While the fun may begin where the road ends, you still need a bike that'll get you there—one bike that shreds singletrack and crushes through road miles with equal expertise. Sure, some have tried to make their 'cross bikes more "road-capable" (whatever that means), and others have made their road bikes more "adventure-ready," but we created one bike that makes no compromises between the two. The S-Works Diverge redefines the possibilities for adventure on a drop-bar-bike.
With a completely redesigned frame, the new Diverge is more capable than ever. And with the constant goal to best meet your needs, we took your number one request into account—tire clearance. The new frame will comfortably fit up to 700x42mm tires with plenty of room for mud, too. Along with tire clearance, weight was a large factor in the development, and taking some design cues from the development of the Roubaix, we developed a sub 900-gram FACT 11r carbon frame that's one of the lightest in the category. Actually, it's pretty damn light, even if your intent was more Polka Dot Jersey than hunter's plaid flannel.
Next up, we moved away from a traditional 'cross geometry, instead opting for something that hasn't been seen before—Open Road Geometry. We know what you're thinking, "it's just another marketing term," but for the Diverge, we truly did develop an entirely new geometry. With a touch less hyperbole, you can think of it as a road version of modern trail bike geometry. It provides playful handling and predictable steering for endless dirt skids and mid-corner drifts. The geo features a bottom bracket that's over a half-centimeter lower than the previous Diverge, a slacked-out head tube angle, short chainstays, and a short wheelbase. These changes make for a bike that's not only fun in the dirt, but also performs well on the road.
And while riding gravel and dirt roads on a road bike may add to the adventure, there's only so much that wider tires with lower pressures can absorb, in terms of bumps. With this in mind, we implemented a new version of our Future Shock into the Diverge design. It not only soaks up bumps with ease, but also adds the benefit of extremely predictable handling. That's because the wheelbase isn't lengthening when you hit a bump, so the front end of the Diverge keeps the same effective head tube angle. In other words, when you dive hard into a turn, you won't be surprised by under steer or sloppy handling. Unlike the original Future Shock, the Diverge's version features a progressive spring that makes this technology more suitable for off-road applications, where stiffer suspension is often needed to soak-up larger bumps and obstacles.
To add to its multifaceted talents, we topped it off with three water bottle mounts, mounts for racks and fenders, and our Road SWAT™ kit that fits a tube, CO2, CO2 head, valve extender, and money clip. So while it's one of the most smile-inducing bikes you'll ever ride, it's equally adept at commuting or even bikepacking.
For the S-Works Diverge, we handpicked the spec for the lightest, most unique build on an adventure bike. We left the shifting and braking up to Shimano, but did so in a non-traditional way. We paired an XTR Di2 derailleur with R785 Di2 shifters and hydraulic-disc brakes. We then added an Easton EC90 SL Carbon crankset, featherweight Roval CLX 32 Disc wheels, and topped it off with our carbon Command Post XCP that features 35mm of travel.
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