Specialised Diverge STR Gravel Bike Evaluate

The Specialised Diverge STR gravel bikes use a seat tube insert as a spring for the rear suspension, and all the entrance cockpit strikes vertically to damp entrance wheel journey. That is in contrast to some other full-suspension system on any bicycle.

Once I unboxed the Specialised Diverge STR Professional for this evaluation, all I might suppose was, “That is so bizarre.” I’m very accustomed to seeing and feeling out suspension, each on bicycles and bikes.

However the Droop The Rider (STR) suspension system throws out conference. And as a lot as I applaud breaking from the established order, I wasn’t satisfied the unusual suspension methodology would ship a experience that felt something close to “regular.”

First, neither of the wheels is suspended, which instantly appeared unusual. The rear suspension entails a seat tube insert appearing as a spring and a pull shock within the prime tube, damping ahead and rearward seat put up journey. Yep, bizarre.

The entrance suspension entails the stem and handlebars shifting vertically, damped by a cartridge inside the top tube. Once more, it appeared so unusual. I couldn’t think about the bike feeling something like some other totally suspended bike or motorbike I’d ever ridden.

I examined the Specialised Diverge STR Professional for six months, driving round my house within the woods of Wimberley, Texas. A lot of the terrain was hardpack caliche base with a topcoat of talcum mud and affected by limestone rocks starting from pebbles to softball measurement. Loads of sq. edges disguise within the mud, in addition to deep sand alongside drainages. Lastly, quite a few dry creekbed crossings on the backside of hills require warning.

In brief: The entrance and rear Future Shock on the Specialised Diverge STR Professional improved management and luxury dramatically when gravel driving bordered on mountain biking. There isn’t a denying that the suspension system works properly. However there may be additionally no avoiding the unusual preliminary feeling of the suspension motion. The Future Shock system is an acquired style that pays enormous dividends if “tremendous chunk” will get you excited.

Specialised Diverge STR Specs

The Diverge STR blends SRAM lower-tier elements and second-tier body materials to supply a motorbike that prices virtually half as a lot (MSRP $6,700, on sale on the time of writing for $5,000) because the top-of-the-line S-Works Diverge STR (MSRP $12,500).

Specialised molds its Diverge STR Professional body with proprietary Diverge FACT 11r carbon. It has inner storage within the downtube and a threaded backside bracket. The entrance and rear Future Shock suspension elements stay inside the body, and all cable routing is semi-internal. The Diverge STR body is barely appropriate with 1x drivetrains.

There are three water bottle cage mounts, entrance fork rack mounts, entrance fender mounts, and a prime tube bag mount. The body will clear 45c tires.

The drivetrain is a “mullet” configuration utilizing SRAM wi-fi highway and mountain bike elements. The 1x Rival 40t Huge crankset and SRAM DUB BSA backside bracket be a part of a GX Eagle AXS rear derailleur. A 12-speed NX Eagle 11-50t cassette and Rival eTap AXS brake-shift levers full the drivetrain.

Roval Terra C carbon wheels spin on DT 370 hubs and DT Swiss Comp race spokes. Specialised Tracer Professional tubeless tires in 42c present grip. SRAM Rival eTAP AXS hydraulic items deal with braking duties.

Specialised rounds out the Diverge STR Professional construct with its cockpit elements. Curiously, Specialised contains an S-Works carbon seat put up as an alternative of the extra versatile Roval Terra put up.

My 56cm take a look at pattern weighed a verified 21.8 kilos with out bottle cages or pedals.

Specialised Diverge STR Suspension Defined

Specialised aptly named this bike; STR stands for “droop the rider,” and that’s precisely what the design does, as an alternative of spending the wheels.

As an alternative of damping vertical wheel journey, the bike damps vertical rider journey. This can be a distinct line within the sand, and evaluating “customary” suspension to STR suspension is futile. They really feel utterly totally different, and every has benefits and downsides.

I’ll state straight away that the obtrusive drawback I felt on the Diverge STR was merely that it was an unfamiliar feeling, and it took me fairly a while to adapt. When the bike suspends the wheels, I shortly study to foretell how the bike will “bounce.”

With the Specialised Diverge STR, the bike didn’t “bounce.” I did. The response of the bike to the terrain was onerous for me to foretell and initially appeared like a mismatch to what I felt. I didn’t really feel snug bombing issues at full velocity for a month.

