The Specialised Diverge STR gravel bikes use a seat tube insert as a spring for the rear suspension, and the whole entrance cockpit strikes vertically to damp entrance wheel journey. That is in contrast to another full-suspension system on any bicycle.
After I unboxed the Specialised Diverge STR Professional for this overview, all I may suppose was, “That is so bizarre.” I’m very accustomed to seeing and feeling out suspension, each on bicycles and bikes.
However the Droop The Rider (STR) suspension system throws out conference. And as a lot as I applaud breaking from the established order, I wasn’t satisfied the unusual suspension methodology would ship a trip that felt something close to “regular.”
First, neither of the wheels is suspended, which instantly appeared unusual. The rear suspension entails a seat tube insert appearing as a spring and a pull shock within the high tube, damping ahead and rearward seat submit journey. Yep, bizarre.
The entrance suspension entails the stem and handlebars transferring vertically, damped by a cartridge inside the pinnacle tube. Once more, it appeared so unusual. I couldn’t think about the bike feeling something like another absolutely suspended bike or bike I’d ever ridden.
I examined the Specialised Diverge STR Professional for six months, using round my dwelling within the woods of Wimberley, Texas. A lot of the terrain was hardpack caliche base with a topcoat of talcum mud and plagued by limestone rocks starting from pebbles to softball measurement. Loads of sq. edges disguise within the mud, in addition to deep sand alongside drainages. Lastly, quite a few dry creekbed crossings on the backside of hills require warning.
Briefly: The entrance and rear Future Shock on the Specialised Diverge STR Professional improved management and luxury dramatically when gravel using bordered on mountain biking. There is no such thing as a denying that the suspension system works effectively. However there may be additionally no avoiding the unusual preliminary feeling of the suspension motion. The Future Shock system is an acquired style that pays enormous dividends if “tremendous chunk” will get you excited.
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Body materials
Diverge FACT 11r carbon -
Weight
21.8 lbs., 56cm -
Tire clearance
700 x 45c -
Out there sizes
49, 52, 54, 56, 58, 61cm
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Droop The Rider suspension system improves consolation and management with out affecting pedaling effectivity or dealing with -
Element choice gives nice bang for the buck -
Bike is versatile; it may be raced and go bikepacking -
SWAT inner storage is important in quantity
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Heavier than comparable gravel bikes -
Costlier than comparable gravel bikes
Specialised Diverge STR Specs
The Diverge STR blends SRAM lower-tier parts and second-tier body materials to provide a motorcycle that prices virtually half as a lot (MSRP $6,700, on sale on the time of writing for $5,000) because the top-of-the-line S-Works Diverge STR (MSRP $12,500).
Specialised molds its Diverge STR Professional body with proprietary Diverge FACT 11r carbon. It has inner storage within the downtube and a threaded backside bracket. The entrance and rear Future Shock suspension parts dwell inside the body, and all cable routing is semi-internal. The Diverge STR body is simply appropriate with 1x drivetrains.
There are three water bottle cage mounts, entrance fork rack mounts, entrance fender mounts, and a high tube bag mount. The body will clear 45c tires.
The drivetrain is a “mullet” configuration utilizing SRAM wi-fi street and mountain bike parts. The 1x Rival 40t Broad crankset and SRAM DUB BSA backside bracket be a part of a GX Eagle AXS rear derailleur. A 12-speed NX Eagle 11-50t cassette and Rival eTap AXS brake-shift levers full the drivetrain.
Roval Terra C carbon wheels spin on DT 370 hubs and DT Swiss Comp race spokes. Specialised Tracer Professional tubeless tires in 42c present grip. SRAM Rival eTAP AXS hydraulic items deal with braking duties.
Specialised rounds out the Diverge STR Professional construct with its cockpit parts. Apparently, Specialised consists of an S-Works carbon seat submit as an alternative of the extra versatile Roval Terra submit.
My 56cm take a look at pattern weighed a verified 21.8 kilos with out bottle cages or pedals.
Specialised Diverge STR Suspension Defined
Specialised aptly named this bike; STR stands for “droop the rider,” and that’s precisely what the design does, as an alternative of spending the wheels.
As an alternative of damping vertical wheel journey, the bike damps vertical rider journey. It is a distinct line within the sand, and evaluating “commonplace” suspension to STR suspension is futile. They really feel utterly completely different, and every has benefits and downsides.
I’ll state straight away that the obtrusive drawback I felt on the Diverge STR was merely that it was an unfamiliar feeling, and it took me fairly a while to adapt. When the bike suspends the wheels, I rapidly study to foretell how the bike will “bounce.”
