Specialized Diverge STR

[TyronLab]

19 minutes ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

i think you said it - why would you do that when a cheap MTB hardtail is faster. Gravel is the new fatbike. All they are is marketing to get you to buy another type of bike and accessories to go with it. If you look at it we started with road bikes. then road and MTB. then Hardtail and Dual suspension. Then we went to Fatbikes. Now we are in gravel. So if you have a full set of these you can look out the door in rain and shine, ski resorts and beaches and pick a bike from your quiver which is "ideal" and then get dressed in the appropriate kit. +Baggies for DH MTB. Lycra for XC and Road. Get the right shoes, water bottles, Camelbaks etc. and go ride....

All marketing...

 

*Friday mode, ENGAGED!*

If you think your statement and mine are in line then I must have misworded my post. I've bought and sold my last four bikes narrowing down which one bike is going to be my quiver killer. I love having one bike that maximizes fun for all of the riding I do, which is split between quick roadie group rides, techy MTB trails and ultra-distance gravel / off road rides.

I think gravel bikes are the exact opposite of a fatbike. Fat bikes are made with a very specific niche in mind - riding through snow or sand. Unless you live somewhere it's particularly sandy or cold they suck a lot of the time. Gravel bikes, for temperate climates and mostly sedate trails like we have in JHB, are an awesome compromise / quiver killer. They're still fun to ride on the road, they're crazy fun off road if you aren't fussed about speed, they're low maintenance (no suspension) and pretty robust due to a lot of MTB components being used.

As an aside, I love how pissy everyone gets whenever a new gravel / ebike release pops up. Sure, critique the subjective bits like it's a funny colour or that horrible stem on that Bianchi. But as an actual product? Nobody is forcing anybody to buy this thing, they just made it. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

[DieselnDust]

7 hours ago, splat said:

https://bikerumor.com/wild-new-specialized-diverge-suspends-the-rider-with-fully-damped-rear-future-shock/

https://cyclingtips.com/2022/10/2023-specialized-diverge-str-review/

Interesting (but not new) concept. Niner MCR among others.
I can help but feel that if you need dual suspension, perhaps you are on the wrong bike...

Your feeling on the bike may or may not be affected when you hit the end of the article and see the pricing.

 

I'm not even going to read it and thereby justify its existence.

 

What it looks like is well, only a mother could love it. Its parenthood lies somewhere between a threesome  involving a SLingshot, Trek Supercaliber and a Rondo.

The seat post doesn;t really do much a Cane Creek Thudbuster can't but it will lighten yor wallet and give you that "out of my way Peasant" dirt road cred. Make sure you're well stocked on the latest line of Merino Cycling gear from your favourite Chamois Creme provider (Ill bet anyone buying one is going to need lots of that too)

Edited October 21, 2022 by DieselnDust

[Paul Ruinaard]

1 hour ago, TyronLab said:

*Friday mode, ENGAGED!*

If you think your statement and mine are in line then I must have misworded my post. I've bought and sold my last four bikes narrowing down which one bike is going to be my quiver killer. I love having one bike that maximizes fun for all of the riding I do, which is split between quick roadie group rides, techy MTB trails and ultra-distance gravel / off road rides.

I think gravel bikes are the exact opposite of a fatbike. Fat bikes are made with a very specific niche in mind - riding through snow or sand. Unless you live somewhere it's particularly sandy or cold they suck a lot of the time. Gravel bikes, for temperate climates and mostly sedate trails like we have in JHB, are an awesome compromise / quiver killer. They're still fun to ride on the road, they're crazy fun off road if you aren't fussed about speed, they're low maintenance (no suspension) and pretty robust due to a lot of MTB components being used.

As an aside, I love how pissy everyone gets whenever a new gravel / ebike release pops up. Sure, critique the subjective bits like it's a funny colour or that horrible stem on that Bianchi. But as an actual product? Nobody is forcing anybody to buy this thing, they just made it. If you don't like it, don't buy it.

Ha ha yep I get it except anything that bridges a category IMNSHO is a compromise so it does nothing like a specialty bike does. Hit some stutter bumps at speed on an unsuspended gravel bike and see how long you can hold on for. Gravel bikes work on smooth gravel but our roads are soft sand and stutter bumps. FWIW I built and sold a CX bike, have a gravel bike on the trainer as the dual suspension is so much better on any dirt road. The best bike I have right now is an ebike. The MTB rides here are so steep on the way up there’s no way my old overweight IDG is going up the climbs without assistance. And you can then add a huge fork and sticky rubber and you are not worried about rolling resistance.

 

as you can see I am not in tO minimalism and believe in comfort. Gravel bikes are neither fish nor fowl and will die like fat bikes did. Just look at the bike that won the gravel world championship. It was a dual ring road bike. 

