speshelite

I believe specialized is leaving the rest of the pack in the dust, introducing not one, but TWO lines of road bikes with front and rear 'suspension' that increase versatility, comfort and speed: the new roubaix and '18 diverge.

Which line do you prefer, roubaix or diverge?

Roubaix: lighter, more compliance in the rear, totally stiction free suspension in the front.

Diverge: fits a much wider tire, better capability off road, front suspension stiffness ramps up the closer you get to the limit (doesn't bottom out).

The main demerit for the diverge IMO is the lack of the lower clamping point for the seatpost. This reduces rear compliance, which doesn't make sense, since the diverge is designed to be ridden off road, on (rougher) trails compared to the roubaix, which is designed primarily for riding on rough roads, rather than off road.

I can understand why specialized wouldn't want feature sets to overlap completely, and Specialized has made it clear that the secteur/diverge line was intended to be a lower price point, carbon/alu line, but offering less compliance on the model line designed to be ridden off road doesn't make much sense.