With the Specialised Diverge STR, the bike didn’t “bounce.” I did. The response of the bike to the terrain was laborious for me to foretell and initially appeared like a mismatch to what I felt. I didn’t really feel comfy bombing issues at full velocity for a month.
However STR has benefits, and plenty of of them weren’t apparent till I had grown accustomed to the system. One benefit is that rear suspension journey doesn’t in any respect have an effect on pedaling effectivity. The rear triangle is stable, similar to on an unsuspended gravel bike.
So, there isn’t any lack of power as a consequence of suspension motion consuming up chain stress. Specialised first developed Future Shock to be used in WorldTour street racing, the place drivetrain effectivity is essential.
One other benefit is because the wheels are held rigidly within the body, chassis geometry doesn’t change as a consequence of suspension journey. With “commonplace” suspension, compressing or extending forks and shocks adjustments head angles, seat tube angles, and all the things else that revolves round these parameters.
Moreover, the fork is stable, so there isn’t practically the potential for entrance axle twisting and different motion that may negatively have an effect on dealing with.
Lastly, in comparison with commonplace forks and shocks, the STR system’s upkeep necessities are a lot decrease. It helps that each damping items are housed inside the body, shielded from dust, mud, and the weather.
Future Shock Nuts and Bolts
The entrance Future Shock gives 20mm of hydraulically damped vertical journey of the stem and handlebar. A knob on high adjusts compression damping, and it has a full lock setting.
The rear Future Shock delivers 30mm of journey in a downward arc, reverse of the arc the rear axle would journey on a “commonplace” rear suspension setup. It has an exterior lever that units it in a totally locked, medium, and smooth compression setting. A screw beneath the highest tube adjusts the rebound.
It’s not too laborious to visualise how the spring and oil-damped entrance Future Shock absorbs hits, given its easier vertical journey path and apparent damper placement. What’s more durable to see is how the rear Future Shock permits the seat to maneuver down and again.
The body’s seat tube has a “framepost” inside, which anchors simply above the underside bracket. This body submit is generally fiberglass and carbon and primarily turns into an extension of the particular seat submit.
It might flex freely contained in the body’s seat submit, and the hydraulic Future Shock inside the highest tube controls this motion. A steel “tendon” attaches the body submit to the damper.
Specialised consists of two completely different body posts with every bike, every of which may flip 90 levels to ship a distinct spring charge. So, every bike has 4 completely different rear Future Shock spring charges, and there are 9 completely different frameposts accessible. Though swapping body posts is a major enterprise, I applaud Specialised for accommodating rider weights between 100 and 270 kilos.
The Specialised Diverge STR Professional on Gravel
All of the “Droop The Rider” (STR) speak and advertising regarded spectacular. However I used to be squarely within the consolation zone of “commonplace” suspension from many years of using mountain bikes and bikes. It was going to take lots for me to belief how the bike would react to the bike suspending my physique as an alternative of the wheels.
Preliminary Impressions of Future Shock
My first few rides aboard the Diverge STR left me with blended emotions. The entrance Future Shock wasn’t too laborious to get used to since I had tried suspension stems. I most popular the Future Shock’s linear journey path of the bars as an alternative of the arc that the elastomer-damped stems present, because it left the angle of the brake hoods and my wrists constant.
It had rather more journey, too, nevertheless it solely took me a couple of rides to adapt. I felt it labored the perfect after I left the damping vast open more often than not.
The rear Future Shock gave me suits at first. As quickly as I acquired on and weighted the saddle, it sagged beneath my physique weight sufficient that I finished and slid the saddle ahead a bit to take care of the fore-aft place that felt biomechanically appropriate.
Then, whereas climbing seated, the saddle moved greater than I may tolerate within the wide-open setting. I did open up the rebound a bit, however I didn’t mess with altering frameposts, as I had restricted time with the bike. I ended up leaving it within the center setting more often than not.
The rear Future Shock bobbed when grinding up climbs whereas seated, and the upper the gear and the extra torque I produced, the extra pronounced this turned. As soon as I acquired used to the feeling, I didn’t really feel prefer it negatively affected my efficiency. It, together with the entrance Future Shock, positively helped me preserve my pedaling rhythm, cadence, and ahead momentum when the terrain was rocky and ledgy.
