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2022 Diverge Expert E5 EVO

4.6

8 Reviews

This thing called 'gravel riding' is still evolving, still being defined. What's…

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Product Details

This thing called 'gravel riding' is still evolving, still being defined. What's next? Hop on the new Diverge Expert EVO and you tell us. It's designed to get aggressive, to push the boundaries of what we thought was possible on a gravel bike. With flat bars and geometry even more progressive then the new drop bar Diverge you better hang onto your flannel. We've significantly increased the reach, slackened the head tube and lowered the bottom bracket, to put you 'in' the bike for a super planted feeling. From sending technical single track to ripping flowing fire road descents, if you're looking for a partner to take your gravel riding to new levels, nothing's faster, more fun, or rowdier than the Diverge EVO.

With a Premium E5 Aluminum frame and our latest Future Shock 2.0 with an adjustable hydraulic damper offering 20mm of travel, the Diverge Expert E5 is uniquely qualified to tackle aggressive trails at high speed. The bike’s build is MTB inspired, with SRAM GX Eagle 1x12 shifting and extra stopping power thanks to SRAM Level TLM brakes. An TranzX dropper post is standard, as well as our latest gravel tire designed for incredible traction, the new Rhombus Pro 42mm, on DT Swiss G540 alloy wheels.

Our Premium E5 Aluminum frame provides a stiff, light, and durable platform. When mated to our full carbon FACT fork, the Diverge EVO becomes a light, lively and versatile bike ready to tackle the most technical gravel and dirt as aggressively as you could wish.
Speed, control and confidence - Future Shock 1.5 is ideal technology for the gravel rider. With 20mm of axial compliance, Future Shock 1.5 is progressively tuned specifically for gravel riding. This keeps you confident and in control, able to keep the power down and stay off the brakes over rough dirt roads and in thick loose gravel, all while keeping your hands, arms and neck fresh.
With the Diverge EVO, we took our new progressive gravel geometry to new levels. We’ve lengthened the frame 30mm over a drop bar Diverge (Size Medium), lowered the bottom bracket and slackened the head tube. This gives the Diverge EVO more confidence over technical terrain while keeping the cockpit comfortable with flat bars. It also allows for a short stem to make all that stability feel nimble and quick at the bars.
Nothing unlocks a bike’s capability like tire clearance, so we gave the Diverge EVO a whopping 47mm of tire clearance with a 700c wheel and 2.1” with a 650b wheel. Thanks to a drive side chain stay utilizing a machined alloy beam behind the chain rings we’ve created clearance without using a fragile dropped chain stay design or increasing chain stay length.

Technical Specifications

Frameset

Frame

Specialized Diverge E5 Premium Aluminum, Future Shock suspension, 1x specific EVO geometry, threaded BB, internal routing, 12x142mm thru-axle, flat-mount disc

Seat Binder

Specialized Alloy, 30.8mm

Suspension

Fork

Future Shock 1.5 w/Smooth Boot, FACT carbon, 12x100 mm thru-axle, flat-mount

Brakes

Front Brake

SRAM Level TLM, hydraulic disc, 160mm CenterLine rotor

Rear Brake

SRAM Level TLM, hydraulic disc, 160mm CenterLine rotor

Drivetrain

Shift Levers

SRAM GX, trigger, 12-speed

Rear Derailleur

SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed

Cassette

SRAM NX Eagle, 12-speed, 11-50t

Chain

SRAM GX Eagle, 12-speed

Crankset

SRAM Rival 1 Wide

Chainrings

38T

Bottom Bracket

SRAM DUB BSA 68 Wide

Wheels & Tires

Front Wheel

DT Swiss G540 rim, 24mm internal width, tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples

Front Tire

Rhombus Pro, 2Bliss Ready, 700x42mm

Rear Tire

Rhombus Pro, 2Bliss Ready, 700x42mm

Rear Wheel

DT Swiss G540 rim, 24mm internal width, tubeless ready, 24h, Specialized full sealed bearing thru axle hub, centerlock disc, DT Swiss Champion 14G stainless steel spokes, DT Swiss brass nipples

Inner Tubes

Standard 40mm PV 700x32-50

Cockpit

Stem

Future Stem, Comp

Handlebars

Specialized Alloy Minirise, 10mm rise, 750mm, 31.8mm clamp

Grips

Specialized Trail Grips

Saddle

Body Geometry Power Sport, steel rails

SeatPost

TranzX Dropper, 27.2mm, 90mm travel

* Weights based on production painted frames as pictured. Actual weights will vary based on colorway, frame size, and component variation. Specifications are subject to change without notice.