 

 

[Jewbacca]

2 hours ago, Paul Ruinaard said:

Ha ha yep I get it except anything that bridges a category IMNSHO is a compromise so it does nothing like a specialty bike does. Hit some stutter bumps at speed on an unsuspended gravel bike and see how long you can hold on for. Gravel bikes work on smooth gravel but our roads are soft sand and stutter bumps. FWIW I built and sold a CX bike, have a gravel bike on the trainer as the dual suspension is so much better on any dirt road. The best bike I have right now is an ebike. The MTB rides here are so steep on the way up there’s no way my old overweight IDG is going up the climbs without assistance. And you can then add a huge fork and sticky rubber and you are not worried about rolling resistance.

 

as you can see I am not in tO minimalism and believe in comfort. Gravel bikes are neither fish nor fowl and will die like fat bikes did. Just look at the bike that won the gravel world championship. It was a dual ring road bike. 

 

 

I think it's widely known that gravel world champs and the bikes ridden do not represent 99% of gravel riders and the races they do.

At this part of YOUR bike journey you have what is optimal TO YOU. This doesn't rubbish anything and everything else.

You might move to a place with mixed surface roadways and beautiful passes and change your views. After making statements like this you would look pretty silly buying a gravel bike down the line despite it maybe being the perfect weapon for your new circumstances. 

Gravel bikes are here to stay. IMHO we will see an ever bigger global boom around gravel tour races and 100/200 milers. 

Anyway, I was thinking of riding my gravel bike tomorrow and really enjoy doing it. 

 

['Dale]

Hehehe 

[Furbz]

At the risk of catching huge flak - I think this bike would be better named the “she/him”or the “non-binery” or maybe the “transgender”.

its very confused - but each to their own.

if it’s happy leave it be - wait. She/him? Shim? 
now I’m confused.

you get the picture

Edited October 23, 2022 by Furbz

[PygaSchmyga]

this bike certainly has the tongues wagging, so well done to Spez - they are good at that.  for me, I think its fugly

[Wayne pudding Mol]

I love gravel bikes, ugly ones, confused ones, racy ones even spez ones 

the niner made me send them an enquiry to which they never responded thankfully

I have yet to see one I prefer to my curve and this one definitely ain’t it - I should see a few around soon as I live in S country. 
 

Good luck to them, creating a need where there isn’t or maybe is one 

Edited October 24, 2022 by Wayne pudding Mol
Grammar

[eala]

6 minutes ago, Wayne pudding Mol said:

I love gravel bikes, ugly ones, confused ones, racy ones even spez ones 

the niner made me send them an enquiry to which they never responded thankfully

I have yet to see one I prefer to my curve and this one definitely ain’t it - I should see a few around soon as I live in S country. 
 

Good luck to them, creating a need where there isn’t or maybe is one 

It is new .It is expensive .I have room for another bike.Where do i pay !

[Furbz]

1 hour ago, eala said:

It is new .It is expensive .I have room for another bike.Where do i pay !

can i interest you in a Aeroadmountgravcx bike?

[Paul Ruinaard]

17 hours ago, Furbz said:

At the risk of catching huge flak - I think this bike would be better named the “she/him”or the “non-binery” or maybe the “transgender”.

its very confused - but each to their own.

if it’s happy leave it be - wait. She/him? Shim? 
now I’m confused.

you get the picture

More like Specialized's janitor left the keys to the store room open and overnight the big strong dual sus Stumpy boy slipped a portion to that Svelte Roubaix honey he had been eyeing for some time which resulted in a Zebra/Donkey love child. Specialized as the parents love it anyway as they do all their kids but it does need to go to a school for special needs and have some therapy ....

[SwissVan]

On 10/21/2022 at 6:58 PM, Jewbacca said:

 

Gravel bikes are here to stay. IMHO we will see an ever bigger global boom around gravel tour races and 100/200 milers. 
 

pardon the snip

 

 

S’true but I have to wonder why it took the marketing department so long to come out with gravel bikes.

I mean gravel roads and other similar roadie none technical riding have been around ever since boetie built the bloedrivier monument near Dundee.

The big boom will most likely be gravel e bikes  🙄 heaven’s knows why, but that’s the way of the scheeple world 🤟

 

Edited October 24, 2022 by SwissVan

[eala]

On 10/24/2022 at 7:59 AM, Furbz said:

can i interest you in a Aeroadmountgravcx bike?

Already have one thanks 

[Pieterlab1]

Just spotted this beauty at Complete Cyclist Bryanston.

R135k.

 

[DieselnDust]

29 minutes ago, Pieterlab1 said:

Just spotted this beauty at Complete Cyclist Bryanston.

R135k.

 

used the "sad" emoji because the vomit one isn't available

[Headshot]

R135k and all it can do is go down a gravel road under human power. Makes an EBike look cheap. Or a motorbike. 

Everytime I see a gravel bike on my local I wonder if it was him who came and smashed rocks to pieces to make the only rock garden on that section easier to navigate on drop bars....