I additionally needed to remind myself that the rear suspension system didn’t profit me if I used to be standing on the pedals. It took some retraining to remain seated when descending washboard sections. However after I lastly broke the standing behavior aboard the Diverge STR, the bike rewarded me with the flexibility to pedal whereas seated with unimaginable consolation.
The entrance and rear STR programs actually shined after I pedaled excessive gears beneath excessive torque to get throughout lengthy sections of tough terrain at velocity. I may keep aero, slide again on the saddle, and actually energy by with a lot better rhythm and constant energy than on an unsuspended bike.
And sq. edges that usually irritated my reconstructed left wrist didn’t trouble me in any respect. This was an enormous good thing about the STR system for me specifically.
Lastly, on lengthy days within the saddle, whatever the measurement of the bumps, the Specialised Diverge STR completely delayed fatigue in each my arms and bottom. It was actually noticeable after I rode longer days again to again with a inflexible gravel bike. The distinction in consolation after some fatigue set in was astounding.
Body Geometry
Though the Specialised Diverge STR’s geometry initially didn’t attraction to me, it will definitely felt acceptable for what I thought-about the bike’s most definitely use circumstances.
The stack on the Diverge STR instantly felt excessive to me at 609mm for the 56cm tester. For comparability, my “every day driver” gravel bike is a Ventum GS1, which, for the comparable measurement, has a stack of 570mm, a substantial distinction.
The stem on the Diverge STR could be lowered, nevertheless it’s a way more concerned course of than with a inflexible entrance finish and requires proprietary elements. Nevertheless it nonetheless wouldn’t have gotten near the peak of the practically slammed stem on the GS1.
The Diverge STR’s wheelbase can also be considerably longer, and the underside bracket is far decrease. These mixed to provide the bike a extra steady feeling at velocity in tough sections, however in addition they made the steering really feel sluggish at instances.
Nevertheless, the taller stack and extra steady chassis, together with the suspension, made the bike extra appropriate for rougher, extra adventurous terrain than what I normally trip. In these circumstances, the Specialised Diverge STR’s suspension, cockpit, and chassis traits made it superior.
Element Efficiency
Specialised presents 4 tiers of Diverge STR fashions. The S-Works stands atop, whereas the examined Diverge STR Professional is the second up the chain. To attain a worth that’s virtually half of the S-Works model, Specialised outfits the Professional mannequin with lower-tier parts.
The SRAM Rival eTap AXS drivetrain with Eagle GX AXS derailleur and Eagle cassette didn’t disappoint, although. It shifted reliably and easily, and the mountain bike cassette with decrease gearing offered a bail-out gear I wanted I had on my RED-equipped bike.
The distinction in general shifting efficiency between the Rival and RED drivetrains was marginal, so I felt like this was a good way to decrease the value of the Diverge STR.
The braking was superb as effectively. As soon as the discs had been bedded in, the preliminary chew, progressiveness, and energy had been all predictable and acceptable for gravel. In comparison with RED, the preliminary chew wasn’t as “crisp,” and the progressiveness wasn’t as steep. The whole energy was additionally down, however the Rival brakes delivered greater than sufficient.
The RED levers, nevertheless, required a lot much less pressure from my fingers, and I may brake as laborious as I needed with a single finger whereas on the hoods. This one-finger braking wasn’t doable for me on the Rival setup.
The Roval Terra C wheels dealt with all the things effectively and had been laser-straight on the finish of the testing interval. The 42c Specialised Tracer Professional tires have all the time been amongst my favorites for the hardpack in my hood.
Conclusions on the Specialised Diverge STR Professional
I can’t deny that the Specialised Diverge STR Professional is heavier and prices greater than comparable gravel bikes. Nevertheless, the STR suspension offered enormous advantages when crossing rowdier terrain. It added consolation, management, and delayed fatigue. However most significantly, it added enjoyable and pleasure when the trail began trying like mountain bike territory.
The Droop The Rider methodology was fascinating, and it did present advantages not inside the attain of “commonplace” suspension programs. Essentially the most notable to me was the disconnection from pedaling forces, which saved effectivity intact.
In case you are like me and have ridden commonplace suspension programs for many years, the change may take a little bit of time. However it’s going to reward you with a easy and environment friendly trip that’s past comparability to inflexible and even “semi-suspended” gravel bikes which have a suspension stem and/or seat posts.
Lastly, the bike is ready up for gravel and journey using flexibility. The one mounts it’s lacking are rear fender mounts. Though Specialised touts it as a “efficiency and aggressive gravel using” machine, I felt like it could be the final word journey using and bikepacking rig.
