Specialized pushes the boundaries of gravel with its new Diverge 4

The name Diverge defines the adventure gravel and bikepacking within the Specialized range, an approach to this discipline that, as is customary at Specialized, represents a compendium of versatility and, of course, is not at all at odds with performance. A Diverge 4 that also surprises with its option of an aluminum frame in a bike that will not go unnoticed.

The new vehicle for your adventures is called Specialized Diverge 4

The new Specialized Diverge 4 arrives, a new generation of the versatile and adventurous gravel bike, in contrast to the Crux model, specific for competition and cyclocross. Specialized has sought to take the ingredients that have made this bike one of the most coveted models in the market further to make it more capable on all types of terrain, from asphalt to practically mountain bike trails.

Essential in this ability to deal with the most complicated terrain has always been the Future Shock suspension system integrated into the steerer tube. A Future Shock that in this new Specialized Diverge reaches its 3.0 version, providing 20 mm of cushioning travel pacified with a hydraulic cartridge that allows you to get the most out of that limited travel that makes a difference when the route gets tough.

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Not only the Future Shock 3.0 is on a mission to make this Specialized Diverge 4 more comfortable, and in the rear, the Californian brand relies on the design of its Roval Terra seatpost, which, weighing less than 200 g, allows for up to 18 mm of flex, in line with the displacement found in the front end.

Continuing the search for comfort, but also for performance, a key element is the tires which, as has been happening in other cycling disciplines, have also been increasing in size. This new Diverge 4 allows you to easily mount tires up to 700x50 and, depending on the tread and effective size, even pure MTB tires up to 29x2.2. Obviously, with such footwear, it is possible to venture into pure and tough mountain bike terrain knowing that the limit will be set by the rider's skills rather than the bike's capability.

Being able to accommodate these tire sizes not only requires accommodating the wheel arches but also makes it necessary to tweak the bike's geometry to prevent the desired behavior from being altered when mounting large tires. In this Specialized Diverge 4, the Morgan Hill brand has drawn inspiration from the knowledge gained over the years in its legendary mountain bikes by adding subtle but essential tweaks to make this Diverge 4 more capable.

The Specialized Diverge 4 grows a few millimeters in stack to give more space to the rider, which means that, for a certain size, a shorter stem must be used. Additionally, the steering is slightly more open, seeking more predictable and stable reactions. Stability is also sought by slightly lowering the bottom bracket height, which implies a lower center of gravity and is complemented by slightly longer chainstays, necessary to accommodate those wide tires and resulting in an increase in the total wheelbase length, which always translates into stability.

As a good adventure bike, the Specialized Diverge 4 is fully adapted for adventurous use, with multiple threaded inserts on the frame to attach accessories such as fenders, bottle cages, or bikepacking bags. Like in the previous Diverge, the obligatory storage system in the downtube of the frame is included in this new Diverge 4, under the name Swat 4.0, evolving to increase storage capacity and accessibility to the point of being able to accommodate even a small rain jacket in addition to tools.

Specialized has not only renewed its carbon Diverge but also presents the aluminum Diverge, built on an E5 aluminum frame and, like its sister, also includes a storage system in the downtube, the first aluminum gravel bike on the market to do so. A bike that, otherwise, has the same characteristics as the carbon model in terms of geometry and tire clearance in a gravel bike designed to enjoy this specialty in its broadest concept.