Here’s what people who say “You might as well be on a mtb then” don’t get. Modern mtbs are soooooo capable now that they make lots of trails too easy and hence boring. I do a lot of mtbing and gravel riding but my mtb trails are much more demanding and require a proper full on mtb. What the longer and slacker adventure gravel bikes have done is brought back the joys of the easier mtb trails that mtbers abandoned 20 years ago. I put 2.1’s and lower gears on my Diverge and I’m riding stuff you wouldn’t dare put the Crux on and wouldn’t bother riding on an mtb. The Crux is a great bike and I want one but comparing them is like comparing a Jeep to a sedan. They are designed for very different terrain. The Crux is great on the road and easy gravel and the Diverge is for extremely rough gravel roads and easier mtb trails. These bikes are for 2 different people. The Crux is for a roadie and the Diverge is for an mtber.

I bought the Diverge - before the new Crux came onto the market. I would love to have the lower weight, but apart from that i love it most of the time. I have the luxury situation that i can ride a Tarmac as well… sometimes i wonder wether the difference between the bikes only comes from the different wheelsets… But thanks for your video and I can follow your thoughts..

Being a bulkier rider, I gotta say that the future shock definitely makes a difference for me.

u should mention unbound and a lot of other gravel races are being won with the diverge. the future shock is not meh lol it takes out so much fatigue that builds out over time

Excellent review with great detail and insight. I’m intrigued by the Crux but at the moment, I LOVE my Aspero.

I set up my Crux with 650b wheels with 40mm tires. Just got the original 700c wheels set up with a smaller cassette and 30mm tires for road rides. I sold my race bike and will use the Crux for races and long road rides.

I use my diverge for riding on the road for the comfort. I have swapped my road bike vs diverge and have found similar results as yours. Great video!

I have a 2021 diverge carbon expert Shimano GRX 1x . I bought it for the fact that I really wanted to try out Shimano gravel group set GRX , since this is my first gravel bike and also because of the future shock and the downtube storage. I have a dedicated trek road bike and I also have a dedicated giant carbon cross country hard tail. The diverge is a great bike. I do ride it only on gravel and some of its mixed up between some rough stuff. Coral rock down here in South Florida on the levees, gets pretty bumpy at times. By the way, I got rid of the stock hover bars. They were just not for me with that small diameter. I switched it out to some FSA gravel bars. I bought the diverge because of the storage capacity in the downtube and the shock. However, it feels heavy to me. I think my mountain bike is lighter for the fact that the cassette which is a Shimano XT cassette is probably on the heavy side and adding weight to the rear also to mention the fact that the group sets probably heavy because servo motor in the rear derailer Di2 1x . I often have to lift the bike over access gates that keeps vehicle traffic off of the gravel levees. So I like the idea of a lighter gravel bike such as the Crux. I have thought about either selling it and getting the Crux, especially with the new group set and perhaps better gearing since I only ride flat terrain I don’t need mountain bike gearing. I would have to give up the future shock and the storage for this. It’s just a thought. Bikes are very expensive now, but those are my two cents on it

Great review. I own a Diverge with 1X 40T Chainring and 10-44T cassette. I have done a couple races (Noosa Enduro, QLD Australia). On my last race there were 3 very steep hills, I hate that had to dismount as I couldn't handle the gradient, others with Eagle cassette 52T were able to climb on the bike. Also on the road sections the Diverge felt heavy and had to push hard for speed on 40mm Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M. I have never done long bike-packing travels, and probably not sure if I ever do, not a camping person, so thinking I do more one day races. On the other hand I felt fatigue on my head by 120kms racing, but I guess will be the same on any, not sure if the future shock is key or not maybe a lighter bike will be better. Thinking on a Cruz custom build with 40T and Eagle AXS derailleur with 10-52T cassette, will this make sense to tackle those steep hill on the same race next year and maybe easier to fast on asphalt roads? Also bit confused if I could use the Eagle T-Type rear derailleur on this frame or if this is only for mountain bikes, but need to check compatibility. Thanks

Honestly after buying the crux I do think it is the best do it all Bike. I bought the comp model in July and swapped immediately to the terra cl wheels. It handles brilliantly on road, it’s very comfortable over rough roads where I live and I don’t fear of flatting if the roads aren’t so clean. On gravel it’s comfortable - it floats over the rough stuff and it’s great for all day rides. I am absolutely in love with it

Yes. Crux is my all in one bike. I podium in both my road race and gravel race this month. Believe the hype. Great video comparison on both bikes so far here in YT.

Have a Creo SL which feels like a powered Diverge and can't wait to pick up my Crux Pro. It's like a Aethos for the dirt!

I love futureshock! It really smooths out the ride even from a road standpoint- I have it on my Roubaix comp!

That Diverge is one homely looking bike. The paint job that is.

I like my Diverge . Very beautiful geometry frame. And comfortable position sitting. I think Diverge the best Gravel in bike industry.

great review. i have had several diverges and just got the str. really really like the str and i think the only answer for me is to also get the crux as therer is a role for both. rougher, longer, more all day stuff: str. smoother, faster, race format: crux. bottom line: both

Crux crux crux, I wanted the Aethos but couldn’t give up the dirt road I take home. My husband has the Diverge and it is great for him, but for me the Crux all day every day! Thanks for your videos.