However STR has benefits, and lots of of them weren’t apparent till I had grown accustomed to the system. One benefit is that rear suspension journey doesn’t in any respect have an effect on pedaling effectivity. The rear triangle is stable, identical to on an unsuspended gravel bike.

So, there is no such thing as a lack of vitality as a result of suspension motion consuming up chain rigidity. Specialised first developed Future Shock to be used in WorldTour highway racing, the place drivetrain effectivity is essential.

One other benefit is because the wheels are held rigidly within the body, chassis geometry doesn’t change as a result of suspension journey. With “customary” suspension, compressing or extending forks and shocks adjustments head angles, seat tube angles, and all the pieces else that revolves round these parameters.

Moreover, the fork is stable, so there isn’t practically the potential for entrance axle twisting and different motion that may negatively have an effect on dealing with.

Lastly, in comparison with customary forks and shocks, the STR system’s upkeep necessities are a lot decrease. It helps that each damping items are housed inside the body, shielded from grime, mud, and the weather.

Future Shock Nuts and Bolts

The entrance Future Shock supplies 20mm of hydraulically damped vertical journey of the stem and handlebar. A knob on prime adjusts compression damping, and it has a full lock setting.

The rear Future Shock delivers 30mm of journey in a downward arc, reverse of the arc the rear axle would journey on a “customary” rear suspension setup. It has an exterior lever that units it in a totally locked, medium, and comfortable compression setting. A screw beneath the highest tube adjusts the rebound.

It’s not too onerous to visualise how the spring and oil-damped entrance Future Shock absorbs hits, given its less complicated vertical journey path and apparent damper placement. What’s tougher to see is how the rear Future Shock permits the seat to maneuver down and again.

The body’s seat tube has a “framepost” inside, which anchors simply above the underside bracket. This body put up is generally fiberglass and carbon and basically turns into an extension of the particular seat put up.

It might probably flex freely contained in the body’s seat put up, and the hydraulic Future Shock inside the highest tube controls this motion. A metallic “tendon” attaches the body put up to the damper.

Specialised contains two totally different body posts with every bike, every of which may flip 90 levels to ship a distinct spring fee. So, every bike has 4 totally different rear Future Shock spring charges, and there are 9 totally different frameposts out there. Though swapping body posts is a major enterprise, I applaud Specialised for accommodating rider weights between 100 and 270 kilos.

The Specialised Diverge STR Professional on Gravel

All of the “Droop The Rider” (STR) discuss and advertising and marketing seemed spectacular. However I used to be squarely within the consolation zone of “customary” suspension from a long time of driving mountain bikes and bikes. It was going to take quite a bit for me to belief how the bike would react to the bike suspending my physique as an alternative of the wheels.

Preliminary Impressions of Future Shock

My first few rides aboard the Diverge STR left me with combined emotions. The entrance Future Shock wasn’t too onerous to get used to since I had tried suspension stems. I most well-liked the Future Shock’s linear journey path of the bars as an alternative of the arc that the elastomer-damped stems present, because it left the angle of the brake hoods and my wrists constant.

It had rather more journey, too, nevertheless it solely took me a number of rides to adapt. I felt it labored one of the best after I left the damping large open more often than not.

The rear Future Shock gave me matches at first. As quickly as I acquired on and weighted the saddle, it sagged below my physique weight sufficient that I finished and slid the saddle ahead a bit to keep up the fore-aft place that felt biomechanically right.

Then, whereas climbing seated, the saddle moved greater than I might tolerate within the wide-open setting. I did open up the rebound a bit, however I didn’t mess with altering frameposts, as I had restricted time with the bike. I ended up leaving it within the center setting more often than not.

The rear Future Shock bobbed when grinding up climbs whereas seated, and the upper the gear and the extra torque I produced, the extra pronounced this grew to become. As soon as I acquired used to the feeling, I didn’t really feel prefer it negatively affected my efficiency. It, together with the entrance Future Shock, positively helped me preserve my pedaling rhythm, cadence, and ahead momentum when the terrain was rocky and ledgy.

I additionally needed to remind myself that the rear suspension system didn’t profit me if I used to be standing on the pedals. It took some retraining to remain seated when descending washboard sections. However after I lastly broke the standing behavior aboard the Diverge STR, the bike rewarded me with the flexibility to pedal whereas seated with unimaginable consolation.

