SPECIALIZED DIVERGE E5 SPORT £1000
The versatility
Whether it’s commuting, training or exploring, the Diverge will cope with almost everything. At 10kg and with big rubber it’s not super fast, but it is comfortable, slick on the road and takes 700x42mm or 650bx47mm tyres. Braking is okay without being inspiring, but the rest of the spec is very well chosen.
The gearing
With wide, grit- and gravel-friendly tyres (a healthy 32mm in practice), and adventurous off-tarmac aspirations, you’ll want a low bottom gear, and the stiff Praxis Alba 48/32 chainset and 11-32 cassette combination delivers. The 48x11 is a more than adequate top gear for descents and faster rides.
The ride
Our testing was a mix of road riding, moderate singletrack and canal towpath. The Diverge’s Open Road Geometry hit the sweetspot, and it was a real blast powering along on gravel. The wheelbase is stable, the ride slightly upright but the head-tube’s not that extreme and the frame angles aren’t that relaxed, so it’s a lively ride.
ONE THING WE’D CHANGE Where are the rack mounts?
This bike is part of Spesh’s ‘Adventure and Touring’ range and rack mounts would’ve been handy, but loads of bikepacking options are possible. We found the saddle overly firm on our first day’s test ride on tarmac, but riding on grit and gravel proved fine.