Originally Posted by
vinuneuro
Hi Brandon, I made the post below last year after riding the Smartweld and Carbon back to back. I came close to buying the 2015 Diverge Smartweld a couple times but ultimately chose to wait and get a Carbon since the lateral stiffness is quite a bit higher when pedaling. A couple things I didn't like about the 2015 Smartweld was the utilitarian color and the disgustingly crude welds. I was just at a bike shop yesterday looking again and they had a ton of Diverge including a 2016 DSW Comp in the aluminum color. The welds are thankfully cleaned up for the 2016 model year and the colors are far better as well (imo). Do note the price decrease as well as spec downgrades between the 2015 and 2016 Comp DSW. The price went down by $300 but they also removed the CG-R seatpost and downspec'd the crankset from Praxis Turn Zayante to FSA Gossamer. There's also an Elite DSW that has Tiagra components. If you get a 2016 I highly recommend adding the CG-R as it's a large part of the way the bike rides.
You won't go wrong that frame. Specialized leaped ahead of everyone in aluminum when they released the Smartweld frames.
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I rode the Comp Smartweld and Comp Carbon back to back this afternoon. The results are very interesting. All in all, they are VERY close to each other.
Surpisingly the Smartweld is better on the road. The tuning on this bike is unbelievable. There is zero buzz. Zero. It is truly the smoothest bike on the road I have ever ridden. Even more so than the carbon frame.
The best I could do around the LBS for broken surfaces was curbs and breaks where sidewalk slabs were lifted. The Smartweld wasn't too much harsher, but the carbon frame definitely took the edge off a bit more. In sharper impacts it came through more, but in some rough areas it was again smoother than the carbon. I'm in a dilemma now because I'm not sure which will end up being smoother in the trails I ride.
Carbon feels a bit more responsive. Smartweld feels a bit more stable. Interesting since the geometries are identical.
Thanks for the info! I do like the gray and yellow scheme on the 2015, but in some photos it looks green. But I do appreciate the aluminum look on the new 2016's. I did notice the price difference, and was a little surprised they have the other DSW model that retails for $1500, very reasonable. Almost to the point where that would be the bike to buy, and do a few mods, but I prefer to buy one loaded and not worry about changing things out. Also being 5'8ish, I hear the sizing is odd on the Diverge, am I a 54 or 56?