Specialized Diverge SRT arrives with new rear damper

Specialized renews its gravel bike by extending its Future Shock damping technology also to the rear wheel in order to expand the possibilities of its Diverge, transforming it into the most adventurous bike of the American brand.

Comfort and performance come together in the new Specialized Diverge SRT

More than 8 years ago, it became clear to Specialized that the way to improve the comfort and performance of its gran fondo bike was to suspend the rider and not the bike. They developed this concept by creating the Future Shock suspension system for their Roubaix model, the road machine to fight on the cobblestones of the eponymous classic.

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Thanks to a damping mechanism located under the stem, it effectively filtered out the unevenness of the terrain without compromising the direct sensations needed on a road bike. A concept that would soon be exported to the Diverge, the model created for the then incipient gravel discipline.

Over the years, Specialized has evolved the Future Shock concept to achieve better performance, either by calming the system with a hydraulic crank that can be adjusted from the stem or by calibrating it in such a way as to avoid the sensation of pumping when standing on the pedals.

Now, the Morgan Hill-based company has decided to go one step further and extend Future Shock absorption to the rear of the bike in the new generation of its Diverge, which adopts the name SRT, in order to make our gravel rides even more comfortable, which always results in less accumulated fatigue and, therefore, in the ability to go further or tackle more difficult terrain.

Improving the present

Providing shock absorption at the rear of the bike is not something Specialized is new to the market. In fact, its current Diverge already included the Roval Terra Carbon seatpost with its remarkable shock absorbing flex.

The problem with leaving the suspension solely in the hands of the carbon flex is that every impact means storing energy that is returned in the form of uncontrolled rebound. It was therefore necessary to turn the concept around to make it truly efficient.

On the new Specialized Diverge SRT, the seat tube and seat stays have been completely redesigned. The seat stays form a continuous assembly with the top tube, while the seat tube forms a semi-isolated block on which the Future Shock system is placed.

The most striking feature of the rear Future Shock is the arrangement of its small shock absorber, which is inserted into the top tube on one side, while at the other end it has a clamp that holds a carbon piece located as an extension of the seat tube and into which a conventional seatpost is inserted.

On one hand, the shock is adjustable, both in rebound and compression, the latter adjustment being easily accessible on the move by means of a small lever with which we can choose three positions ranging from fully active to almost blocking the movement.

On the other hand, the seat tube extension is the part that provides the necessary flex to the system to absorb impacts. Specialized has 9 different types of hardness depending on the carbon laminate of each one of them, which we can interchange to adapt them to our weight and riding style. In turn, each piece offers two positions, which we choose by turning the extension 90º so that we can adjust with total precision the behaviour of the rear Future Shock to our liking.

A system that offers 30mm of suspension travel following an arc path to prevent movement from affecting the pedalling gesture or altering our position on the bike. Meanwhile, the Future Shock 2.0 at the front remains unchanged from the current Diverge to continue to offer 20mm of absorption capacity.

No weight tolls

You might think that the addition of the rear Future Shock would be a noticeable weight gain for the Specialized Diverge SRT. However, the brand has done its homework when it comes to building the frame of this bike and its FACT 11r carbon frame is a remarkable 1050g, bringing the S-Works Diverge SRT in size 56 down to 8.5kg, just 100g more than the current Diverge.

A remarkable weight, especially if we take into account that Specialized has not renounced the SWAT storage system inside the diagonal tube, which allows us to comfortably and safely carry our tool kit and other items we may need.

In addition to the SWAT, the Diverge SRT has numerous fork and frame mounts for mudguards and front luggage carriers. However, when choosing bikepacking bags we must take into account the flexing movement of the seatpost, whether it's a frame bag that attaches to the seat tube or a seat bag whose weight will affect the behaviour of the rear Future Shock.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that Specialized has designed this frame to fit tyres up to 47 mm in the case of using 700 wheels or 2.1 mm if you opt for 650b wheels. The wide wheel arches further increase the comfort of this Diverge SRT and, therefore, its range of use.

Specialized Diverge STR: Set-ups and prices

S-Works Diverge STR

• Price: 15.000 €
• Frame: S-Works Diverge FACT 11r carbon
• Fork: Future Shock 2.0
• Groupset: SRAM Red eTap AXS. XX1 Eagle AXS rear derailleur.40 Chainring. XG-1295 Eagle 10-50 cassette
• Handlebar: Roval Terra, carbon
• Stem: S-Works Future Stem
• Handlebar tape: Supacaz Super Sticky Kush
• Saddle: Body Geometry S-Works Power W/Mirror
• Seatpost: S-Works Carbon
• Wheels: Roval Terra CLX
• Tyres: Specialized Tracer Pro 2BR, 700x42c

Diverge STR Pro

• Price: 9.500 €
• Frame: Diverge FACT 11r carbon
• Fork: Future Shock 2.0
• Groupset: SRAM Force eTap AXS. X01 Eagle AXS rear derailleur. 40 Chainring. XG-1275 Eagle 10-50 cassette
• Handlebar: Roval Terra, carbon
• Stem: Future Stem, Pro
• Handlebar tape: Supacaz Super Sticky Kush
• Saddle: Body Geometry Power Pro
• Seatpost: S-Works Carbon
• Wheels: Roval Terra CL
• Tyres: Specialized Tracer Pro 2BR, 700x42c

Diverge STR Expert

• Price: 7.500 €
• Frame: Diverge FACT 11r carbon
• Fork: Future Shock 2.0
• Groupset: SRAM Rival eTap AXS. GX Eagle rear derailleur. 40 Chainring. NX Eagle PG-1230 11-50 cassette
• Handlebar: Specialized Adventure Gear Hover
• Stem: Future Stem
• Handlebar tape: Supacaz Super Sticky Kush
• Saddle: Body Geometry Power Expert
• Seatpost: S-Works Carbon
• Wheels: Roval Terra C
• Tyres: Specialized Tracer Pro 2BR, 700x42

S-Works Diverge STR frame kit

• Price: 5.700 €
• Frame: S-Works Diverge FACT 11r carbon
• Fork: Future Shock 2.0
• Seatpost: S-Works Carbon