2016 Specialized Diverge Elite

N1TRO

Just taken delivery of my Diverge earlier this week. Specs are pretty stock for now, E5 alu frame with a carbon fork, Tiagra groupset, 28 mm tyres and mechanical disc brakes. Still waiting for the proper pedals to arrive, but a great improvement over my previous hybrid already.

An in-depth look with more pictures here: The Small Country Cyclist

luv2ride

I'm certainly warming to these - looks good. Enjoy.

blue64

NIce bike, the new style tiagra groupset looks great, your blog is very interesting too.

N1TRO

Thanks, I just started it recently. Great to see people enjoy it.

kajjal

I have the diverge comp and it is very smooth on the road and handles smoother off road riding very well. I was surprised for me it is faster than my existing Road bike.

N1TRO

I did about 130 kms over the last couple of days, just to try it out. Some alone, some with friends who are just starting out cycling. Even when alone, I can't get it to go as fast as I'd want it yet. SPD pedals should give some boost to speed and a shorter stem would help a lot. We had some concerns with the dealer about the frame size, as I'm right between S and M. I'll go back after some more riding and probably change to a 70 or 75 mm stem (is 90 mm now).
Otherwise just spin the pedals as much as possible to get more power in the legs and get more comfortable with the position. I got back on my hybrid yesterday, it felt like an old rocking chair.

N1TRO

Got the pedals yesterday. Fitted them and just got back from a ride. Took some nice photos along the way, but my phone is acting up and I can't download them to my laptop.







It's the Shimano PD-A530 if you're wondering. Flat on one side and SPD on the other - I wanted something versatile, so that I wouldn't need cycling shoes every time I went out. I still don't have them yet, but I'm in the market for some, so I'd be grateful for any suggestions or recommendations. I'm not looking for top stuff, just something comfortable and walkable as well as being SPD compatible.

defride

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19738189#p19738189]N1TRO[/url] wrote:

I did about 130 kms over the last couple of days, just to try it out. Some alone, some with friends who are just starting out cycling. Even when alone, I can't get it to go as fast as I'd want it yet. SPD pedals should give some boost to speed and a shorter stem would help a lot. We had some concerns with the dealer about the frame size, as I'm right between S and M. I'll go back after some more riding and probably change to a 70 or 75 mm stem (is 90 mm now).
Otherwise just spin the pedals as much as possible to get more power in the legs and get more comfortable with the position. I got back on my hybrid yesterday, it felt like an old rocking chair.

Have a play around with the position of the saddle and the rest of the bike fit options if you're not keen on getting a professional bike fit. Small differences, 3-5mm can have a surprisingly large effect on the way the bike feels to ride. Best of luck getting it dialled in.

fastmonkey

I like the style of these bikes, fatter tyres, disc brakes, more top tube clearance, I'm not sure I need a 3rd bike but these are really tempting, especially for winter use.

ryanshattered

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19741944#p19741944]N1TRO[/url] wrote:

Got the pedals yesterday. Fitted them and just got back from a ride. Took some nice photos along the way, but my phone is acting up and I can't download them to my laptop.

It's the Shimano PD-A530 if you're wondering. Flat on one side and SPD on the other - I wanted something versatile, so that I wouldn't need cycling shoes every time I went out. I still don't have them yet, but I'm in the market for some, so I'd be grateful for any suggestions or recommendations. I'm not looking for top stuff, just something comfortable and walkable as well as being SPD compatible.

If you're on a budget, I've got the dhb M1.0, used daily for commuting in all weathers for over a year and still as good as new, comfy and walkable. Loads of reflectives on them too if that's important to you http://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-m10-mountain-bike-cycling-shoe/?lang=en&curr=GBP&dest=1&sku=5360674963&ci_src=18615224&ci_sku=5360674963uk&utm_source=google&utm_term&utm_campaign=UK_PLA_Shoes&utm_medium=base&utm_content=sWrQ5SxaD_dc|pcrid|71714790542|pkw||pmt||prd|5360674963uk

kawaspresso

Your bike looks great ! Diverge seems a really good bike, especially for winter training and gravel in summer or dry conditions, probably my next buy

northcliff66

I have had a Diverge for some time now. Super bike and just about the only thing I use from October to March.

The Specialized plug and play fenders are a super addition and easy to fit.

On the Specialized theme, their touring shoes are good value. Take SPD and look like trainers. I use them with similar pedals.

N1TRO

The Specialized Cadet is in fact what I have in mind. Wouldn't mind them a bit more racey-looking, but all in all they look promising. I'm sure the quality is quite high as well. I don't mind paying a bit more if it's worth the money in the long run. As for 200€+ shoes, I'm not there yet.

Speaking of the bike - I've done a good 300 kms up to now and it can take everything I throw at it. I'm not a man of extremes, so it's more than I'll ever need I guess. The only thing is a bit of squeal coming from the front discs when braking hard - I don't get that sound from the rear, does anyone know what that might mean?

kajjal

Unless it gets wet the front disc would normally just make a quiet rubbing noise. In heavy rain disc brakes will often make a honking noise. Squealing when dry normally means something is loose, something is stuck in the calliper, the pads are damaged / out of alignment or less often the disc is contaminated with oil or similar.

