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2015 Diverge Expert – First ride review
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Posted 9 years ago
Finally got round to picking up my new dandyhorse from the LBS today. Had a nice day of riding planned, from the shop to my parents for a spot of lunch, as Mrs CFH and the offspring were over there as well. Then, on back home after that. About 25 miles for each part. Seemed a good idea, as it would give me a chance to have a fettle and iron out any little issues after the first half. As it happens, didn’t need to. Lunch was nice, though.
Wiltshire through to North Hampshire, on a very stormy, rain lashed day. Back roads and more.
Stopped at the top of a climb toget my breath back andtake a photo.Stock build, spec as per the linkage apart from;
Time XC8 pedals – Didn’t seem right to have a road pedal on it, and I just really like Times.
Garmin Edge 1000 – Well, felt like a treat!
Two Elite Cannibal cages – One of the mechanics at the LBS had these lying around. Nice.
Saddle bag – Don’t care what you think!So, to start with the negatives –
Brakes – A little noisy at first, which was rather annoying through town, but thankfully this cleared up quickly.
Hoods – They’re a little odd shaped, and it’s taking some some getting used to. Still not 100% happy with the bar/hood angle, but it didn’t have a massive impact on the ride.That’s that over with. Now, the good bits.
Weight – With pedals and bottle cages – 19.1lbs. Now, I reckon that’s pretty good for a tough old beast.Stiffness – Through axles on a road bike? Well, it’s not totally a road bike (See below!) but why not? I’m never going to race, so speed of QR is irrelevant. Plus, it means the discs are always going to be perfectly aligned. Braking, climbing and pushing hard all felt brilliant.
Ultegra – Crisper than a crispy thing. Lovely, light shifting.
Frame, fork, post, not sure! – Almost felt like some sort of softail-esque suspension happening at times. Maybe it was the phatt tyres, maybe it was the “Zertz” (Bad name, Spesh!) inserts, maybe it was the *I can’t bring myself to name it it’s so awful a name* seatpost, but it was soooo smooth and comfy.
Saddle – Ti railed Phenom. Swapped the stock one for a wider fitting for my posterior’s needs. Surprisingly comfortable.
Tyres – Phatttttt (enough t?) and soft, running at 95psi. Loads and loads of grip through the wet leaves, mud and general wind blown muck of rural lanes.Oh, and before you ask, yes I did get on some grrravel.
Posted 9 years agoNot enough spoon for you, Al? 😉 I wanted a tougher version of a road bike for comfort, speed and the ability to go lots of places. This fitted MY requirements perfectly, thanks! Also, through axles make a massive amount of sense on any frame running discs, as they ensure perfect alignment and reduced twisting under braking. But then, as a luddite, I assume you’re still rocking a hobby horse! 😉 No new “standards” since then. Such as gears, brakes, etc. 😉
CL, some pics to illustrate. Some are of the S-Works version. Same frame, but with Di2 and more pimp. Hose routing is the same, though.
Posted 9 years agoPosted 9 years ago
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