rides with the family and urban commute (if that happens again).
But then as I started researching it, I came across the idea of a better bike that could do that and what the Checkpoint does for me as well. I like the Checkpoint but I don't like riding it in traffic or slowly in paved trails where the occasional stroller or runner with headphones might cause me to have to maneuver and break quickly. Too stressful, I've had a couple of accidents already. And I won't use it in single track as the full sus has spoiled me.
My requirements are flat bar, 1x drivetrain and clearance for at least 40mm tires, both the Diverge Evo and the Sirrus X have that. My question is which one of the two will be better for road riding. Some of my longer utility runs are exclusively on pavement. I ride almost every day, but I don't usually go far, my longest ride this year was less than 30 miles. I'm not planning to ride single track with it, maybe the occasional fire road in the middle of a commute.
I have the Diverge Evo on hold. Comparing the geometry with the Sirrus X, it feels like the Evo would allow a more aerodynamic position for the longer rides. But it has been advertised as a single track machine, comes with knobby tires, and lots of comments saying this is just a hardtail MTB.
What do you think?

MrWasabi

Great thread and I'm in the same position as rurugger with my lower back and tilting my head up/back. I just found the Diverge Expert/Comp E5 EVO on their site and have been looking at Sirrius options for a while. On paper, I'm leaning towards the Diverge. One thing I've noticed while looking at gravel bikes overall is their cost. I understand they may have better materials/components but I'm probably only looking at dropping $2k max on a bike. Can I drop more on a bike? Yeah but I want to make sure I'll be using it more and comfortable with it.

rurugger

FWIW, I still haven't bought a bike (nothing is in stock locally or online, and I don't have time to call and check every day), but I'm strongly leaning towards the Marin DSX 2 - much lower price, but still quality components, and room for bigger tires.

Moisture

The diverge is a fantastic bike but the reach measurement is a bit too long for what I prefer. It would likely work just fine for you though.

Like you said, options are limited with flat bar grabel bikes. Tje Sirius is not a grabel bike by the way. You might be best off buying the perfect drop bar bike for your needs and converting it to flat bar yourself. Maybe go used
.

macribas

So I ended up getting the Diverge Evo for Christmas. I really like it, but I put narrower tires on it, as I don't plan to ride singletrack. In an ideal world I'd have 5 bikes: pavement, gravel, hardtail, full sus and cruiser. But I'm trying to reduce it to two. So the Diverge will be the everything bike, except the MTB trails. I put the Trek for sale but it is not moving... If that doesn't sell I won't be mad, but my wife will.
For my use case I think I could go with either the Sirrus X or the Diverge Evo. The Evo was readily available and I liked the longer reach. I did add a couple of spacers and a steeper stem and it gave me a very comfortable ride.
The only thing I don't like about it is the super low bottom bracket. I've "shaved" my pedals on the ground a few times already. With such a low BB, it cannot be the singletrack machine they advertise.

Myster_G

To update: Decided on a Trek Checkpoint ALR 4 and have put 3000 km on it since receiving it in March. Very happy with my choice!

rurugger

To share my own update, I'm loving the Marin DSX 1. DSX2 would've been a little nicer, but none were in stock.
After 600 miles I swapped the WTB Riddlers (which were technically non-tubeless-compatible, but I ran them tubeless) for 2.1" Vittoria Terreno G2.0 XCR, and loving them. When on pavement I pump up to 55psi and they feel super smooth. On dirt, I drop the pressure to ~28psi and the traction is good in the Nor Cal summer dust-on-packed conditions. The volume adds a lot of cushion, feels really smooth, and with a BrandX dropper I can do most of the Marin trails on this.
The freehub is pretty loose/loud, so that's a bit annoying, and presumably DSX2 wouldn't have that problem.

revcp 

What do you mean by "full on mountain bike"? Do you mean hardtail with front suspension? I did a weeklong gravel tour a few weeks ago on my fully rigid '08 Salsa El Mariachi. OX Platinum frame and fork (and a installed rivnuts into the fork to allow me to attach anything cages), Spank wheelset I built up, 2.5" Vittoria Mezcal tires, XT drivetrain and brakes that I upgraded to. It was as fast as the carbon Diverge that a friend was riding. So, there's a difference perhaps between "full on mountain bike" and something like the El Mar, which I would call more of a "trail bike."