No inside info here, but I would think a new Diverge would be coming soon. The new Roubiax has the version 2 Future Shock with a lock out and I’d assume that it’ll be on the next Diverge as well. As I understand it the new shock is much better then the original which is still on the Diverge.
Maybe not a deal breaker but something to look into.
Interesting comments about FutureShock 2.0 (the new headset suspension in the 2020 Roubaix) going into the Diverge.
FWIW . . .
Back in 2017, I rode the 2017 Diverge in NH on a trip on gravel, hard pack dirt and on pavement. What a fantastic bike and experience! I was amazed at the speed I was able to take over the rough terrain with it. And more FWIW: 2 former Olympians and 1 national champion in our area (SF Bay Area) that I have spoken with have similar feedback about their 2018 Diverges.
I have no knowledge of the Breed 20 to provide any comparison.
Breed. I owned a diverge expert and Eh I didn’t like the future shock. I was open and receptive to it I just didn’t like the way the bars moved. Plus the breed comes with Force so there’s that.
I bought a Giant Revolt Advanced and I love it. Its bullet proof and I weigh 102kg. I bought the ‘base’ model with the idea of upgrading it. I love it and couldn’t recommend it more – however the market is crazy right now with new bikes so it all depends what you like.
If anyone is interested, I wrote a post back in April comparing the Venge, Tarmac, and Roubaix based on a meeting I had with Cameron Piper, professional racer and product manager at Specialized. If you scroll down to: "The 2020 Roubaix has been 3 years in development . . . " you will find a description of what Future Shock 2.0 is all about.
I have a 2019 Diverge. Great bike. That being said if you aren’t being given a hell of deal on the Diverge wait and look at the 2020’s with the new FutureShock.
For me I would never go 1x on a gravel bike and would want a carbon frame. I used to have the Niner RLT9 aluminum. Great bike but after riding the carbon framed Diverge all summer I would never go back to aluminum.
Although I love the Diverge if I were to do it over I would pick up the Giant Revolt. It’s all about the tire clearance.
You may or may not like the 1x if you are used to 2x road gear spacing. I have done a couple long group road rides on my Salsa Cutthroat and missed the tighter gear spacing on a couple long gradual climbs trying to find that perfect gear and get spun out when the guys want to start rolling 30mph. My Normal training rides, gravel rides, and mtb trails are perfect with the 1x. On a side note i love my Cutthroat and use it for everything. Its a tire change away from being whatever you want it to be. I have ran it with a 100mm travel fork and 29x2.3 mtb tires all the way down to 700x32c tubeless road tires.
I have an original diverge, test rode the new version and have heavy researched and test rode the breed. I would say go for the breed. I liked everything about it other than the weight, but it wasn’t terrible. It will give you a pretty racy geo and the 650bs, for a good price. As someone else said, tire clearance is key. If you wanted lighter/carbon, the Giant Revolt is very very close in the geo department.
The Diverge is a great bike but I put it in the camp of all-road - less clearance, much tighter wheelbase. Since you have a road bike, this shouldn’t mean as much to you. Plus, proprietary parts…Lastly, I may be wrong, but as a member of the diverge fb page, I think I saw that oddly the 2020s won’t have the new future shock.
This post with the new 2020 S-Works appears to include the new FutureShock, but lacks the lockout control. So I think this might be considered the FutureShock 1.5 model?
I didn’t like the future shock. I was open and receptive to it I just didn’t like the way the bars moved. Plus the breed comes with Force so there’s that.