But you can’t have everything, and while some very high-end gravel racers manage to mix on-road speed with off-road versatility, the compromise with Diverge E5 is not a bad one at all. While the FutureShock does improve control on rocky descents, the comfort difference can be bridged with a bigger set of tyres.Īside from those tweaks, the Diverge does a solid job, despite being a little sluggish on the road. It adds a considerable premium compared to the 2019 alloy frame without the FutureShock and with a lower spec groupset costs £850. It’s also worth considering price point when it comes to the FutureShock. Given its off-road pretentions, and it’s all-weather resilience I’d probably also opt for wider tyres, run at a lower pressure. The FutureShock did a great job off-road, but perhaps I’d opt for a lower-stiffness spring for on-road use as it didn’t come close to bottoming out and offering its full travel. My lingering impression of the Diverge was that it provided a very robust bike with an impressive level of comfort. Nonetheless they were also positioned nicely for hard sprinting. The shallow drops were a nice resting spot for descents, sitting behind the tops a little and so meaning I could oddly sit in a more upright position while sat on them. Similarly, the handlebars offered a narrow and shallow setup which I found very comfortable. The long seatpost in the compact frame also makes for some extra flex and increased comfort in terms of vertical compliance. For long commuting miles or tiring days off road, I found it relieved a lot of pressure and generally left me comfortable throughout the ride. The women’s Body Geometry Myth Sport saddle is a pleasant addition. In terms of the female specificity of the bike, the geometry is identical to the men’s version and so the only discernible differences are the saddle and a set of smaller sizing options – plunging down as small as a 44cm frame. The Future Shock unit was also impressively self-sufficient. The mechanical disc brakes also saved me any hydraulic maintenance, even though the pure braking performance is not quite as impressive. The double BlackBelt protection on the Espoir tyres did a great job throughout the season, suffering only a single flat over three months. Despite giving it minimal maintenance, it stood by me throughout a winter of tough, rainy and occasionally snowy riding.Įyelets for full mudguards and panniers made it even more appealing for the hard rainy months. While it is a little sluggish compared to my lightweight rim brake racer, there’s no doubt that the Diverge is a fairly ideal winter slogger for road riding. Granted, I had a few moments when I found myself springing off in a competitive sprint from the lights when on a commute home, but on a bad day it did concede a huge amount to my regular road bike. With its bulky high puncture-protection tyres, heavy wheelset and bulky overall weight of 9.8kgs, this is not a hugely spritely road bike. I was happy to have the versatility to spec some wider tyres and spend the day on muddy bridleways yet also take my place on the Sunday club ride.Ĭlub rides were probably the best use for the bike, though. The general geometry and overall performance, though, suits all-terrain riding very well.
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