2018 Men's Diverge E5 Elite

Purchased this bike Stock and Brand New in April of 2019. "Braego" and I, yes I even named this bike, have ridin' for 1000s of km's since. I have since upgraded it's groupset and have alternate wheelset to it's original; 700x38 and 650bx47, but stock this bike went for 4 years strong and the parts still work wonderfully. This bike has done everything; bike-packing multiple day trips, endless single track, gravel, city couriering and keeps on going. Diverge 4 Life.

Recently purchased a Diverge E5 Elite, 58cm to broaden my experience and riding options as my ""roadie"" friends start to transition to the gravel riding scene. First thing of note, even though Specialized states this bike will fit up to 38 mm tires, that is in fact not 100% accurate. The Tiagra front derailleur large chain ring limit will interfere with any rear tire that exceeds 35 mm. The front on the other hand will fit 37/38 mm no problem. Understand, if you want to go bigger in the rear, your more than likely looking to swap out the Tiagra front derailleur for something that has a shorter throw, like maybe a centos microshift, or even maybe a paired up Shimano 105. That being said, don't shy away from this bike due to the tire size. Some might recommend you run a 38 mm in the front and a 35 mm in the rear, which is proven tire combo. My current set-up is married all around with 35 mm Schwalbe G1, and there VERY few instances where I felt a larger rear tire would of helped the situation. Our typical gravel rides, are more characteristic of single track mountain bike trails or gnarly, washed out fire roads, and this bike with the 35's handles them with ease. Overall I am very impressed with this bike, and am happy I made the purchase.

I got this bike because my old commuter bike was slowing me down out on the road: it was heavy and sluggish, especially up hills or into the wind. By comparison, the Diverge E5 Elite is fast, nimble and smooth. It's great on hills and the gear changes are sometimes so smooth that I barely notice them. The satin orange finish turns heads as well - this bike gets noticed! Basically, there's a lot of ""bang for your buck"" in this bike and I highly recommend it for those looking to get started with longer road rides.

I ride in Florida so I bought the Specialized brand fenders, put a rack and panniers on it and it makes a great commuter. Fast, comfortable and I stay dry in monsoon season.

This bike is stable and versatile. So far I have set numerous PRs on my local Strave road segments, recovered from spinning out while climbing some slippy climbs, survived potholes at speed, and ridden singletrack trails with some 40mm WTB Nano tires (they fit, but just barely). The geometry gives me confidence on every type of terrain and lets me focus on what's ahead and telling my legs to shut up. The bike is stable but still feels responsive. Admittedly low speed handling is not a strength since tight turns on rougher terrain are difficult and there's a lot of toe overlap with the front wheel when the cranks are parallel to the ground. Those are small concessions on a great feeling bike. One other point that I must call out is that the Espoir 30mm tires that come on this bike are fantastic feeling fast on the road and thriving on gravel and rough fire roads.