Ridden: Cross check vs Divderge...
 

Yesterday and today I test rode a Surly cross check, and a Specialized divergence (tiagra). Here's my plus/minus of each, but to give away the ending, The cross check was just way more fun to ride...

Cross Check:
+not as heavy as it looks
+coming from a road bike, I expected it to be sluggish, but it wasn't...took right off.
+very stable feeling.
+bigger tires
-bar end shifters
-ergo bars, which puts the cable from the bar end shifter in an odd place.

Diverge:
+2016 tiagra with hidden shift cables...very nice shifting...I'm impressed with shimano.
-ugly orange
-smaller tires, and only takes up to 35mm tires.
-Mechanical disk brakes were making some rubbing noise...I know nothing about disk brakes, so it may have been normal, I don't know....I didn't like it.
-overall, the 30mm tires just didn't feel that much different from a road bike...and I think specialized should have allowed for more tire clearance...the cross check, Giant revolt, and Jamis renegade all take at least 40, making them more versatile. Diverge just wasn't as fun.

I test rode a Warbird with Tiagra a few weeks ago, and I was surprised by how closely it felt to 105, which in turn is extremely close to Ultegra. There is very little difference between 105 and Ultegra now, unless you want Di2 or hydraulic brakes. I have been opposed to only getting Tiagra on expensive bikes (105 just is not expensive, so why penny pinch down to Tiagra on >$1500 bikes!!!), but it shifts well. The 105 is a little less amateurish in shifter build materials and not having the gear dial, etc.

The brakes were likely not aligned when the bike was assembled. This can be a real annoyance to get just right, but easily fixable. The bike should have felt like it had drag or really slow tires, unless it was absolutely grinding, then you would really notice.

No, the noise was only when I used them, it just didn't sound right .

On the other hand, you can still use your old 10-speed wheels with the new Tiagra.

Surprised that Diverge only goes up to 35mm. My Tricross came with 32s but easily fits 38s now, and looks like 40-42 would work too. I don't understand Specialized's thin tire philosophy with this cross bike model.

Nice review comparison.

That's basically my point...at the store, it basically had smooth touring tires on it...that's not what I thought this bike was for...if I'm looking for a go anywhere bike, I'm going to want to see big tires with some tread.

The Diverge is Specialized's go-almost-anywhere bike. Maybe it is like mountain bikes that people only ride on the road. Their go-anywhere bike is the AWOL. If you don't need/want to bring much with you (i.e. don't need racks), the Crux also fits the bill.

I think that's right. The Crux is going to be the true cross bike from Specialized, and is probably the direct descendant of the Tricross. I'd be interested what maximum tire width the Crux might take. It's considerably more costly, too.

In the summer, I run 40mm Clement MSOs on my Crux. I think you should be able to go up to 42mm, but you might not have enough clearance for rocks, mud, etc.

Sounds great being able to go 40 on your Crux. I didn't realize my Tricross could do 42, which is good news having that option too. I stay mostly on hardpack fine gravel paths or smooth dirt trails. But I think the OP would be well served to consider Crux.

With 6 inches of Chicago snow here and your city probably in winter weather too, what a depressing long wait until next summer's cycling season.

http://www.schwalbetires.com/files/f...jpg?1448050590

:thumb:

As a follow-up, I'll say that the Cross Check and Diverge BOTH impressed me more than the Fuji Cross 3.0 that I rode at performance bike...it felt heavy and sluggish, and I didn't like the Sram apex.

Maybe check out a Space Horse. Will be slightly more lively than the cross check. I was going to buy one until I rode a Salsa Vaya. I bought that. I love it dearly.

Ugly orange?? I'd call it distinctive!

OP, this is quite true. The Diverge is more of an enduro bike with larger than roadie tire clearance, while the Cross-Check is a jack-of-all-trades. So of course the Cross-Check is going to be better at tire clearance. You're comparing apples to oranges.

Look at the Kona Rove / Sutra, & Raleigh Willard / Timland. Btw, the brake noise is because Performance Bike put it together. They're known for poor mechanical skill in the industry.