Find a long steep hill and keep getting up speed and then brake very hard to a near stop a few times. This will heat the disc and burn most things off it.

northcliff66

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19750075#p19750075]N1TRO[/url] wrote:

The Specialized Cadet is in fact what I have in mind. Wouldn't mind them a bit more racey-looking, but all in all they look promising. I'm sure the quality is quite high as well. I don't mind paying a bit more if it's worth the money in the long run. As for 200€+ shoes, I'm not there yet.

Speaking of the bike - I've done a good 300 kms up to now and it can take everything I throw at it. I'm not a man of extremes, so it's more than I'll ever need I guess. The only thing is a bit of squeal coming from the front discs when braking hard - I don't get that sound from the rear, does anyone know what that might mean?

I had the exact same thing when I first got mine. I cleaned the pads, cleaned the rotors, checked the wheel alignment but it still happened. As did my cycling buddy with an identical Diverge.

This season I changed the pads and the problem went away immediately. Now it only comes back if they get wet, and only if I brake sharply. A gentle pull and then more pressure cleans them off.

When I bought the new pads I could only get Shimano ones that were the same spec. I see Swisstop have now bought out a replacement with the same pad material and fins. Will give those a try next change.

Garry H

I really enjoyed your blog. Spent a lot of time hiking and climbing in the Alps, but never ventured that far east. Julian Alps look beautiful. You need to work on your rock climbing though

Oh, and the bike looks good too.

N1TRO

Thanks for all the positive feedback and replies, really appreciate it. Seems to me that hiking and cycling go well together, so why not mix things up a bit. It even seems to me that as a consequence of hiking, I tend to enjoy climbs on my bike more as well. I'm not sure how it is with other people, but there could well be some kind of correlation.

Next time I'm out riding (perhaps tommorow), I'll try a few hard braking maneuvers to see if it changes anything. It's not anything I'm concerned about, but I'd rather see the squeal wasn't there. And the functionality itself isn't hampered, but still. Will report on the changes, if there are any.

N1TRO

Just got some new shoes to go with the bike, plus a bottle holder...
More pics at my blog, as usual - click here or down in my signature if you want a closer look.

ayjaycee

Nice bike you have got there. I have also had a look at your blog and have to say that I am kind of jealous that you get to ride in a place as beautiful as Slovenia all year round. I visited your country in 2010 on my way by road to the Middle East. We were supposed to drive through with only one night's stay but actually stayed longer as it was such an amazing country and was a complete surprise as I didn't know much about it before arrival. Once again, well done on both the bike and your blog.

N1TRO

ayjaycee wrote:

Nice bike you have got there. I have also had a look at your blog and have to say that I am kind of jealous that you get to ride in a place as beautiful as Slovenia all year round. I visited your country in 2010 on my way by road to the Middle East. We were supposed to drive through with only one night's stay but actually stayed longer as it was such an amazing country and was a complete surprise as I didn't know much about it before arrival. Once again, well done on both the bike and your blog.

Thank you loads for the high praise. Due to the small size Slovenia's always had to compete with bigger countries for recognition and it's been an uphill struggle. Even the people here tend to look across the border rather than enjoying what's right in front of them and that kind of attitude makes me sad. So I'm trying to do my part to bring you word of the land's general appeal and every response like that brings great joy to me.

Let there be many more like it.

N1TRO

Help!

Perhaps someone can help me out of a "creaky" situation. I've taken the bike back to the dealer to do a first service. Got the stem replaced for a shorter one, which is good, but the bike also developed a creak somewhere around the bottom bracket. Basically it sounds like an old wooden bed every time I apply pressure on the pedals, especially the left one. As you can imagine it's quite annoying having to hear squeaking noises every pedal stroke - it's not very loud, but it does get on one's nerves. It's not the pedals themselves, I've tried using standard trainers and it's still there. Then again, if I put it on a stand and just spin the pedals freely the noise goes away, so it has something to do with weight/force application. Everything seems well tightened together and feels like it should, no play in the components whatsoever.

Sadly I didn't ask the service guy what work they did on the bike. Also I'd prefer fixing such creaks at home if possible, as taking it back once again is a bit out of my way and I'd likely have to leave it there, not to mention work costs. I know it's tricky to answer these things, but I'd be grateful for some general pointers that could work, without having to dismantle half the bike and possibly voiding the warranty in the process.

Thanks.

kajjal

When i had similar noises, the pedals needed stripping down and regreasing, a couple of chainring bolts had come loose and the bottom bracket needed replacing. The first two are more likely.

ayjaycee

N1TRO, Try what Kajjal says (which is the simplest possible solution) but you might need to do some work on the bottom bracket. I also suggest that you try a fresh post under 'Workshop' as that might get some more responses.

N1TRO

I think I might have done it. I took off the left pedal, cleaned and greased the contact points again and checked the chainring bolts, one of which was perhaps a bit looser than the others. I've just come back from about a 30 km ride and the creaking has gone. Whether it was one or the other I couldn't say, but it made me feel a lot better, so thanks again.

kajjal

Good news, creaks are annoying especially on road

Devastazione2

Don not bother with pedals,go straight with the BB bearings,Specialized uses some very shitty oem bearings even with their 5k euro range bikes. Mines were shot after 6 months of dry riding with the occasional waterish ditch to cross..