Geometry

	S	M	L
Stack	580mm	607mm	632mm
Fork Rake/Offset	55mm	55mm	55mm
Top Tube Length, Horizontal	456mm	600mm	627mm
Bike Standover Height	732mm	754mm	774mm
Reach	395mm	420mm	440mm
Head Tube Angle	70°	70°	70°
BB Height	265mm	265mm	265mm
Seat Tube Length	470mm	500mm	530mm
Head Tube Length	104mm	133mm	159mm
Front Center	639mm	674mm	703mm
Chainstay Length	432mm	432mm	432mm
Seat Tube Angle	73.5°	73.5°	73.5°
Trail	69mm	69mm	69mm
Wheelbase	1057mm	1092mm	1121mm
BB Drop	85mm	85mm	85mm
Fork Length, Full	390mm	390mm	390mm

Manual Downloads

Specialized Bicycle Owner's Manual (All Languages)

SPECIALIZED STEM ACCESSORY MOUNT

2021 Diverge User Manual

RIDING_WITH_FRAME_FIXED_CARGO_AND_THE_FUTURE_SHOCK_ADDENDUM.pdf

Future Shock Retrofit Compatibility - Chinese Simplified

Trainer Usage Addendum to the Bicycle Owner's Manual

Future Shock Front Suspension (2.0 damper/1.5 undamped) User Manual

Rider Reviews

4.6

8 Reviews

06/21/2024

The Mountain-Bike-Shaped Gravel Bike

Such an odd little bike. I got one to try and ride extreme gravel, connect together all the various cutty paths and singletrack zones in my area, and race cyclocross (not ideal for racing). I've been riding it mostly with 27.5x2.1 XC tires, and much prefer it this way for most things. The good: Crazy fast on gravel and chunk descender. Fun as heck on xx-treme gravel. Oddly great for jumping (as long as you have a very smooth landing). Oddly fast for a flat-bar bike. The bad: Geometry is more capable than the ultra-stiff ride, so if you ever take it on singletrack connectors, you get your brains rattled out. Bottom bracket is so low, you get into issues if you're trying to pedal in the corners on flat ground (big issue for me trying to race CX on it). Pretty heavy for a gravel bike. Still kinda slow for a gravel bike, despite being a demon descender.

Name:: David

Helpful?

08/28/2023

This is the bike

I dont even own one I already know this must be the perfect in betweens for someone who wants to ride the burns down low to the dirt while having a great, fast ride on flat asphalt. The flat bar is a must for someone used to mountain biking transitionning to road bike as I do. The low frame must be perfect for riding downhills and taking steep turns with your body, though it might give someone a sluggier feeling than with a normal road bike. Idk I only dream about this mint gem 😂🤷‍:male_sign:

Name:: Philippe

Helpful?

02/06/2023

Extremely competent trail machine

I spend a lot of time on 10-20% grades, on both gravel and single track. I've found this bike to be the ideal machine for tackling this type of riding. Its VERY light and climbs like a dream. The 1x Eagle 50t means I'm able to cruise up a 20% grade with no problems. While it climbs extremely well, my favorite riding on this bike is doing descents. The future shock and dropper allow for fast downhills, even when the terrain is technical. I generally run the future shock all the way "open" on the trails, and all the way "closed" on the road. The dial in adjustment is very convenient. The brakes are nothing short of magical. On a 3500 foot descent I ride frequently there is no brake fade or overheating issues. On the road, the riding style is aggressive and it's perfect for fast flats. I find myself normally cruising between 18-20 on the flats. Thru axle means less hassle. If you're on the fence, just buy it. You will not regret it.