The entrance and rear STR techniques actually shined after I pedaled excessive gears below excessive torque to get throughout lengthy sections of tough terrain at velocity. I might keep aero, slide again on the saddle, and actually energy by with a lot better rhythm and constant energy than on an unsuspended bike.

And sq. edges that usually irritated my reconstructed left wrist didn’t trouble me in any respect. This was an enormous advantage of the STR system for me particularly.

Lastly, on lengthy days within the saddle, whatever the measurement of the bumps, the Specialised Diverge STR completely delayed fatigue in each my arms and bottom. It was actually noticeable after I rode longer days again to again with a inflexible gravel bike. The distinction in consolation after some fatigue set in was astounding.

Body Geometry

Though the Specialised Diverge STR’s geometry initially didn’t enchantment to me, it will definitely felt acceptable for what I thought-about the bike’s more than likely use instances.

The stack on the Diverge STR instantly felt excessive to me at 609mm for the 56cm tester. For comparability, my “day by day driver” gravel bike is a Ventum GS1, which, for the comparable measurement, has a stack of 570mm, a substantial distinction.

The stem on the Diverge STR could be lowered, nevertheless it’s a way more concerned course of than with a inflexible entrance finish and requires proprietary components. But it surely nonetheless wouldn’t have gotten near the peak of the practically slammed stem on the GS1.

The Diverge STR’s wheelbase can also be considerably longer, and the underside bracket is way decrease. These mixed to offer the bike a extra secure feeling at velocity in tough sections, however additionally they made the steering really feel sluggish at instances.

Nonetheless, the taller stack and extra secure chassis, together with the suspension, made the bike extra appropriate for rougher, extra adventurous terrain than what I often experience. In these situations, the Specialised Diverge STR’s suspension, cockpit, and chassis traits made it superior.

Part Efficiency

Specialised presents 4 tiers of Diverge STR fashions. The S-Works stands atop, whereas the examined Diverge STR Professional is the second up the chain. To attain a value that’s virtually half of the S-Works model, Specialised outfits the Professional mannequin with lower-tier elements.

The SRAM Rival eTap AXS drivetrain with Eagle GX AXS derailleur and Eagle cassette didn’t disappoint, although. It shifted reliably and easily, and the mountain bike cassette with decrease gearing offered a bail-out gear I needed I had on my RED-equipped bike.

The distinction in general shifting efficiency between the Rival and RED drivetrains was marginal, so I felt like this was a good way to decrease the worth of the Diverge STR.

The braking was fantastic as properly. As soon as the discs have been bedded in, the preliminary chew, progressiveness, and energy have been all predictable and acceptable for gravel. In comparison with RED, the preliminary chew wasn’t as “crisp,” and the progressiveness wasn’t as steep. The whole energy was additionally down, however the Rival brakes delivered greater than sufficient.

The RED levers, nevertheless, required a lot much less power from my fingers, and I might brake as onerous as I wished with a single finger whereas on the hoods. This one-finger braking wasn’t doable for me on the Rival setup.

The Roval Terra C wheels dealt with all the pieces properly and have been laser-straight on the finish of the testing interval. The 42c Specialised Tracer Professional tires have all the time been amongst my favorites for the hardpack in my hood.

Conclusions on the Specialised Diverge STR Professional

I can’t deny that the Specialised Diverge STR Professional is heavier and prices greater than comparable gravel bikes. Nonetheless, the STR suspension offered enormous advantages when crossing rowdier terrain. It added consolation, management, and delayed fatigue. However most significantly, it added enjoyable and delight when the trail began trying like mountain bike territory.

The Droop The Rider methodology was fascinating, and it did present advantages not inside the attain of “customary” suspension techniques. Essentially the most notable to me was the disconnection from pedaling forces, which stored effectivity intact.

If you’re like me and have ridden customary suspension techniques for many years, the swap would possibly take a little bit of time. However it can reward you with a clean and environment friendly experience that’s past comparability to inflexible and even “semi-suspended” gravel bikes which have a suspension stem and/or seat posts.

Lastly, the bike is about up for gravel and journey driving flexibility. The one mounts it’s lacking are rear fender mounts. Though Specialised touts it as a “efficiency and aggressive gravel driving” machine, I felt like it could be the last word journey driving and bikepacking rig.