I will hopefully be getting my first real road bike in 2015. I currently have a specialized Secture sport disc which has sora 9 speed. I have had it for 2 years. It's been a good bike to get me into road biking.

I am now ready to get my next bike. I want my next bike to have disc brakes. I am a bigger guy. 6'3 250. I live in Colorado and ride a lot on big mountain passes and often in wet conditions. I will be looking at the following bikes in 2015. Trek Domane, giant defy, Cannondale synapse, Specialized Roubaix, Specialized Diverge. I will test ride all bikes before I make my decision.

I was hoping I could get some help from the experienced road bikers here on something I don't understand?

From my research I have discovered that Specialized pretty much invented the road endurance category when they came out with their Roubaix line of bikes. I have also have learned that other companies have followed and have introduced bikes as well in the endurance category with their own endurance comfort models. Domane, Defy, synapse etc. and many of these models have given the Roubaix a run for its money.

I guess my question is for those who really understand the endurance road category and are very familiar with the Roubaix and Specialized, from a geometry standpoint. The Roubaix has always been branded as the best long distance endurance comfort bike that eats up the cobblestones and makes ridding on bumpy less than perfect Tarmac a painless experience with its geometry and it's vibration dampening zertz etc.

So if the Roubaix is all of the above mentioned, then what in the world is the new Diverge line for? From my novice eyes they appear to be basically be the same bike. However, I do admit I do not understand bike geometry at all. This is where I need help.

What will the diverge give me that the Roubaix can not. What can the Roubaix give me that the Diverge will not?

I want a bike that I can ride 100 miles on with as much comfort as possible.

My confusion between the Roubaix and the Diverge comes because they both seem to offer the same things?

These are the two bikes I have my eye on
Specialized Bicycle Components

And this one
Specialized Bicycle Components

If the diverge is better on dirt, gravel, single track mountain trails etc then the Roubaix. Will the Diverge be as good as the Roubaix on 100 mile rides on tarmac?

If the Roubaix would be better on 100mile Tarmac rides then the diverge, could you explain why? Of course I am talking about these two bikes if they both have the same tires specific for each ridding condition.

The new Diverge represents the new breed of adventure/all-rounder/gravel grinder road bikes. If you want go off asphalt as well and ride singletrack and non-technical terrain, now you can do it all with one bike.

Looks like the the Diverge is Specialized's version of a "gravel bike", a fairly recent category. Appears to be a Roubaix modified to accept wider tires..

Okay, so what you are saying is that the Roubaix and the Diverge will ride exactly the same on the Tarmac, but if you take the Diverge off the Tarmac, it will do better then the Roubaix?

If that's true? Why is it true?

At $3500, the Diverge Carbon is a worthy steed:

The Diverge will ride exactly like the Roubaix except you can ride it both on the road and off-road. And you can fit up to 35 c tires on it.

so that's all the diverge is? A Roubaix that can take wider tires? So if you put the same size road tires on the Roubaix and the Diverge their Tarmac ride characteristics will be exactly the same? Is this correct?

Well you can buy two wheelsets and get two uses out of the same bike. You can have a wheelset with wider tires for the days you want to explore the trails and a second wheelset with standard road tires for fast road rides.

If you're looking for a do-it-all bike, the Diverge is worth your consideration.

Okay, at the risk of thread hijacking, I've got to ask: what's the difference between a gravel bike and a cyclocross?

Cyclocross moves the cables to above the top tube so you can. Array the bike on your shoulder, and might be geared lower on the crank. Some cross bikes try to move the bottom bracket higher to give more ground clearance.

Gravel is is just a balloon tire road bike or longer wheelbase.

I think they are very similar, but CX bikes involve slightly more emphasis on really bad surface conditions (to the point of adopting "solutions" like raising the bottom bracket or losing the front derailleur), and gravel bikes involve more emphasis on long-distance comfort.