I've not ridden the Crux, but really enjoy my Diverge with Future shock, even on road stretches.

For a all-in-one bike surely the crux, but for a 2 bike setup the Diverge and an aero race bike would be perfect.

Settled with the Aspero based on ur review and some others that I follow.

Another great video! Keep it up man!

Great videos in the pipeline!! Cheers Chris!

The crux has a standover height 4cm higher than its equiv diverge - i see it as a CX bike with big wheel clearance, not a gravel bike "by definition". The average weekend warrior would struggle to manage how twitchy it is FWIW. Id still rather have a tarmac and a diverge instead of one trying to be both.

How happy are you with the Terra Trail tires? Have been hearing a lot of good things about them and am wondering whether to use them as my next pair once the Tracer Pros are worn out. Thanks in advance! Apart from that: Bought the (old) Diverge in 2019 and loved it. Bought the new Crux recently (Pro frameset with custom build) and am loving it even more. I am a speed addict, and the Crux delivers. So fully agree with your analysis.

I think you gotta try the Schwalbe G One RS tire. You won’t be disappointed.

I dont understand what makes the crux a more "aggressive" bike than the diverge? The geometry numbers look pretty much the same, and this video was mostly rambling about which ones looks better.

Good video - so much depends on where you ride… I have the diverge on 303’s and Pathfinder PRO’s. and when I had to ride to trails it was definitely a bit sluggish, but now I’m not riding to trails it’s great. Currently swapping out the tyres to something less road focused too. Also, switching from 2X to Eagle made huge difference, but again it’s dependant on how you ride.

So under decided ...have both Sworks Epic MTB and Sworks SL7 road bike ...was leaning towards the Diverge but your comment on "to and from the trails it feels like a MTB bike" has me leaning towards the Crux ...wanna race gravel races ...thinking Cruz ??

Just got a Crux and its awesome!!!

Hi, I own an Aethos Pro and love it so much. It is fast and sooo comfortable. With slightly wider tired (orig. S-works 700-26) it would be a great gravelbike. Further I own a 2021 Diverge carbon and also like it. Future Shok is so much better than the stiff Trek Checkpoint I owned before. I only miss the agility and speed of the Aethos. Now I question if the Crux would be the perfect match for a gravelbike in terms of Comfort AND Speed? I use the diverge as my every day bike, for gravelrides (appr. 30-40miles) during the week and some 3-4day rides with approx 14l saddlebag. What is your recommendations?

Great video, thanks for the insight

your cycling apparel is nice especially the bib where you got them?

So much knowledge!

the future is simply springy - i enjoy my Diverge with Future shock :)

I just wonder which one I can slap a 50 or 52T on. The roads here are mostly rockchip and then pave with some small gravel sections.

Good luck on the race. Looking forward to the helmet review as a Spec fan boy. If you make it up to the PNW, let’s rip a ride.

I really appreciate your reviews! Would you recommend the Crux as an endurance road bike?

I think the review is spot on. I sold my Diverge this year and went with the Crux Expert (G2) for my road and light gravel needs. The Diverge is a very capable bike but it was just too close to my Hardtail (G1) which is my favorite Gravel bike. Now I am running a set of 303S with 32GK slicks for the road and Roval's with the Pathfinder 38 Pro ( which is surprisingly good and honestly not much slower than the GKs) Waiting for the Pathfinder sworks to come out in. 38

I love my cervelo but i have never ridden another gravel bike makes me wonder if im missing something

For me 2x AXS 10-36 33/46 is so capable on a bike with700 x 47's choose the right tyres and it's not sure either. That covers all road and gravel very well for 90% of the time, on one bike. However if you owned a SL7 an Enve Melee, and another gravel bike, the Diverge would surely make more sense, as the Melee and Crux start to over lap, given that the SL7 is the pure road bike.

Comparing 2 bikes side by side, but not saying anything about weight?

Would you be able to get your hand on the cannondale supersix evo SE? Desperate to see comparison vs the crux

Thanks for this one 🤙. Literally getting all the components to strap on to that same frame, 👍. What surface is this 200miler happening on? Cheers

any possibility of getting a 2X Campy 50/36 crankset on the front end of the Crux? Do you think there would be enough clearance? Been a Campy rider for life and the Crux will be my next machine. Great video and timing...I'm going to look at a 56 Diverge over the weekend to have a perspective of both machines.

Please do the dogma sl7 comparison

How do you get a custom paint job like that?

Any interest in reviewing the Pinarello Grevil?

Stigmata?

diverge paint 1

What's your name on Strava? I'd love to follow you!

Ibis Hakka MX!!!!

With all due respect, i really wonder if road people know de differencesbetween gravel and mountain bike?

Another person fallen victim to thinking chatter and vibration feels faster.

12k for a bike, I’m too poor to be into cycling 😂😂

No disrespect but you bike guys kill me. That Crux cost more than my Tacoma. I think access to nice bikes makes guys fussy. Enjoy either way👍🏻. Im shopping the Crux Comp vs Aspero which is why Im here.

Your accent is so TRUMP