Would Recommend?: Yes!

Name:: Cal

Helpful?

10/20/2022

It really is the MTB'rs gravel bike

I will always prefer trail riding on my MTB's to gravel. But I was missing out on too many riding opportunities due to not having a gravel bike, so I decided to get one. I hate drop bars so I was delighted to find this bike. I put a full dropper post on and am running tubeless, and the bike is quite capable. It's comfortable for long rides, and fun. The front shock is great. The traction and breaks are good. I don't shy away from steep, semi-technical single track. Of course it will be a little slower, but this does not matter unless you're doing lots of flat riding at speed, which I am not interested in. So, you will struggle to keep up on flat pavement if other riders want to go fast. You will also pass everyone when it comes time for off-road downhill.

Would Recommend?: Yes!

Name:: Remy

Helpful?

08/12/2022

Great Ride

I was attracted to this bike because it was a flat bar gravel bike which is unusual. I was aware of the detailed reviews on the web, which all found it to be a slow bike to ride compared to its peers. Recently I removed the inner tubes and converted my Diverge to run fully tubeless tyres, which was easy to do given the very suitable rims and tyres it came with as standard. Now I have found it to be a much more responsive gravel bike and much quicker to accelerate on both gravel and bitumen. It should also be much more able to resist punctures. Now it is a fun bike to ride but I will have to top up the fluid in the now tubeless tyres every 3 or 4 months.

Would Recommend?: Yes!

Name:: Chris

Helpful?

04/30/2022

Great bike

Glad I finally found a gravel bike with flat handlebars. It was hard to tell what shade of green the bike was on the computer, it looked more teal online but it is a solid Starbucks green.

Would Recommend?: Yes!

Name:: Mary

Helpful?

03/29/2022

The Diverge Evo is my

The Diverge Evo is my first true modern bike: carbon and aluminum, geometry, 1x, and internal cable routing. I’m 5’8” with a true 32” inseam and purchased a medium. First issue is the seat it too high for me by .5” with the taller 90mm dropper used on the 2022 model rather than the 50mm dropper used on the 2021 model. Second, the crank arms are too long and hurt my knees and hips. Third, the cable rattle is awful. And lastly, might’ve been bad luck, but second time out on gravel within the first mile got a hole in the rear tire from gravel puncturing right in the middle of the tire. I have the bike set up with CushCore and tubeless with Stans. I realized the hole because I and the entire bike got sprayed with the Stans, which sealed the hole and I was able to add air and finish the ride. But being on a well maintained gravel trail I’m quite disappointed the tires would puncture so easy from a piece of gravel. I also find the bike topping out around 22 MPH for me on flat road and wouldn’t mind a smaller gear. The bottom bracket height is a major limiting factor to go on any single track, at least where I am, there’s always trees down and it is not tall enough and the pedal height is extremely low and would strike a lot on flowy sections with roots and rocks. Other than the above, the bike seems to be built well and fit me well as far as stand over and reach. The Future Shock 2.0 does a great job isolating rough surfaces and is one of the best features of the bike in my mind. The color is really nice. To address the height, cranks, (and speed and pedal strike) I’m giving a 160mm 40 tooth crankset a try. This will shorten things by ~.50”: seat height should be perfect for me with the full dropper, reduce the knee and hip articulation on the up, increase cadence and likely speed, raise pedal height, and the 40 tooth should give it more speed as well, albeit at the potential cost of climbing. As for the cables, I used a cheap split mesh wrap for electrical cables and fed into the tube around the cables from the bottom and completely silenced it. By a point of reference I have a an almost mint late 1980’s or early 1990’s Diamondback Apex and the bikes are amazingly quite similar. At this point the Apex with 26” wheels and 2.1” tires is actually faster, around 25 MPH on the flat road and every bit (or more) fun to ride.

Would Recommend?: Yes!

Verified Buyer

Name:: Guest G.

Helpful?

03/28/2022

Excellent rides/experience with this bike

Excellent rides/experience with this bike so far. Love the bike/features, and the purchase experience was smooth and easy.

Would Recommend?: Yes!