Not what he said. The Diverge is more multi purpose than either the Roubaix and Tarmac. The Roubaix is a bit friendlier on rougher road than the Tarmac but the Diverge is built more sturdy to take the abuse of riding on the rough stuff. Since there is no free lunch in design, the penalty will be a heavier and less aero bike on the road with the Diverge.
So pick the bike based upon where you ride. If you ride 50% or more on the dirt or gravel, get the Diverge. The Roubaix will handle occasional forays on the dirt and even gravel but if spending more time there, get the new Diverge. If you ride in wet or sloppy conditions, disk brakes are a good friend. If not, I prefer rim brakes but others still make prefer disks. I like disk brakes but prefer caliper for pure road riding.

I don't think you could fit the 32c tires on a Roubaix, But I might be wrong

The widest tire that I can fit on my 2013 Roubaix is 28C. I have to deflate the tire though to get it past the brake pads ( even with them released).

Depends which Roubaix you have. The disk version Roubaix will likely accommodate 32mm wide tires...is a completely different frameset with 135mm drop outs, different front fork...shorter head tube due to higher fork crown to axle dimension etc. If buying new and wanting 32mm tire clearance, I would contact Specialized and ask them.

Btw, I have a different view of what I like in a gravel bike. I prefer a carbon 29er with flatbar because I prefer the leverage of a wider handlebar for control and a slightly wider tire that will fit on a 29er. I have ridden a fair amount on gravel and that is my vote.

I am riding the 2013 Sport version of the Roubaix.

Hey MCMOOSE great question! This is another thing I am confused about! What is it about the Diverge that does not make it a cyclecross bike? What does a cycle cross bike have, other then the tires that the diverge and the Roubaix do not?

I need a visual to get it through my thick skull!

First of all, Specialized didn't invent "Endurance Road", they were just the first to figure out that well-heeled freds would pay for them in high-end carbon. As for the difference between a gravel bike and a CX bike, it can be a bit of a grey area. A true CX race bike will have a high BB, short head tube and no more than 32-33mm tire clearance. They only have to be comfortable for an hour CX race. That's not the whole story, though. There have been drop bar multi-terrain bikes for years. Sometimes they're marketed as CX bikes, sometimes touring bikes and most recently gravel bikes.

I think you're looking for there to be a hard cut line in between these different bikes and different disciplines.


If the Roubaix is the a bike which you could put a slightly fatter tire on and go on some bumpy dirt roads/packed bike paths, the Diverge is already ready to do that, and can handle a little more rough terrain.

As a rider, if you're the type who almost never ventures off road, except for that one rare occasion you take a short cut through the path in the woods, Roubaix. If your the type who wants to ride road, but wishes you could use those off road shortcuts and hard packed dirt paths daily, Diverge. Although only because the Diverge exists. You really could ride the Roubaix on those other terrains if you wanted too.


A very good way to compare the Roubaix and the Diverge on paper, would be to use a Venn Diagram that has a huge center portion, and small outer portions.

The Roubaix and Diverge are, as noted, nearly identical. The Diverge has thru-axles, wider tire clearance, slightly lower-level components, fender and rack mounts. Basically, it's half-way between a racing cross bike and an endurance bike.

The good news is, I suspect you'd be fine with either bike. If you plan to use tires wider than 28c's, I'd take the financial hit and go for the Diverge.

The OP was talking bikes with disc brakes, and I am pretty sure I have read that the Roubaix disc can handle 32c tires, and maybe even larger.

Jay Olson

I was talking about disc brake bikes in the OP! I am trying to find out what bike would be the best for me to get.

Would this bike Specialized Bicycle Components the same size tires as the diverge this bike Specialized Bicycle Components ?

The Idea would be to get a disc Roubaix and then have two wheel sets. One for pavement and one for gravel / off road rides.

Or Would it be better to get a Diverge and then have two wheel sets. One for Pavement and one for gravel / off road rides?

From reading the spec sheet, it is amazing how close these two bikes are to each other. The only major difference I can see is that the Diverge has about a 4mm lower bottom bracket and 20mm shorter head tube. The head tube difference may be due to different styles of headset. The lower bottom bracket on the Diverge should make it more stable (or more sluggish, depending on your point of view) and certainly gives it a lower stand over height.

The only correct answer is "buy two"...