[Closed] Diverge as a road bike?

You can probably get a reasonable gear range for road riding but the jumps will be quite pronounced and for me close ratios are more important on the road bike than on the mtb/gravel. I use a 1x10 on my gravel bike which I also use as a winter road hack, was on a 38t front and 12-32 cassette and had no issue keeping up with my group at more than the average speeds you’re listing but did spin out on anything remotely downhill.  I’ve got a slightly wider range rear cassette now so should really change the front for a bigger ring.

On the 1-11 thing - I find 1x11 (11-42 with 42 chainring) absolutely fine for all my road/gravel needs BUT I am a mountain biker who just gets on a bike and rides stuff for the fun of it. If you are coming from a road background I suspect you'll get all wound up about gaps between ratios, cadence, leg shaving etc etc.

I've the older version as my only road bike, cracking bit of kit.

Spare set of wheels if it needs to be a bit more spritely.

Guard/rack mount for commuting duties.

Hold my own on club runs/century rides (but iz amazeballs).

My version will squeeze nobly 32's but the modern dropped seatstay version can get something a wee bit bigger.

Can't comment on the 1xVersion, does it still have option to install a compact 2x?

My mate has one, started as 1x, he didn't get on with it on the road (always in the wrong gear) and changed to 2x which works well.

If you are coming from a road background I suspect you’ll get all wound up about gaps between ratios, cadence, leg shaving

It's not really getting wound up, more being comfortable...and that's just the leg shaving...

There's at least one Diverge in the range that has a double 30-46 crankset and 11-36 cassette.
Maybe that would be a better option than a 1x.

I have a 2020 Diverge Elite and its 2x10 Tiagra. Not sure if the latest versions are the same? The newer vesrions like mine will take 700x45c tyres, or, if you prefer, IIRC, 650bx2,1". (Who the hell invented this ridiculous wheel size system for crying out loud!!)

I have a 2020/21 Diverge setup pretty much as you describe - GRX 1x11 setup and just put 45c tyres on it. It rides perfectly well on the road and can happily cruise around at 15-20mph - but can duck down country lanes and bridlepaths when I feel like it.

I won't keep up on any club rides but I typically ride on my own anyway. I like the simplicity of 1x, but I live in the a relatively flat area, so if you live somewhere hilly then 2x might be better for you.

The bigger volume tyres I run around 30-40psi, they take the stings out of potholes and crap back roads. Also work better at those pressures with tubeless.

You’ll have to get a sizeable chainring on it or you’ll be spat out of the back whenever the group cracks on down any sort of hill. That then compromises you’re climbing gears of course.

I looked at using my CX bike on roads but realised the changes I’d need to make would make it terrible for when I use it off road again

ive got a flat bar Levarg gravel bike thing.. running 44 x 10-42 on 27.5 gravel tyres.. have no issues averaging 15mph on my 45 min ride to work, spins out over 30mph however (for my slow legs)

I have one-probably 3 years old. I've used it for light gravel, road (low quality compared to you by the sound of it) and with panniers for a coast to coast run. Mine has Shimano 105 and a double front chainring- which is unhelpful as gear range appears to be your key question. The only road bike I'll ever need or buy with my limited ability. It has that micro handlebar suspension which may or may not be worthwhile.

I have a Diverge, about 3 years old. With 30mm slicks it is good for all but the fastest club runs, for a sedate 25kph average over say 100+km its ideal. For faster rides above say 30kph average I need the extra help of my road bike. Mine has a double 48,32 or 34 chainset although a mate has a single on his and and it seems fine for him. It's great fun off-road with 38mm tyres as max, newer version takes bigger.

I have a 21 diverge just built up using 2x12 SRAM Force gravel set, run 43/30 and 10=36 on the back. Thought long and hard about 1x but decide 2x gives greater flexibility as it’s for gravel and winter runs. The short ride I have had says bang on just what I wanted.

I’ve got the mid-range new Diverge with 2x. Would highly recommend it over the 1x, have been bikepacking on it and lots of road riding and never lacked the right gear. On the road, with 45c tyres at 45psi, I reckon I’m about 1.5 to 2mph slower than on a road bike but it’s hard to compare as every road ride now takes in a few tracks. But with more road-appropriate tyres I can’t see how you’d be at a disadvantage. I think they’re fantastic bikes.

It's great. A more relaxed position which is nice for an old buffer like me. I would go 2x for mixed road/gravel but that might limit choice on 2021 models as it looks like that means only the alloy E5 with GRX400 or the Carbon Comp with GRX800.

Depending on how gnar your gravel is and the balance of road/gravel, how about the Roubaix? They do it with the new SRAM Rival eTap AXS.

I use a 2021 comp carbon as my commute / winter bike as it has proper mudguard clearance.

I did swap out the GRX for my old road double groupset and have 28 mm road tyres and it’s great.

I’ve yet to use it off road though

Why not just get a Roubaix? Standard wheels with something offroadable, and a nice carbon set for best.

Get a road bike with a little bit of clearance and then a set of wheels for gravel then you are not compromising the road setup for a tiny bit of gravel

If you want a road bike, buy a road bike - surely?

Thanks for the replies, plenty of food for thought - I think I'll pop to one of the concept stores and have a chat with them.

I had just assumed that the Diverge range was all 1x11 setup so good to know they do offer 2x11 as well and that you can change from 1x11 to 2x11 if needed.

Ideally I'd have a gravel & a road bike but I don't have space for both of them but I hadn't really considered the Roubaix - what's the max tyre size they can take?

The 2021 Roubaix will take 33mm. Another possibility comes to mind, the Trek Domane, which will go to 38mm.
Comparison

Or how about a Mason Definition?

You'll be fine - I have a BMC URS, 1x11 setup, 40mm WTB tyres @ 35psi. I can still average 18mph on the 14 mile ride to work, which compares to about 19.5mph on my Izalco Max. It tends to top out from a gearing pov at about 20mph but how often do you go that fast on a club run?

I looked at using my CX bike on roads but realised the changes I’d need to make would make it terrible for when I use it off road again

I'm using 50/34 front and 11/34 rear on my commuter which is ok on our local off-road stuff in Suffolk. There again I'm putting in lots of km every week which helps with grinding uphill (it was a bit of a struggle to begin with).

A few of our club riders bought 1x gravel bikes as winter road bikes 2-3 years ago.

General reaction seemed to be that the slight loss of gearing at one or both ends of the range was just about bearable on a club social ride, but not on a fast ride, but the jumps between gears made getting the right cadence a bit tricky for 3-4 hour rides.

Many seem to now have gone to a 2x setup.

We do have big numbers out on the gravel rides though 🤣

Have just got back from a week of touring (bike packing ??) on my 2017 Diverge (2 x 10) and one of the other lads had a 1x11(?) setup.

My observation is that much of the time there wasn’t much difference, but at certain gradients he didn’t seem to have the right gear - either pedalling like a loon, or mashing and grinding away; neither of which were sustainable for long climbs. He was fitter than me, and with a slightly different gradient (steeper or shallower) he was easily faster. This reinforces my view that I wouldn’t be without a 2X setup on a road bike.

I absolutely love my Diverge, such a comfortable ride and surprisingly quick.

I can’t speak about the Diverge but can about using a gravel bike for road duties. I built up a Sonder Camino last year and thought long and hard about the setup. IMO 1x simply does not have the range for road riding or the ratio jumps are far too large if you try to get the range by using something like an Eagle cassette. On the other hand 2x with a clutch RD gives little away off-road. A fraction more weight and maintenance I guess, but that’s all. After looking at a lot of gear inch calcs (sad!) I went with GRX 800 with a 48/31 crankset and 11-34 cassette. Allowing for the slightly larger diameter of the bigger tyres (32-40mm) over say 25mm on a ‘normal’ road bike this setup gives an almost identical high gear as a compact 50/11 setup, but also gives a much lower gear for the hills or off-road. This setup is easy to tweak with either a closer range cassette or an 11-36 (not officially but works fine). The same could be done with a compact 50/34 crankset for someone fitter than me or if you want to move the whole range higher. Changing a 1x to 2x is not a cheap undertaking as you will need cranks, FD, left shifter/brake, cassette and rear mech - if you can even source them at present. Having 2 sets of wheels is great so you can have a road orientated set and a gravel set for an easy swap. Since building the Camino I’ve not ridden my road bike. With 30mm slicks it rides/rolls very well, much like an road endurance bike but a couple of Kg heavier. I am very much the limiting factor rather than the bike, but if it was 1x the bike would definitely be the limiting factor. A quick swap of tyres and/or wheels and it becomes a very good gravel/bikepacking/winter/commuting bike.

In my experience, nothing beats a pure road bike for the black stuff. You can use anything, and a Diverge is not a bad choice, but it will always be a compromise. I tried that route myself and ended up rebuilding a pure road bike:

https://singletrackmag.com/forum/topic/road-n1/